NSF IDM'2000 Workshop
Travel and Hotel Arrangements  And Reimbursement Information

For IDM-Primary PI/Co-PIs, we request that one person register and attend the workshop. If the funds are available, the workshop  will pay the expenses of another Co-PI.   Additional Co-PIs paying their own expenses are welcome to attend the workshop.   

For IDM-Secondary PI/Co-PIs,  one person is cordially invited to attend the workshop.  Additional Co-PIs are welcome to attend the workshop; however, the workshop does not have the funds to pay their expenses.

Our intention is to reimburse all PIs and Co-PIs their full expenses, provided that there are enough funds. Currently, our budget is as follows. Airfare up to $400 (except for the West Cost attendees); hotel up to 3 nights ($109 per night plus 14.9% tax.); $75 (for one dinner and other expenses). ( All meals with the exception of Sunday's dinner are provided at the hotel.) The budget is for 125 participants.

Government attendees will be required to pay their travel expenses and be charged a workshop attendance fee of $50 for one day and $90 for two days to cover workshop meals. All industrial and government invited speakers or panelists may be offered travel, per diem and free workshop attendance. The deadline for attendance registration: February 11, 2000. NSF will provide travel and hotel support for the PIs, and for as many Co-PIs as can be accommodated on a first come basis (one Co-PI per grant likely limit). There is a budget and support limit for IDM'2000, as there was for the previous IDM workshops.

Participants have to arrange for their own hotel and travel accommodations. Please keep all receipts relating to travel and hotel accommodations as we will announce an address to send receipts to after the workshop for reimbursement.

PI participants, invited speakers and panelists, and as many Co-PI participants as possible will be reimbursed for the cost of hotel rooms for Sunday and Monday, as well as Saturday for those who get a cheaper rate with a Saturday night stay. The cost of a rental car is not covered.

NSF will reimburse up to $42 per day, which breaks down to:
Breakfast $9.00
Lunch $9.00
Dinner $22.00
Incidentals $2.00

You may get reimbursed for the cost of the round trip airfare from your point of origin to Chicago at the best coach or economy rate available before the IDM'2000 registration deadline of February 8, 2000, or the cost for the entire trip including the stop-over in Chicago in order to attend the IDM'2000, whichever is less. In order to process the reimbursement, please send the receipt showing the cost of the whole trip. This would cover situations when somebody gets an extra cheap/free/donated ticket for the whole trip (or gets a ride with a friend), but would want to get reimbursed for the IDM'2000 airfare. Such instances are rare, but they do happen.

Furthermore, for your record-keeping you will need receipts. Please download the travel reimbursement form (an excel document), and complete a printed hardcopy. Then send the completed form and receipts to

                 Barbara Sykes
                 Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
                 U. of Illinois at Chicago
                 Chicago, Il. 60607-7053.

 

Travel Agency for IDM Workshop

The official travel Agency for IDM Workshop is the Get Back Travel agency. We  recommend the use of Get Back Travel since it has special zone fares for our workshop via American Airlines and does not require Saturday night stay for cheap air fares. 
Get Back Travel Phones:
1-800-440-8830
1-847-205-7819
1-847-205-7836 (fax)
Please mention NSF-IDM to get NSF IDM workshop special rates. 

Contact Information and Directions to the Workshop Hotel

The workshop hotel is 

                The Congress Plaza Hotel
                520 S. Michigan Ave.
                Chicago, IL 60605

Congress Plaza Hotel phone numbers:
1-800-635-1666
1-312-427-3800
1-312-427-7264 (Fax)

Please mention NSF-IDM to get our special rate ($109 single; $119 double). Reservations should be done by Feb. 11 to obtain the special rate. The negotiated price with the Congress Plaza Hotel for a single room is $109 + tax per night, which you can use to compare against for savings when checking for a Saturday night stay-over. When making your reservation, ask for the IDM '2000 Workshop rate. If the people working the telephones do not know or cannot find that rate, try "NSF" - which may be the way they have it listed in their computer.

If there is any problem regarding hotel reservation, please contact Jezekiel Ben-Arie at  312-996-2648 or  312-355-0854 or by e-mail : benarie@eecs.uic.edu.

Directions to the Workshop Hotel

Directions from O'Hare airport:
There are several options of ground transportation (about 15 miles) from the airport: Airport Express, Taxi or the Train (CTA). In O'Hare you have to follow the signs of "ground transportation" to find these. 

The Airport Express provides transportation from and to O'Hare by mini-buses that reach all the hotels downtown. Fare is approx. $20.

Taxis are also available, and cost approx. $35 .

The train (CTA) is the cheapest, it costs $1.50 and it is recommended to exit at Washington station and to take a taxi to the hotel from there (about $5). There is only one line leaving O'Hare; so it is not necessary to change lines.

Directions from Midway airport:
There are two options for ground transportation (about 11 miles) from the airport: Taxi or the Train (CTA). In Midway you have to follow the signs of "ground transportation" to find these.

Taxis are available, and they cost approx. $25 .

The train (CTA) costs $1.50 and it is recommended to exit at Van-Buren - Library station and to take a taxi to the hotel from
there (about $5). There is only one line leaving Midway, so it is not necessary to change lines.

 


Back to the IDM'2000 home page