Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 2017
5th Circular
10-14 April 2017
Montevideo, URUGUAY
Dear colleagues
The ACM2017 is starting in a few days. We are doing our best to be your hosts.
Note that the week from April 8th to 17th will be holydays in Uruguay. This is
Easter Week. In Latin countries we call it the Holy Week; but in our very
secular state, we call it the Tourism Week, a holiday for the full week. Many
shops could be closed, particularly after Thursday 13th. Montevideo will be
pretty empty, because people enjoy the vacations out of the city. This is why we
organize the ACM in these dates.
Desk registration
The desk registration will
open on Sunday 9th from 15:00 to 18:30, and on Monday 10th
from 8:00.
Then, it will be open during the whole conference from 9:00 to 18:30.
Program
The final program is
available in the Conference web page.
http://acm2017.uy/programme-table/
A version of the program with all the titles and authors will be distributed
with the conference material; but we will not distribute a printed copy of the
abstract book.
You can download it from the web page soon.
There will be an App with the conference information to be downloaded from
Google Play or App store (ACM2017). We encourage to download it in advance and
get familiar with it.
There will be a short opening ceremony on Monday 8:45 to 9:00, in order to
affect as less as possible, the scientific program.
The number of participants has partially exceeded our expectations. We will be a
little more than 400 colleagues. In order to avoid a crowded auditorium, we will
broadcast and show the talk in the auditorium in a cozy nearby room, where you
can enjoy soft drinks and coffee in comfortable sofas. For colleagues that are
not attending the conference, we are working on the online streaming of the
plenary and at least one of the parallel session.
Oral presentations
We will only use the
computers provided by the LOC for the presentations. Your own laptop can be used
only in VERY exceptional cases.
There will be a speaker room where you can upload the presentation in advance of
your talk. Presentation are accepted in PowerPoint (ppt, pptx), Adobe PDF (pdf)
or OpenDocument Presentation (odp) format. Videos and animations can be included
in the slides, but they should be put in the same directory as the presentation.
The computers will be running Windows 10 (apologies for the free-software).
Posters
The posters are divided in
two groups. The first group will be displayed from Sunday 9 (15:00) to Tuesday
11 (18:30) and the second group from Wednesday 12 (8:30) to Friday 14 (17:00).
The information about the allocation of the posters will be included in the
program.
For those that requested us to print the poster and deliver it to the Conference
Centre, you must fill the form at
https://goo.gl/m8lhMH ; and you can upload the poster
https://goo.gl/3xjRTL not later than
April 3rd. This service costs ~USD 30 per poster. If you are planning to print
the poster in Montevideo after your arrival, it might be a little difficult to
find a printing shop open (but not impossible), because most shops are closed
due to the Eastern holydays.
Hotels
The reservation of hotels
through the Conference web page ends on April 3rd.
Social events
All the social events are
included in the registration fee for all the international participants
(professional, students, grantees and accompanying persons).
Opening reception
The reception will be on
Sunday 9 from 18:30 to 21:00 at Restaurant Los Soprano’s, just 50mt from
the Conference.
Dinner
The closing dinner will be
on Thursday 13 from 20:00 to 23:00 at the Kibon Hall of Events.
Kibon is located just beside the sea, at the east end of the Pocitos beach.
For those coming from the Airport along the Rambla, you might have seen it just
behind the “MONTEVIDEO” sign (the one in the photo of the conference web page).
You have to check in the registration desk to secure your assistance to the
closing dinner. You can do this at the moment of registration and not later than
Monday 10th.
You have to go and return from Kibon by your owns. It is a nice 20min walk along
the Rambla from the area of hotels.
Football tournament
The Solar System Football
Tournament will be held on Tuesday 11, from 19:00 to 22:00 in a small football
field beside the Conference center.
There are a few places left to be part of one of the four teams.
If you want to play, please fill the form a.s.a.p.
https://goo.gl/aeyDct
Typical Uruguayan sausages ("choripan con chimichurri”) and drinks will be
served beside the field.
The field is of dirt (no grass), similar to an asteroid surface with a regolith
layer.
Suggested sportswear: Shorts, Football shoes (cleats are not required), T-Shirts
will be provided.
Cheerers and fans are welcome.
Country and City
Uruguay is a small country,
particularly in Latin-American standards. The total population is 3.3 million
and the size of the country is only 176.000 km2. Uruguayans are proud to be a
society of middle class people (not too rich, not too poor). We love ranks,
specially those where we are among the top positions (have a look to a summary
of these ranks http://acm2017.uy/ranks/ ).
Uruguayans are largely Spanish and Italians descendants from the 17th to 20th
centuries. For example, Fernández is a common Spanish last name, and Tancredi an
Italian one. Native Indians were almost exterminated in the 19th. The National
President as well as President of the LOC share the Indian name Tabaré, but they
do not have any Indian roots. Therefore, you should not expect to see Indians in
our streets, neither gauchos; the later ones live in the countryside. Uruguay
looks like a Latin-European society with some Latin-American flavor (we are less
noisy and more boring).
Montevideo has a population of 1.5 million. It has it good and bad things. It is
the most expensive city in Latin America but it is one of the safest ones.
Nevertheless, you have to be cautious when you are walking in the streets.
Montevideo extends over the shore of the Rio de la Plata; but you should not
expect a normal river. Rio de la Plata is an estuary that we share with
Argentina, but it is named as a river for geopolitical reasons. You will not see
the Argentinian coasts from Montevideo. There is a beautiful Rambla all along
the shore from West to East of the city. It is a nice place to wander. The
beaches of Montevideo are suitable for swimming. The water has a brownish color
due to the soil from the Uruguay and Paraná rivers.
Uruguayans speak Spanish. You will find only a small fraction of people that
speaks English. Most could understand Portuguese, and some could understand
French (because, until 15 years ago, French was taught in the Secondary School).
AAmong the ranks that do not appear in any news, but it is relevant for us; we
mention that all the students of age ~ 15 has passed for a full year course of
Astronomy in the High School.
Tours
Wednesday afternoon is free
and we will have the touristic tours provided by the LOC and included in the
registration for all the international participants.
The tours depart at 14:00 from the parking nearby the Conference, and they come
back to the same place.
There will be three different alternative tours:
- A city tour of Montevideo
that last 3 hours, with several stops in emblematic places.
- A shorter city tour of Montevideo that stops in the Rural Exposition. The
Rural exposition is the most popular festivity in Eastern. You will have the
chance to see a lot of typical activities of the gauchos, in particular
the rodeo.
- A visit to wineries in the rural area of Montevideo, including tasting of
local wines.
Some of these tours have
limited number of participants. Although they are free, you have to register in
advance in order to know the exact numbers. A “first come, first served” policy
will be applied.
Those attending the tour and not having a lunch ticket will get a lunch bag.
Please, fill the following form a.s.a.p., but not later than Monday 10/4.
https://www.easyplanners.net/index.php?option=com_rsform&formId=151
Those that are not registered for the tours by that date, may not have a place
in the buses.
Transport
Montevideo has an
acceptable public transport system compared to other Latin-American cities. The
traffic is also less chaotic. There is no metro, but there is a dense network of
buses. The taxis work with taximeter according to distance and time. They have
the disadvantage that, for security reasons, they have an annoying glass
partition between the from and back seats, which made a reduced available space.
Some of the modern transport applications are also working like: Uber, Easy Go
and Cabify. There is also a system of private “remises” that you can hire for
medium trips (see information below).
A bus trip in Montevideo (independent of the distance) cost Uruguayan $U 33
(~1.1 USD). You can pay on the bus; let’s try to pay with the exact change or
with bills of $U 100 or less. Most buses have a guard to receive the payment (to
the left of the driver). There is no daily or weekly pass. If you want to
transfer between buses, you can pay one single ticket, but you need a “STM”
card, and it is a pain to get it.
There are tourist information offices at the Airport, the Harbor and the Bus
Terminal
From/To
Airport: The Carrasco Airport (serving Montevideo) is ~20 km from downtown and the neighborhood of the hotels (Punta Carretas). It is a very small airport for international standards, but it is a very beautiful building (have a look before leaving). An airport taxi to Punta Carretas costs Uruguayan $U 1330 (~ 50 USD) (a fixed fare in $U).
There are other cheaper ways:
- there is an office of
Abtour at the main hall, and you have a transfer for USD 40. (fabian.moreno@abtour.com.uy
- +598 99 517 806)
- you can ask for a remise as soon as the airplane lands and it will be waiting
for you at the exit. Remises de las Carretas is one alternative (see
information below). Cost $U 850 (USD 30)
- with internet access, you can ask for an Uber, Easy Go or Cabify. Estimated
cost: $U 550-750 (USD 25) .
- there are shuttle vans for 10 persons. The problem is that you have to wait
until the van is full. The vans are from of the exit to the right. Cost $U 400
- there is a special bus going from the Airport to Punta Carretas. The
bus runs every 30min-1hr depending on day and time. It runs from 6:00 to 22:00 (aprox.).
The bus number is DM1. The bus stop is from the exit to the left. Ticket
$U 55 (detail timetable can be found at
http://cutcsa.com.uy/informacion/facHorarios.php - select DM1).
- there are also other metropolitan buses going downtown.
The bus stop is from the exit to the left. Ticket $U 58
Harbor: The Montevideo’s harbor is downtown, in the old part of the city. Those coming directly from Buenos Aires in the hovercraft will arrive to this harbor. From the harbor you can take a taxi to Punta Carretas, with an estimated cost of $U 300 (for the centric hotels the cost should be ~$U 200). In order to take a bus, you have to walk 500 m and take a crowd vehicle (not recommended). The modern transport internet applications are also an option.
Bus terminal:
The name of the bus terminal for international buses is “Tres Cruces”. It
is located pretty close to the Conference center and Punta Carretas.
Those coming from Buenos Aires via Colonia should arrive to this terminal. From
the terminal you can take a taxi to Punta Carretas, with an estimated
cost of $U 180 (for the centric hotels the cost should be ~$U 150). You can take
a public bus just outside the terminal.
Restaurants
Punta Carretas
is one of the neighborhood with the densest set of restaurants. Gonzalo lives in
this area; as a service to the LOC, he has tried as many restaurants as possible
in the last years. He produces a list with some comments that can be accessed in
the Conference web page.
http://acm2017.uy/restaurants/
Currency and Money Exchange
The official currency is
the Uruguayan Pesos ($U), but you can pay with US Dollars in many places. Debit
and credit cards are also acceptable in almost all shops. There are ATMs spread
all over the city.
The official exchange rate of the Uruguayan $U of
30/3/2017 is:
The Spanish name for
exchange offices are: CAMBIO. Look for that sign.
The exchange rate had only small fluctuations in the last months and we do not
expect large variations in the coming weeks. But you know that financial
predictions are more uncertain than any of our scientific problems.
There is no relevant black currency market, therefore the rates in different
exchange offices should have only small fluctuations; unless you are trying one
of the exchange offices in the entry points: airport and harbor. For example,
the exchange office in the baggage claim area in the airport buys dollars at a
rate of ~$U 22 (>20 % less than the official rate !!!). There is another
exchange office in the airport with a better rate (~$U 25). After exiting the
Customs, you enter a big hall; go to the right towards the McDonald’s. Just
before it, to the right, you have the other exchange office. You should change
only an small amount (50-100 USD) and find a better exchange office in town.
There is an ATM machine to the left on this big hall.
In town, you won’t have any
difficulty in finding an exchange office. Close to the area of hotels in
Punta Carretas, there is an exchange office in the Punta Carretas
Shopping Mall as well as outside it. ATMs can also be found in the mall. You can
get the best rate in the area in the CAMBIO Gales, in the corner of 21
de Setiembre and Ellauri. Exchange offices have a very wide opening
hours, usually form 9:00 to 20:00. The exchange office in the Malls are open
even on Sundays.
Weather
The weather in Montevideo
is very variable. The conference will be in early Autumn. You would expect
temperatures in the range Tmin 10oC / Tmax 25oC. Humidity
is generally over 60%. Some rainy days could be possible. So, be prepare for a
mild weather, with sunny as well as rainy days.
Electricity and Plugs
Electrical power in Uruguay
is 220 V / 50 Hz.
Electric plugs are really an issue in Uruguay. Until a few years ago, you can
find up to 4-5 standards. At present, most of the plugs are one of these three
types:
So, be prepared to have one
suitable adapter or you can buy one in a hardware store (“Ferretería” in
Spanish) (lowest floor of the Punta Carretas Shopping Mall or ask us). An
adapter with a male similar to the first photo should work in all plugs.
Some useful information
An application to find the
way to go from point to another by bus or walking:
http://comoir.montevideo.gub.uy
Remises de las Carretas
Tel: (598) 2711 6983 /
(598) 2711 6984
Cel: (59) 96 43 77 02
Email:
info@remisesdelascarretas.com.uy
Webpage:
http://remisesdelascarretas.com.uy/
Some useful telephone numbers:
Gonzalo Tancredi: +598 99 927 446
Tabaré Gallardo: +598 96 733 448
Easy Planners: +598 93 369 555
You can access them with Whatsapp too.
With best regards,
Local Organizing Committee
acm2017.uy