SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT

of a conference

 on the analytic theory of continued fractions, orthogonal functions,

rational approximation and related topics

 

 

2001:  A Mathematics Odyssey

Mesa State College

Grand Junction, Colorado, USA

August 6-10, 2001

 

 

A Celebration of the 70th birthday of William B. Jones

Professor Emeritus

University of Colorado, Boulder USA

 

Sponsored by the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the Office of Academic Affairs at Mesa State College.

 

Organizers

Cathy Bonan-Hamada                                                                                         Phil Gustafson                                     

[email protected]                                                                                     [email protected]

Phone:  970-248-1838                                                                                           Phone: 970-248-1176

                                                                                                                               

 

Postal Address:  Cathy Bonan-Hamada and Phil Gustafson, Department of Computer Science,

Mathematics and Statistics,  Mesa State College,  1100 North Ave, Grand Junction, CO, 81501,  USA

 

 

In recognition of the contributions Professor William B. Jones has made to the field of continued fractions and rational approximation, the conference 2001:  A Mathematics Odyssey  is organized in his honor.  The conference will be held August 6-10, 2001, at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, USA.

 

It is the purpose of the second announcement to give you more information about the conference and to aid you in making more specific arrangements to participate.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the organizers by phone, email, or regular mail.

 

About Mesa State College

 

Mesa State College was founded in 1925 as Grand Junction State Junior College and on July 1, 1974, baccalaureate degree programs were added to the schools mission as an institution under The State Colleges in Colorado.  As of July 1, 1996, Mesa State was authorized to offer courses leading to a business administration graduate degree and other future graduate programs.  In 2000, student enrollment exceeded 5200 with a favorable student-faculty ratio and a high-quality learning environment.

 

More information about Mesa State College can be found at www.mesastate.edu

 

 

About Grand Junction

 

The Grand Junction area is the largest urban center in Western Colorado, with a regional population of approximately 100,000.  Grand Junction is located at the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers and is bordered on the west by the Colorado National Monument and on the east by Grand Mesa, the largest flat-topped mountain in the world (elevation 11,000 ft).  Grand Junction is considered a high desert at an altitude of 4586 feet above sea level and annual precipitation of 8-10 inches.  In August you can expect low humidity, plenty of sunshine, warm days (about 95° Fahrenheit, 35° Celsius) and temperate nights (about 65° Fahrenheit, 18° Celsius).

   

Western Colorado is a recreational playground with ample opportunity for hiking, camping, biking, fishing, and white water rafting.  It is an area of significant paleontological resources and includes the site of the earliest discovery of Brachiosaurus remains, some of the oldest dinosaur remains and fossils ever recovered, and a working dinosaur quarry.  Agriculture is one of the major industries in the Grand Valley, which is known for growing some of the nation’s finest peaches.  It has recently been discovered that the climate is ideal for growing grapes and is fast becoming known as Colorado’s wine country with eight wineries in the area.

 

Within a two-hour drive of Grand Junction, one can visit Glenwood Springs, Aspen, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.  More information about Grand Junction, Colorado can be found at http://www2.mesastate.edu/community_links.htm.

 

Getting Here

 

Participants who fly to Walker Field Airport in Grand Junction will need to make arrangements for transportation to their accommodations.  If you arrive during the weekend, your options are to call a taxi using the courtesy phone at the airport or to arrange to be picked up by GISDHO Shuttle.  The toll free number for the shuttle service is 888-226-5031.  The shuttle fee is approximately $15 and may be split between riders.  If you would like for the organizers to schedule the shuttle trip for you, contact us with your flight number, date and time of arrival.  A list of major rental car agencies can be found at   http://grand-junction.net/main/getheretra.htm if you choose to pick up a rental car at the airport.

 

For participants who choose to drive from the Denver area, take I-70 west for 245 miles.  Take exit 31 and turn left (west) onto Horizon Drive at the bottom of the exit.  Continue on Horizon Drive until you reach the round-about at Horizon and 12th Street.  Enter the roundabout, traveling in a counterclockwise direction, and exit onto 12th street headed south (this would be a left turn from Horizon to 12th if there were no roundabout).  Mesa State College is about a mile further on 12th Street.  If you are staying on campus, turn right on Elm Street.  Monument Hall will be the first large building on the right, about 0.1 miles from the intersection.  If you are staying at Hawthorn Suites, continue south on 12th Street for approximately one mile.  Turn right on Main Street and drive approximately 10 blocks to the Hotel (about 1 mile). 

 

For participants who choose to drive from Utah, Take I-70 east to exit 31.  At the bottom of the exit ramp turn right (west) onto Horizon Drive and follow the directions in the preceding paragraph.

 

Local Transportation

 

Since classes will not be in session during the conference, participants with cars should have no problem finding parking.  If you will be parking on campus during the conference, please let the organizers know and they will include a map of available parking areas and parking passes in your conference materials.

 

Participants without cars may choose to take advantage of the Grand Valley Transit bus system.  The transit system serves Grand Junction and the surrounding area from 6am to 6pm, Monday-Friday.  For participants staying off-campus at Hawthorn Suites, the “Downtown Circulator” route stops near the hotel and on campus.  Currently, the fee for the Circulator is $0.50 per ride.  Prices vary for other routes.  For more information on Grand Valley Transit see http://www.grandvalleytransit.com/

 

Accommodations

 

The organizers have reserved a block of rooms at Hawthorn Suites Ltd. located at 225 Main Street.  The hotel is conveniently located in the historic downtown area within walking distance of several nice restaurants and shops, a grocery market, the Cabaret Dinner Theater, the Avalon Theater, and the Museum of Western Colorado.  Conference participants will receive a rate of $79 per night for a studio suite with one queen size bed or a rate of $89 per night for a double studio suite with two queen size beds.  A complimentary hot breakfast buffet is included.  All studio suites have a dataport, refrigerator, and microwave.  The hotel also has a small indoor heated pool and spa and a fitness center.  If you choose to stay at Hawthorn Suites, please fill out the enclosed reservation form and fax it to the hotel directly.  The fax number is on the form.  Hawthorn Suites will hold the block of rooms for the conference until July 2.

 

A block of rooms has also been reserved in Monument Hall on the Mesa State College campus. The rooms are suite-style with two rooms sharing a bathroom.  Each room has two beds, two desks, and two desk chairs.  A single room will cost $30 per night.  A shared room will cost $19 per person per night.  Prices include linens but linens will not be changed daily. To view a sample floor plan for the suites in Monument Hall visit  http://www2.mesastate.edu/studentservices/housing/buildings/monument/monument_hall.htm . There is no smoking allowed in any rooms or common areas of Monument Hall.  Smoking is permitted outside the building.  Please be aware that if you stay in Monument Hall you will need to go off campus for breakfast and dinner each day.  There are several fast food restaurants and a grocery store located within walking distance.  To make reservations for Monument Hall, please fill out the enclosed form and mail with payment along with your registration to the conference organizers by June 1. Cancellations for campus housing received by the organizers before July 15 result in a full refund.  Cancellations received between July 15 and July 30 will receive a 50% refund.  No refund will be given for cancellations after July 30. 

 

For participants who are staying at Hawthorn Suites Hotel or on campus, conference materials will be provided upon arrival.  Participants who choose alternate accommodations should contact the organizers to make special arrangements to pick up conference materials.

 

Social Events

 

The Vice President for Academic Affairs will host a reception for all participants and guests on the afternoon of Monday, August 6, after the conclusion of talks for that day.

 

Participants will have a choice of two different half-day excursions.  The first excursion includes a tour of the Colorado National Monument (http://www.gjcolorado.com/cnm) and concludes with a visit to Two River’s Winery.  The second tour will take participants to the top of Grand Mesa (http://grand-junction.net/main/skiarea.htm).  Please indicate your choice of excursion on the registration form.

 

The conference dinner will be held Thursday, August 9.

 

The Mesa State College Outdoor Program has agreed to lead a white water raft trip through Glenwood Canyon on Saturday, August 11.  Cost for the all-day trip is estimated to be between $25 and $35 (depending on how many people go) and includes transportation, lunch, gear and guides.  Interested parties and accompanying persons can sign up for the trip at the conference.

 

Scientific Program

 

All participants are invited to give a talk.  It is anticipated that most talks will be between 30 minutes and 1 hour. If you would like to give a talk, please indicate the length and title of your talk on the registration form.  It is possible that there will be time available for participants to give more than one talk.  If you would like to give more than one talk, please prioritize your talks on the registration form.  The organizers should receive an abstract for each talk no later than July 15, 2001.

 

The room in which the majority of the talks will be given includes board space, an overhead projector, a slide projector, video and computer projection systems, audio systems, internet access, and PowerPoint 97.  If you need additional information about the presentation capabilities of the room, please contact the organizers.

 

Proceedings

 

We are currently in negotiations with The Rocky Mountain Journal of Mathematics regarding publication of the proceedings.  Please indicate on the registration form whether you might want to contribute to the proceedings.  Papers will be subject to the standard editorial processes of RMJM.  The deadline for submitting papers to the proceedings will be October 15, 2001.

 

Registration

 

Enclosed you will find a registration form.  All quoted fees are in U.S. dollars.  The organizers have decided to allow participants to customize their fee by choosing (or not) to have lunch provided on campus, to attend the conference dinner, and/or to attend the half day excursion.  The basic registration fee of $75 includes basic conference costs, coffee breaks, and a copy of the proceedings.  We have arranged for a daily catered buffet lunch to be provided on campus.  Total cost for five days is $50 per person.  Because the conference occurs between the end of summer school and the beginning of fall semester, no other food service will be available on campus.   For those who choose not to eat on campus, there are several fast food establishments within walking distance.   The cost for participants and accompanying person(s) for the conference dinner will be $35 per person.  The cost for participants and accompanying person(s) for the half day excursion will be $30 per person.

 

Payment for conference fees can be make by enclosing a check from a U.S. bank made out to Mesa State College or by credit card by filling in the appropriate information on the registration form.

 

Deadline for registration and payment is June 1, 2001. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***** Special note for participants from outside the United States *****

 

It is extremely difficult (read impossible) to exchange money in Grand Junction.  Please exchange sufficient money before arriving. 

 

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