Logistics and Travel

Registration

Location

  • The Meeting will be at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA.  University Park is only the area where the university actually is; the name of the town is actually State College, PA  (I know, not much better).
  • Meetings – on campus in Whitmore Monday and Tuesday and downtown in the Innovation Hub (not the one on campus!) Wednesday through Friday

Internet

There are 2 network connections available, listed in order of preference: eduroam and psu. We strongly recommend you use eduraom.

  • eduroam – This is the preferred wifi network for connecting to the internet at Penn State.  It’s reliable, covers the entire campus, and just works!  Make sure that you have an eduroam account; if you do not have an eduroam account, check if your institution offers it, and if it does, sign up for it before coming to Penn State.  If you really cannot get eduroam, you can use one of the following networks.
  • psu-guest – This is the “classic” campus-wide wifi network, and requires a guest account to connect.  If you cannot get eduroam and still want a fast connection (not attwifi), then you need to sign up for a Temporary PSU ID.  Go here: https://psu-guest.psu.edu/ to get setup. Please contact Steph (wissel@psu.edu) if you need help.

COVID-19

We will comply with the COVID-19 policies of the Penn State University: masks and vaccinations are optional. We encourage people to respect each other’s concerns and mask where appropriate.

Travel

  • Travel Coordination: Let Steph know if you want to carpool or otherwise need help getting to State College
  • Airports:
    • Local airport:
      • State College (SCE)
    • Other nearby airports:
      • Harrisburg (MDT): 1h 30 min drive
      • Pittsburgh (PIT): 3h drive
      • Washington, DC – Dulles Intl (IAD): 3h 30min drive
      • Philadelphia (PHI): 3h 30min drive
      • Baltimore (BWI): 3h drive
      • NYC area airports:
        • Newark (EWR): 3h 45 min drive
        • LaGuardia (LGA): 4h drive
        • JFK (JFK): 4h 15 min drive
    • Megabus is also an option
  • If you are traveling internationally, you may be able to get connecting flights directly to State College, but it may be better for you to fly to New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or Washington D.C. and rent a car.
  • For a tour of the Mid-Atlantic, you could fly to Washington D.C. and fly out o New York City. They are approximately equidistant from here (about 4 hour drive)
  • It may be advantageous to rent a car. The typical rules are:
    • Driver must be 25 years old and must have a drivers license
    • You need car insurance which you can obtain either through your university’s contract or from the rental company (rental car insurance is usually expensive so check your local policy before traveling)
    • You must use a credit card, not a debit card to rent the car

Hotels

  • We made a block reservation at the Graduate and the Scholar in State College.  It’s less than a 10 minute walk to the Physics Department and closer still to the Innovation Hub
  • Pertinent information:
    • The Graduate: Please book at this link. Block is available from 9/10 to 9/16.
    • The Scholar: Please book by 9/18 by going to this site and using the booking code “RNO “. The booking code must be presented at the time of booking. Block is available from 9/10 to 9/16
  • The other recommended hotels are the Hyatt and the Hotel State College which are also downtown, but we do not have a reserved block at these hotels.

Getting around State College

  • Downtown and campus are accessible by foot
  • To access wider State College, CATA bus service is available or you can take an Uber/Lyft
  • Beyond State College itself, the easiest way to get around is by car.
  • Parking on campus (for Monday and Tuesday):
  • Parking lots downtown that are close to the Innovation Hub (for Wednesday through Friday):

Things to do

Around State College

  • Google Map with recommended places to visit, restaurants
  • Walking distance
    • Penn State Arboretum
    • Berkey Creamery
  • Driving distance
    • Mount Nittany
    • Hiking at Bald Eagle State Park, Whipple Dam, Black Moshannon (20-30 min drive)
    • Penn’s Cave (30 min drive)

Pennsylvania & Beyond

  • Pennsylvania
    • Hershey Park (2h drive)
    • Lancaster (2h 15 min drive)
  • Virginia
    • Shenandoah National Park (3h drive)
  • New York
    • Niagara Falls (4h 15 min drive)
    • New York City (4h drive)