2008 SEPA Conference
July 22-26 2008
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium
Dear Colleague:
It’s almost time for this year’s SEPA conference, to be held at the Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium in Lafayette, Louisiana! I hope you will be able to join us from Tuesday, July 22 - Saturday, July 26, 2008 for a conference in Cajun country. Please note those dates — the conference is in July this year, not June.
The conference registration fee is $175 per person (or $90 for one day). The theme is the old Cajun expression “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” — “Let the good times roll,” or in a planetarium context, “Making astronomy fun.” What do you do to make astronomy fun for the people you serve?
Among the conference highlights will be trips to a public observatory and to Mulate’s famous Cajun restaurant, a Messier Shootout, and all your great papers and presentations. Speakers will include Dr. Paulette Hebert from Oklahoma State University (formerly of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette) and Chair of the International Dark-Sky Association’s Education Working Group. Dr. John J. Caldwell from York University in Toronto, a scientist working with the Kepler Mission set to launch next year, will be our banquet speaker.
The conference hotel will be the Holiday Inn-Lafayette, located near the I-10/I-49 interchange about a 15 minute drive from the museum. Room charges will be $98 per night single or double, plus a 12% tax. Conference rooms will be held at this rate through July 7, 2008.
Lafayette can be easily reached by car, and Lafayette Regional Airport (LFT) is served by American Eagle, Continental Express, Delta Connection, and Northwest Airlink.
Lafayette has a subtropical climate. You can expect July to be very hot, and very humid, and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Happily, except the observatory trip, we will spend most of our time indoors.
Here you should find the information you need to plan your trip to SEPA 2008. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
David E. Hostetter
Curator of the Planetarium
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium
- Tentative schedule
- Special conference events
- Conference Registration (pdf)
- Paper Submission (pdf)
- Workshop Submission (pdf)
- Messier Shootout Registration (pdf)
- Donate to the Silent Auction (pdf)
- Travel Directions (pdf)
- Map to hotel and planetarium (pdf)
- Commercial Exhibitor Information (pdf)
- Easy Book - Book hotel reservations at the conference rate here!
- One Day Registrations
Hotel
Holiday Inn-Lafayette2032 NE Evangeline Thruway
Lafayette, LA 70501
Room rate: $98 + 12% tax, single or double, available at this rate if reserved by July 7.
Some rooms open to the inside of the building and others open to the outside, and smoking/non-smoking rooms are available. Specific room type requests and special needs are honored whenever possible but are not guaranteed.
Hotel reservations can be made online or by calling Holiday Inn Reservations at 1-800-448-2296. The Holiday Inn-Lafayette front desk number is 337-233-6815. Be sure to reference the Southeastern Planetarium Association to get the proper rate. Remember that you must make your reservation no later than July 7, 2008!
Museum Contact Information
Lafayette Natural History Museum & Planetarium
433 Jefferson Street
Lafayette, LA 70501
337-291-5544 (museum phone)
337-291-5464 (museum fax)
David E. Hostetter (general information)
Curator of the Planetarium
337-291-5547 (office phone)
dhostetter@lafayettegov.net
Charlotte Guillot (door prizes and paper presentation schedule)
Assistant Planetarium Curator
337-291-5495 (office phone)
cguillot@lafayettegov.net
Dexter LeDoux (for technical needs)
Exhibit and Planetarium Technician
337-291-5460 (office phone)
dledoux@lafayettegov.net
Dawn Edelen (for travel needs)
Education Curator
337-291-5548 (office phone)
dedelen@lafayettegov.net