Venue

New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, also known as New Mexico Tech, is a small university with excellent conference facilities. Dormitory accomodations, dining, and recreational facilities are all within easy walking distance of Macey Center, the main conference building. Click here for campus map.

New Mexico Tech is located in Socorro, New Mexico (~10,000 population) -- an oasis in the desert of the American Southwest. New Mexico's largest river, the Rio Grande, flows south along the city's eastern boundary.

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is the closest major airport to Socorro. The airport is 72 miles (115 km) north of Socorro. Transportation from Albuquerque to Socorro will be provided for registered participants on 15 and 16 July, and from Socorro to Albuquerque on 21 and 22 July.

Socorro, which means "help" in Spanish, got its name from the Spanish explorer Juan de Onate. In 1598, his party was traveling north from Mexico, and after crossing a large expanse of desert -- Jornada del Muerto -- they arrived at the Pueblo of Pilabo near death. The native inhabitants, the Piro Indians, gave Onate's group food and water, and allowed them to stay in their village until the group had recovered enough to continue their journey. Franciscan missionaries stayed behind and built a church (San Miguel Mission, photo below) at the pueblo, which was renamed Socorro.

San Miguel Mission. Photo by Susan Delap The Socorro area is rich in Spanish, Indian, and cowboy cultures. Many of the buildings on the New Mexico Tech campus are of Spanish design. The historic San Miguel Mission church, pictured at left, was originally built in the 1600s. Ruins from Pueblo Indians are nearby in the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Navajo Indians from the Alamo Navajo Reservation near Socorro allow visitors, and they also sell jewelry and other crafts in Socorro. Outside of the city are cattle ranches, and you might run into a cowboy or two if you visit the historic Capitol Bar in downtown Socorro.