Useful Information

Some useful information is compiled below. When planning your trip, you may want to combine it with one of the unaffiliated events taking place the week prior to the Inaugural CAMDA Conference, namely:

• The International Conference on Approximation Theory and Beyond will be held on May 15-18 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

• The CBMS Conference on the 'Foundations of Causal Graphical Models and Structure Discovery' will be held on May 15-19 at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

For further questions, please reach out to one of the organizers, Simon Foucart or Stephan Wojtowytsch.

Venue

Travel

Besides Easterwood Airport (CLL), College Station is connected to George Bush International Airport in Houston (IAH) by the ground shuttle service during the day. The schedule is subject to change, but currently the first departure from Houtson is at 9:15 AM and the last departure is at 9:15 PM. The trip to or from Houston takes about 90 minutes. An additional 30 minute buffer is built into the shuttle schedule. The shuttle offers home or hotel drop off for an additional fee (which is recommended since the shuttle station is not in the city).

The ground shuttle no longer offers home or hotel pick up. Shuttles leave from the ground shuttle office, which can be reached by taxi, lyft, uber, etc. in 15-20 minutes from Texas A&M University. The first shuttle of the day leaves College Station at 5:30 AM and the last shuttle at 5:30 PM (subject to change).

A shuttle is $50 ($62 for home drop off). Booking a ride early is recommended as capacity is limited. The shuttle leaves IAH at Door C-105 from the arrivals section at terminal C (which also serves as baggage claim for D and E gates). Within Houston airport, there is transportation between terminals via the Skyway airside and via a subway outside the security area. Walking next to the subway is also possible.

Other regional airports in Austin, Dallas and Hobby Airport in Houston are not connected to College Station by public transportation. A ride with a ride sharing app is $150-200 (or above). Travel through CLL or IAH is recommended.

Lodging

Accomodation is recommended at The George Hotel or the Hampton Inn. Both hotels are within a 20 minute walking radius from the Blocker Building. 

A block of rooms has been reserved for the conference at the Hampton. Rooms are allocated at a reduced rate on a first come, first served basis. A link for booking is available after registering for the conference. All room reservations in the conference block must be made by May 5. 

There are other hotels in walking distance, such as the Texas A&M Hotel on campus. 

Local transit

There is limited public transit within College Station. On demand taxi service is available at the airport. Ride share apps such as Lyft and Uber work well in College Station. 

Within the city, Texas A&M University maintains a bus system for faculty, staff and students. Visitors are allowed to ride. See this site for further information and time tables.

Several hotels - including The George Hotel and the Hampton Inn - are within walking distance to the conference venue.

Dining

Varied dining options are availbale close to the conference location. Cross University Avenue to leave the campus and turn left towards Northgate or right towards Century Square.  Towards Northgate, restaurants include (sorted by distance to Blocker):

• • Nam Cafe (Vietnamese, just across the road)

  • Potbelly (Sandwiches)

  • Dollar Slice (Fast food pizza)

  • Freebirds World Burrito (Mexican)

  • Rough Draught Whiskey Bar (Pub with pizza)

  • BAD CHX (Fried chicken food truck)

In Century Square, popular food options include

• • Piada Italian Street Food (Italian)

  • Velvet Taco (Mexican Fusion)

  • Hopdoddy Burger Bar (Burgers)

  • Blaze Pizza (Pizza)

  • Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café (Crêpes)

  • Pokeworks (Poke bowls and burritos)

  • PORTERS (Steak house. Conference dinner location) 

The George Hotel is located in Century Square, and the Hampton Inn is located closeby.

Further options, including common chain restaurants, are available in both directions. Accessible by a short car ride, there are several additional options for dinner, including

• • The Republic Steakhouse (Steak)

  • Primrose Path Wine Bar (Tapas)

  • Sôlt ("polished casual restaurant")

Title IX at Texas A&M

Texas A&M University is committed to providing a safe and non-discriminatory learning, living, and working environment for all members of the University community. The University provides equal opportunity to all employees, students, applicants for employment or admission, and the public regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Texas A&M University will promptly investigate and resolve all complaints of discrimination, harassment (including sexual harassment), and related retaliation made by or against faculty, staff, students, guest and vendors in accordance with our policy and applicable federal and state laws.

More information is available here. Individuals may make inquiries or file a complaint by contacting the University's Title IX Coordinator, Jennifer Smith, at civilrights@tamu.edu or 979-458-8407.

If an issue arises urgently, please contact one of the conference organizers (Simon Foucart, Stephan Wojtowytsch), the conference administrator Cara Barton, or report the issue anonymously using the linked google form, so that action can be taken to address the situation as quickly as possible. 

Child and family care

We do not provide child care on site, but a number of child care services exist in College Station and/or Bryan. If you need information about private child-care service available at College Station or have further family-related questions, please contact the organizers (Simon Foucart, Stephan Wojtowytsch) at your earliest convenience for assistance.

Conference dinner

The Conference Dinner will be held at Porters Bar + Dining in Century Square. Please register here.

Feedback

We appreciate feedback on this conference, hopefully the first of many. Please find us at the event or provide feedback using this google form.