NAEC

20 to 25 July 2008

Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida USA

including a celebration of the career of John Miller Lawrence [PDF File]

The NAEC is intended primarily for colleagues in Canada, the Caribbean region, Central America, Mexico, and the United States of America. It serves this geographic region between meetings of the International Echinoderm Conference, last held in August 2006 at University of New Hampshire. The NAEC is international but remains smaller than the IEC. Based on trends of recent NAECs, we anticipate an intimate conference with about 100 participants. A brief history of the NAEC was written by John M. Lawrence in 2001. (See also his 1998 history of North American meetings about echinoderms in Gulf of Mexico Science 16(1):112-114.)

This conference website will be updated as plans are finalized over the next several months. Fee structure, registration procedure, abstract submission, and an online payment system should be ready in February 2008. If tentative details or formal letters of invitation are needed in advance for planning or for home institutional approval and support for travel, contact one of the co-organizers for assistance.

On-line forms are now available for abstract submission, conference registration, and campus dorms and meals.  See relevant sections below.  If you are visiting this website to make a payment for registration, campus accommodations or meals, or for a field trip, visit the payment site and check the box marked "5th North American Echinoderm Conference"; be certain to enter the purpose of the payment in the comments box.  NOTE:  On-line payment may be accomplished for Visa and MasterCard.  For payment by American Express or Discover, please mail printed copies of the PDF versions for registration and dorms/meals.

Conference Schedule (Tentative)

Campus and Local Accommodations

A variety of hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfast facilities are located within reasonable driving time from the FIT campus.  High-end accommodations are strung along the Atlantic beaches (U.S. Rte. A1A); we do not recommend places farther north than Cocoa Beach or south of Sebastian Inlet (both about 40 min away) and strongly suggest those between Satellite Beach and Melbourne Beach (about 20 min away).  Comparable ranges along U.S. Rte. 1 on the west side of the Indian River Lagoon would be Cocoa to Roseland (30 min) and the northern reaches of the Melbourne area to Palm Bay (15 min).  A short list of local hotels and motels, some offering reduced rates for FIT visitors, may be found on the FIT website. We are holding rooms for 100 guests on the FIT campus in a housing unit called Columbia Village.  These suites are favored among our students.  Rates are $23.00 per day with a one-time linen charge of $12.00.  See "Campus Room and Board" below for on-line room reservation for Columbia Village.

Campsites and RV Parks

Public facilities for RVs, tent camping, and trailored campers are within a reasonable drive from campus:  Wickham Park (25 min), Long Point Park (40 min),  Sebastian Inlet State Park (40 min).  There are additional sites at commercial facilities.

Meals

The campus has several dining facilities.  Meal plans are available for purchase in advance or on site.  The daily charge for a meal plan is $21.00; see "Campus Room and Board" below for on-line purchase of a meal.  Meals may also be purchased individually at all facilities.

The Melbourne area has a great selection of restaurants, coffee houses, microbreweries, and bars, including excellent one-of-a-kind restaurants.  A few are within walking distance from campus.  Many are concentrated in Historic Downtown Melbourne, a very long walk or short drive away, and along Fifth Avenue, Indialantic, a few miles across the Indian River Lagoon.  A list will be available upon arrival for fast-food, family, and fine dining and for evening symposia in the classical sense of the Greeks and Romans.  See the website for Brevard Live Magazine for entertainment and dining in Brevard County.

Campus Room and Board

On-line reservation for dormitory rooms and purchase of meal plans is now available.  You may also download a PDF version of the reservations form and submit it by mail if you will pay by check or credit card.  Alternatively, you may return the form electronically or by mail and make your payment on-line at the secure payment site.  NOTE:  This site may be used for payment only by Visa and MasterCard.  For payment by American Express and Discover cards, please mail the paper reservation form with credit-card information and signature.  Click here to access the online dorm/meal reservation page.