June 25-27, 2018
Bruggeman Conference Center, CBIS,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York, 12180   USA

• Call for papers.
• Register for the conference (and workshops).
• Travel information.

Dates and deadlines

• May 1, 2018 - deadline for abstracts for presentation proposals.
• May 1, 2018 - also deadline for the early bird registration discount.
• May 23 - deadline for discounted hotel reservations. Booking hotel rooms early is always advisable.
• June 1 - deadline for preprints to be in the printed program.
• June 24, 4-6pm - opening reception and registration at the Russell Sage Dining Hall.
• June 25-27 - conference.
• June 25 - LaTeX workshop, concurrent with regular talks.
• June 25-26 - calligraphy workshop, after regular talks.
• June 27 - R+knitr+LaTeX workshop, after regular talks.
• June 27, evening - banquet
• July 4 - deadline for final papers for the printed TUGboat proceedings.

Special guest: Kris Holmes

We are extremely pleased to welcome eminent calligrapher and type designer Kris Holmes of Bigelow&Holmes to the conference. Kris will give a talk about Lucida and her other typeface designs, both her solo designs and those done with partner Charles Bigelow.

Kris will also lead a calligraphy workshop, especially for mathematicians and TeXnicians without previous calligraphy experience.

Travel

Full driving directions and tourist information are available separately. Here is a brief summary:

• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is in Troy, New York, USA, 12180, about 10 miles north-northeast of Albany and 160 miles north of New York City.
• The conference venue is the Bruggeman Conference Center, located in the Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at RPI. (Address: 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180.)
• Airport: Albany International Airport (airport code ALB), Colonie, NY.
• Train (Amtrak) station: Albany-Rensselaer, NY (station code ALB), Rensselaer, NY. (Note: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is not in the town of Rensselaer!)
• Taxis, Uber/Lyft, or renting a car are the most viable ways of getting from either the airport or train station to RPI.

Accommodations

There are two main options for where to stay.

1. Best Western Franklin Square, 1 4th St, Troy, NY, 12180, adjacent to the RPI campus (map). Reservations here must be made by phone: 866-708-2233 (toll-free) or 518-274-8800. Mention you are with “PracTeX” (you may have to spell it :). Rooms start at US$109.99 per night (+taxes and fees). The conference rate is available from Sat June 23 through Sun July 1.

   Please book as early as possible. The hotel has reserved a block for us; when that is filled, if space is still available, they'll reserve another block, etc. Any remaining rooms will be released for general reservations on May 23. The conference rate will still apply after that if rooms are available, but no guarantees on availability. Rooms must be cancelled at least 48 hours prior to arrival to avoid charges (of one night's room and tax).

2. Polytechnic Apartments (scroll down that web page), 386 Congress Street (map). This university housing facility consists of studio apartments, each with four rooms, a common area, and a kitchen. The rooms are air conditioned. Each room in a suite is $58/night. Accommodations and roommate selections are made through TUG, when you register for the conference. Polytech is available until Fri Jun 29.

   The deadline for campus housing requests is May 23. We may be able to make limited exceptions after that, but no guarantees.

Meals

The registration fee includes a light breakfast and lunch on each day of the meeting, as well as morning and afternoon coffee breaks. Breakfast, lunches, and the opening reception will all be at the Russell Sage Dining Hall; the breaks will be at the conference venue.

We'll have a banquet (optional extra) on Wednesday evening.

Sponsors and publicity

Sponsored by the TeX Users Group and individual donors. Thanks to all. New sponsors are greatly appreciated, as is mentioning the conference to colleagues and in any other contexts. We'd also be grateful for any posting of this one-page PDF flyer (letter) (and a4).

Contact

Contacting the organizers:

• Email: [email protected].
• Phone, fax, postal mail: see TUG office contact information.
• Conference committee: Karl Berry, Robin Laakso, Michael Sofka, Boris Veytsman.