Air

Birmingham's airport, which is located just north of the city, is served by several major airlines. If you are staying at the Pickwick please call the hotel upon your arrival for a complimentary shuttle service. Otherwise, a taxi ride to the university area should cost around $20. For those wishing to avoid connecting flights to Birmingham, they may consider to fly to Atlanta and rent a car or use the shuttle service provided by Airport Express to Birmingham. Please note that advance reservations are required for the shuttle service. Call (205) 591-7770 Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:00pm, for information and reservations.

Car

Birmingham is at the intersection of three interstate highways: I-20, I-59, and I-65. The main artery through campus is 8th Avenue South (also called University Boulevard).

• If you are coming on I-65 northbound, exit on University Boulevard (8th Ave S).
• If you are coming on I-20 or I-59 (either direction) take I-65 southbound, exit at 4th Ave S, make a right on 13th Street S, and continue up to University Boulevard (8th Ave S). If you are coming on I-20 westbound or I-59 southbound, you may also take HWY 31 South, exit on University Boulevard (8th Ave S), and make a right at the exit.
• If you are coming on I-65 southbound exit at 4th Ave S, make a right on 13th Street S, and continue up to University Boulevard (8th Ave S).

Parking

Parking is available at UAB parking lot no.5B, which is across University Boulevard from the Hill University Center (the place for plenary talks), and next to the 15th Street Classroom Building. The entrance of the parking lot is on 15th Street South.

Weather

Birmingham's weather in March is unpredictable.  While springlike weather is most common, it could be chilly, raining, or even snowing.  Click here for Birmingham current weather conditions.

E-mail Service

E-mail service is provided by UAB Educational Technology Services. The conference participants may check their email via web browser or telnet client. During the conference week, the facility is open from 7:30am to 5:00pm daily, Tuesday to Friday, March 26 to 29. There will be NO e-mail service on Saturday, March 30. Printing from the computers is available for a charge. More details are given in the registration package.

Restaurants

We have prepared a list of restaurants (pdf, dvi, ps).  You may also want to check out a more complete list of the Greater Birmingham Area at bhamdining.com.

Attractions

Birmingham has a wide variety of attractions such as:

• The Birmingham Museum of Art has a nationally-recognized permanent collection of over 17,000 works of art dating from ancient to modern times, notably the Kress Collection of Renaissance painting, with works by Bordone, Mainardi, Tintoretto, and Veneziano; and the Simon Collection of Art of the American West, including 12 Remington bronzes. 
• Take a stroll through the Botanical Gardens to see the rhododendrons, camellias, wildflowers, ferns, delicate bonsai plants, roses, desert flowers, and even a Japanese Garden, complete with a Japanese Teahouse and Zen-like sense of peacefulness.
• For a historical perspective, visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The institute's permanent exhibitions are a self-directed journey through the civil rights movement and human rights struggles of today.
• For those who like to hike, there is Oak Mountain State Park (about 20 miles from the city), Alabama's largest State Park, with almost 10,000 acres of mountains, lakes, and forests for hiking, biking, and fishing, as well as a riding stable.
• For those coming with children, do not miss the hands-on science museum and giant-screen IMAX Dome Theater at the McWane Center where state-of-the-art exhibits, theater presentations, live demonstrations and hands-on activities bring the concepts of science to life.