All interested researchers and students are invited to participate in the Fourth Gulf Coast Gravity Meeting, which will take place at the Oxford Campus of The University of Mississippi on March 7-8, 2007.

The Gulf Coast Gravity Meetings are intended to foster the integration and interaction of the local research groups working in gravitation and have the traditional format of regional gatherings such as the East Coast, Midwest and Pacific Coast meetings.

The scientific program will consists of short communications with same time allotted for every speaker. Students will compete for the Blue Apple Award, sponsored by the APS - Topical Group on Gravitation.

There will be no conference fee to attend the meeting.

The Conference Venue

The meeting will take place in room 404A of the Student Union Building of the University. For its location and a campus map, see this link. The main campus of The University of Mississippi is within easy walking distance of downtown Oxford. Several of the original antebellum buildings that survived the Civil War have been or are in the process of being renovated. The J.D. Williams Library has more than 1 million volumes and includes the largest blues collection in the world. Among other sources of pride for the University and the Department of Physics and Astronomy is the Millington-Barnard Collection of pre-Civil War-era physics research and demonstration equipment. One of the finest collections of its kind in America, it is housed in the physics department and the University Museums.

Despite its large size, the University has the atmosphere of a smaller college and is one of the safest in the country. The Grove, several parklike acres at the heart of the campus, is at once a study hall, an outdoor concert amphitheater, and great place for frisbee or volleyball. On home football game days, The Grove is packed with fans, friends, and alumni who arrive early and stay late to picnic and soak up the festive atmosphere.

About Oxford

Oxford, Mississippi, is a beautiful Southern town, complete with oak-lined streets, a picturesque town square, and large antebellum and Victorian homes. The town is located only 75 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, a major distribution and transportation hub for much of the Southeast. Oxford was the home of the late Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, who based his mythical accounts of Yoknapatawpha County on stories gleaned from his lifetime observation of the town and region.

His home, Rowan Oak, and surrounding property have been restored to preserve them as they were when he lived there, and one can still feel in them a sense of quiet refuge from an encroaching world. More recently Oxford has been home to novelist John Grisham. The nearby downtown area has maintained a unique combination of small-town charm and big-city sophistication. On any given evening, visitors to the Square can view an art exhibit, browse one of the finest independent bookstores in the nation, experience the best in old-fashioned service at the oldest store in the South, and enjoy cuisine ranging from shrimp and grits to sushi. Oxford has been called a "thriving New South arts mecca" by USA Today and appeared in the New York Times Travel section.

Other tourist information can be found here and here.

Accommodation

Although Oxford has plenty of accommodation choices, it also hosts many events and conventions throughout the year. We strongly recommend to book your stay well in advance. See the accommodation web page for suggestions and further information.

Travel

AIR

If you are flying, you will want to use either Memphis International Airport which is located about 70 miles north of Oxford or Tupelo Regional Airport which is located approximately 50 miles west of the city. Memphis International Airport is slightly farther away than Tupelo Regional Airport but driving time from these airports is roughly the same. Memphis is better served. Sometimes Tupelo offers good bargain flights.

CAR

Driving to Oxford is straightforward.

• From Memphis, Tennessee, take I-55 south for 55 miles. Take the Batesville/Oxford exit off I-55. Merge onto MS-6 and proceed east toward Oxford, Mississippi, for 22 miles. For a more pictoresque alternate route, take US-78 for 52 miles. Exit US-78 at the Holly Springs/Oxford exit. From Holly Springs, take MS-7 south for 31 miles.
• From Jackson, Mississippi, take I-55 north for 150 miles. Take the Batesville/Oxford exit off I-55. Proceed east on MS-6 toward Oxford, Mississippi, for 22 miles.
• From Tupelo, take MS-6 west for 53 miles.

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