SASS 98th Annual Meeting

  • Posted by Scandinavian Studies Staff on Fri, 2007 at 10 at 26 02:36
    The Society for the Advancement
    of Scandinavian Study
    March 13 – 15, 2008
    Fairbanks, Alaska

    The History Department and Northern Studies Program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks cordially welcomes SASS to its 98th annual conference, to be held at the Princess Hotel, in Fairbanks, Alaska.

    The deadline for paper proposals is November 15, 2007.

    The Conference schedule can be found here. Please note that there will be no Thursday evening keynote speaker, and that the conference starts with sessions on Friday morning. Friday evening we have scheduled American-Scandinavian Foundation’s reception at the University Museum of the North [www.uaf.edu/museum/index.html]; we will run buses from the hotel to the reception, and from there to the Ice Sculpture Park. Dress comfortably for the reception, but bring very warm outer wear for the park afterwards.

    Registration for the conference will be available on November 1, 2007. Conference registration should be made through the Fairbanks Convention and Visitors Bureau [www.explorefairbanks.com/meetings].

    The conference will be held at the Fairbanks Princess Lodge [www.princesslodges.com/fairbanks_lodge.cfm].
    Please make your hotel reservations directly with Princess. Reservations need to be made by phone; they can not be made online. Princess’ dedicated conference phone number is: 1-800-777-1725, ext. 2. Our conference code is TNB/L8072. Conference rates ($75/night for a single or double) will remain in effect at the hotel both before and after the meeting itself.

    The Princess Hotel is a wi-fi hotspot. There is free internet access from hotel rooms and in public spaces. However, the hotel does not have computers available for use in conference sessions. If you will be using a computer during your conference presentation, you will need to bring your own (or otherwise arrange for one).

    We will be arranging bus tours to visit the Ice Sculpture Park [www.icealaska.com].
    The buses will be free, but there is a charge at the park.

    Please, please, remember to dress very warmly! This is an ICE park and the ambient temperature is well below freezing. You will need boots, hats, scarves, gloves and at least two layers of clothing. That said, the experience of the ice sculptures can be glorious.

    We would like to suggest that if you have time, you consider arriving in Fairbanks at least a day in advance of the conference. Most flights from out of state arrive between 7:00 in the evening and 1:00 the following morning. (The Princess Hotel shuttle runs 24 hours to and from the airport.) Alaska is one hour earlier than the west coast, four hours earlier than the east coast, and there is a ten hour time difference between Alaska and western Europe. Arriving early will give you some time to relax, get over jetlag, and check out the area before the conference starts.

    The Chena Hot Springs Resort [www.chenahotsprings.com] may be of interest. Their vision is to become a self-sufficient community in terms of energy, food, heating and fuel use to the greatest extent possible [www.yourownpower.com].

    The North American Championship Open Sled Dog Races will be held in Fairbanks, March 15 – 17, 2008. This is the oldest continuously run sled dog race of any kind in the world. First run in 1946, the 2008 race will be the 63rd running [www.sleddog.org]. Again, if you are planning on standing outside to watch the dogs running, bring warm clothing.

    Additional tourist information on Fairbanks and vicinity may be found at the Convention and Visitors Bureau [www.explorefairbanks.com]

    Information about the University of Alaska is available at [www.uaf.edu]. For additional information about the conference, please contact Carol Gold at carol.gold@uaf.edu.