Tours

Share This:

PhysCon registrants have the opportunity to join one of the offsite tours on Thursday, October 6th, 2022. Only fully paid PhysCon registrants can go on the tours. Tours are limited to one per Attendee.  Attendees may not be able to get their first choice of tour as space is limited. All tours are opt-in and require registration before attendance.

Most tours occur on the morning of Thursday, October 6th. Plan to arrive Wednesday, October 5th due to early bus departures.

FEES:

Tour registration cost is $10 (early bird) / $20 (General Registration) for each tour, except for the Green Bank Observatory ($25 early bird, $30 Regular registration). No on-site registration is available for tours. Only one tour per Attendee. Bottled water is provided on each bus. Additional fees for lunch are indicated for each tour. Tour fees are not refundable. 

The tours have entry requirements, as outlined below, which will be enforced, especially those related to citizenship and ID requirements. Failure to comply with the requirements could mean forfeiting your participation. Photo ID is required for all tours.

MEET IN THE DESIGNATED STAGING AREA AT THE LISTED TIME FOR YOUR TOUR. Roundtrip shuttle service is provided to transport Attendees from the Omni Shoreham Hotel to the tour sites. For most tours, there is only one pick up and drop off time. Tour buses will not wait for missing Attendees. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must find an alternate method to return to the conference hotel.

IMPORTANT:

Due to circumstances beyond our control, some last-minute changes, including cancellations, to tour schedules/destinations are possible. Please verify your tour meeting time upon check in. Tour fees are not refundable.


T-01: Green Bank Observatory Tour - Tour Full

This is an overnight tour, registrants must plan to arrive for the tour Wednesday, October 5th

Registration is closed for this tour.

The Green Bank Observatory is a cutting-edge research and education facility which hosts the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope, the 100m Green Bank Telescope, as well as many other research class instruments, a forefront engineering research and development laboratory, and a highly successful series of STEM education and training programs. The Green Bank facility has been a resource for students, engineers, scientists, and educators for more than 50 years. 

The first day of the tour includes a visit to the 40 ft radio telescope, and the opportunity to point the dish and collect data. Weather permitting, there will be a star party and the opportunity to analyze data captured using the telescope. The second day includes a tour of the Green Bank telescope, and other telescopes onsite, as well as analysis of data captured Wednesday evening. Meals are included in the price of registration.

Note: There is no cell phone service at this location, though internet access will be available within a Faraday-caged room off the visitor center. Rooming is in bunk houses on site. Use of digital and cellphone cameras near the instruments is not permitted. Most film, including single use, cameras are allowed. Attendees may miss part of the first plenary session on Thursday, October 6th.

Lineup time: 1:30 p.m.

Time: Wednesday, October 5th at 2 p.m. to Thursday, October 6th, 4 p.m.

Meals: Included

Entrance Requirements:

Registrants must register through GBO prior to visiting the site
You may not enter unauthorized areas.
Cell phone photography is forbidden near radio telescopes

There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.


T-02: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center - Tour Full

Registration is closed for this tour.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, home to Hubble and James Webb Space Telescope operations, hosts the nation's largest organization of scientists, engineers and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments, and new technology to study Earth, the sun, our solar system and the universe. Come visit and tour the 4 research centers – Heliophysics, Space Weather Research Lab, Hubble Missions Operations Center, Planetary and Lunar Science – and more! A panel of scientists will talk to you about the work done at Goddard, and staff scientists will lead the tours. Lunch will be available for purchase on site.

Lineup time: 6:30 a.m.

Time: 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Thursday

Lunch: Lunch provided onsite.

Entrance Requirements:

Foreign visitors must complete the “Foreign Visitor Information Sheet” 3 weeks in advance
All visitors must sign a COVID-19 Vaccine Attestation Form
U.S. Citizens: Bring Photo ID.
Foreign Visitors: Bring Passport/Visa & Photo ID
You may not enter unauthorized areas.
Must stay with escort the entire time.


There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.


T-03: University of Maryland Physics Department - Tour Full

Registration is closed for this tour.

UMD has several research groups which apply physics techniques to various problems and fields. Within the UMD Physics department are groups researching biophysics, quantum physics, astrophysics, and chemical physics! Research areas span a large breadth of disciplines and include both theory and experimental work focusing on exciting problems which are often found along the boundaries and intersections of traditional fields. Come explore these areas on guided tours through different facilities! Each UMD tour includes a general address in the demo lecture hall by faculty and grad students before groups split for different tours.

Lineup time: 8:00 a.m.

Time: 8:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. Thursday

Lunch: Provided.

Entrance Requirements:

You may not enter unauthorized areas.


There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.


T-04: Georgetown University: A Day of Medical Physics - Tour Full

Registration is closed for this tour.

Interested in Medical Physics as a potential career? This tour is for you! Come visit Georgetown University Hospital’s Radiology & Radiation Therapy departments for a day of medical physics! The tour begins with a special lecture “Exciting Careers of Medical Physicists” by Stanley Fricke Director of Medical Physics, Georgetown University, and is followed by a tour of Georgetown University Hospital’s Radiology & Radiation Therapy departments by board certified Medical Physicist Matthew Williams.

Lineup time: 8:00 a.m.

Time: 8:30 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. Thursday

Lunch: Provided.

Entrance Requirements:

You may not enter unauthorized areas.


There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.


T-05: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center - Tour Full

Registration is closed for this tour.

Want to see the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Concorde, the first supersonic airliner? The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy center displays these and thousands of aviation and space artifacts spanning the history of human terrestrial and space flight! Included in the tour is a visit to the Mary Baker Engen restoration hanger and science demonstrations after the tour.

Lineup time: 8:30 a.m.

Time: 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 p.m. Thursday

Lunch: Not Provided.

Entrance Requirements:

You may not enter unauthorized areas.
Outside food and drink are not permitted inside the Museum, only bottled water is permitted inside the Museum.


There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.


T-06: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) - Gaithersburg Campus - Tour Full

Registration is closed for this tour.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), founded in 1901, is the nation's oldest physical science laboratory. Headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, this campus houses 5 major laboratories spread through 62 different buildings. This tour includes a short talk by staff scientists follwed by tours of the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) and more! 

Lineup time: 7:15 a.m.

Time: 7:45 a.m.- 1:15 p.m. Thursday

Lunch: Provided.

Entrance Requirements:

Foreign visitors must register in advance (By September 14th, 2022)

Required documents to enter facility:

  • For Non-US Citizens:  Valid passport for photo identification.
  • For US Permanent Residents: Green card for photo identification.
  • For US Citizens: State-issued driver’s license or in lieu of a state-issued driver's license, original passport, passport card, DoD Common Access Card (CAC), Veterans ID, Federal Agency HSPD-12 IDs, Military Dependents ID, Transportation Workers Identification Credential (TWIC), or TSA Trusted Traveler ID. 

You may not enter unauthorized areas.
Outside food and drink are not permitted.
Must stay with escort the entire time.

There is only one pick up and drop off time. Do not miss the provided transportation or you must get yourself back to the conference hotel.