AIM activities take place in the beautiful Richard N. Merkin Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics, on the eighth floor of Caltech Hall on the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. The space has a lecture area and seminar rooms designed for AIM style workshops and collaborative research. Caltech Hall is not open to the public. The week before their program, AIM visitors receive instructions to access the building.
Workshops and SQuaREs run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Participants traveling to Pasadena should plan to arrive on Sunday and depart on Saturday or possibly late Friday night.
For fully funded participants, AIM covers travel expenses subject to these guidelines [link to "Traveling to AIM" page], arranges and pays directly for lodging at a local hotel [link to "Local Information" page], and provides a per diem for meals. If your travel plans are non-standard in any way, please read our FAQ [link to FAQ] before completing any purchases. If you have travel or reimbursement questions, please contact Harpreet Kaur (kaur@aimath.org).
All visitors to AIM agree to and are expected to abide by AIM's code of conduct. Reports of violations can be made to any member of the AIM staff, to codeofconduct@aimath.org, or by using this anonymous form. If you witness harassment or discriminatory behavior, please consider intervening and alert AIM's Human Resources Officer (Hannah Brodie, hbrodie@aimath.org).
The open exchange of ideas, the freedom of thought and expression, and respectful scientific debate are central to the mission of the American Institute of Mathematics. This requires a community that recognizes and respects the inherent worth of every person.
We are committed to providing an environment that is free from harassment, bullying, discrimination, and retaliation. This includes offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, race, ethnicity, religious (or nonreligious) affiliation, politics, or any other personal characteristics.
We do not tolerate:
Those in violation of the code of conduct may be subject to disciplinary action ranging from dismissal from a meeting or event to permanent barring from the Institute, as determined on a case-by-case basis by our leadership or representatives.
Adherence to this code of conduct is expected of all staff, visitors, and program participants. This code applies both to in-person behaviors and when using any communication channels, including social media. In addition, the code requires all staff, visitors, and participants to respect requests for confidentiality during scientific talks.
We believe our code of conduct is essential to the success of our mission. Mutual respect for one another will truly stimulate our best performance.
AIM is committed to providing an experience free of harassment and discrimination in its virtual and online events, respecting the dignity of every participant.
We require that every participant in an online activity represent themselves by the name that they use for their professional work. In addition, any speech or imagery that is posted in the chats of the various online activities must be appropriate.
Participants who violate this code may be sanctioned and/or expelled from the event, at the discretion of the Moderator. Serious incidents may be referred to Hannah Brodie, Human Resources Officer, for further possible action.
The views and opinions expressed by the participants, organizers, presenters or panelists, during an online activity, are those of the individuals, and do not necessarily reflect an official policy or position of the American Institute of Mathematics.
[Change title to "Local Information"]
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Participants in workshops and SQuaREs stay at the nearby Pasadena Hotel & Pool, 928 East Colorado Boulevard (at S Mentor Ave), Pasadena, CA 91106. For fully funded participants, AIM arranges lodging and pays the hotel directly.
The hotel is less than a mile from AIM, about a 20 minute walk over flat terrain. If you are an AIM visitor and unable to walk between the hotel and campus, you can take a taxi, Lyft, Uber, or Pasadena’s Metro Micro service. AIM will reimburse this expense for funded participants who require the accommodation.
Visitor parking at Caltech is $9 a day or $27 for the week, which AIM can reimburse for funded local participants who are not staying in the hotel. The North Wilson parking structure, located at 341 S Wilson Ave., has a parking kiosk is on the 2nd floor and no elevator. The California parking structure, located at 1248 California Blvd., has a kiosk just outside of the parking structure and an elevator is available. See the Caltech visitor parking page for further information.
Before arranging your travel to AIM, please read this page carefully. If your travel plans are unusual or if your travel expenses will exceed the guidelines below, please document the expenses and contact Harpreet Kaur (kaur@aimath.org) for approval before completing the purchase. If your expenses are significantly higher than these guidelines and you have not received approval in advance, AIM may not be able to reimburse the full cost of your trip.
Workshops and SQuaREs run Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Participants should plan to arrive on Sunday and depart on Saturday or possibly late Friday night. AIM does not pay for Saturday night lodging. If a participant does not attend four full days, the air fare reimbursement is half the total.
The nearest airport is the Burbank Airport (BUR). There are nonstop flights from several U.S. cities including Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, Nashville, and New York (JFK).
The much larger Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is about 30 miles from the hotel. Also serving the LA metropolitan area are the Long Beach Airport (LGB), 35 miles away, Ontario Airport (ONT), 36 miles away, and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana (SNA), 50 miles away.
Please purchase economy class tickets for air travel at least 30 days in advance. AIM cannot reimburse the cost of travel insurance, priority boarding, seat selection, economy plus, business class, or first class tickets. Guidelines for airfare (including checked bag fees):
Because of the Fly America Act, participants coming from outside the U.S. must purchase a ticket from a U.S. flag carrier (an airline owned by an American company) or an EU (European Union) carrier, unless exempted by one of the following Open Skies Agreements:
These exemptions do not include the U.K., Canada, or Mexico. All flights originating in the U.K. or North America must bear the designation of a U.S. airline. This means that the ticket must show the flight code of a U.S.-based carrier, independent of which company actually operates the flight. Normally this means that the ticket must be purchased from the U.S. airline. Tickets from British Airways and Air Canada cannot be reimbursed.
AIM will reimburse up to $250 total in ground transportation costs (this includes shuttles, mileage, and parking on both ends of your trip). Airport transit in the Los Angeles area can be quite expensive. When possible, consider sharing airport transportation with other participants in your Workshop or SQuaRE.
Important: Do not request a Lyft, Uber, or taxi directly from an LAX terminal. Instead, walk or take the free shuttle to LAX-it, and arrange your ride from there.
Public transportation to LAX or BUR airports can take longer but is of course much less expensive. You can look for options here.
AIM is able to help with the cost of child care for invited participants up to a limit of $500. To apply for child care support, send a brief description of your circumstances to Hannah Brodie at hbrodie@aimath.org. Your description must make clear how participation in the workshop requires you to incur costs above and beyond regular dependent care expenses.
Participants are responsible for arranging child care on their own. AIM cannot make recommendations for child care providers. The following are listed for your convenience in finding a sitter, temporary nanny, or drop-in day care.
Agencies with sitters for short-term care:
Day care providers in Pasadena that may have space for short-term care (contact them directly as early as possible):
[Image could be Pasadena City Hall or some roses or ...]
Please be aware that AIM workshops do not include an unscheduled afternoon or an excursion. This page provides suggestions for participants who wish to explore the local area in the mornings or evenings, or on their arrival or departure days.
Pasadena is home to hundreds of restaurants of varied cuisines and price points. AIM's restaurant guide [link] describes some recommendations near the hotel and Caltech. Visitors who want to explore a bit further may can venture to Old Pasadena about 1.5 miles west of the hotel. You can find other recommendations here, or ask AIM staff to suggest their favorites.
The Huntington Museum and Gardens includes a world-class museum, library, and botanical garden. It is located about 1.5 miles from AIM. They are open 10am – 5pm every day except Tuesday, and advance reservations are required.
The Eaton Canyon trail system includes a 3.5 mile out-and-back hike to a waterfall which takes about 1.5 – 2 hours and can be done in the morning before a workshop by motivated participants.
Swimmers may want to visit the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, which offers day passes.
You can find other suggestions here.
Pasadena is home to Southern California's oldest and largest independent bookstore, Vroman's which is a few blocks from the hotel. Octavia's Bookshop, named for Pasadena native Octavia Butler, specializes in books by BIPOC authors.
The Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award winning theater quite near the hotel.
The Ice House offers live comedy most nights of the week.
You can find other suggestions here.
AIM activities take place in the beautiful Richard N. Merkin Center for Pure and Applied Mathematics, on the eighth floor of Caltech Hall on the Caltech campus in Pasadena, California. The space has a lecture area and seminar rooms designed for AIM style workshops and collaborative research. A comfortable "family room" with couches, puzzles, and board games is the ideal place to socialize over coffee in the morning, after lunch, or during happy hour.
Caltech Hall is not open to the public. The week before their program, AIM visitors receive instructions to access the building. During the program, visitors will have an access card giving them access to the Merkin Center throughout the week. The card also gives them access to a small library of mathematics books on the 9th floor of Caltech Hall, which participants are welcome to use during their visit.
During workshops and SQuaREs, a variety of snacks and drinks are provided througout the day. AIM does not provide meals for participants. Instead, fully funded participants receive a per diem included in their travel reimbursement.
Visitors should bring their own laptops to AIM. The eduroam wifi network is available throughout campus. AIM visitors withouth eduroam access will be given a temporary account on the Caltech Visitor network.
The AIM facility is on the 8th floor of Caltech Hall. The building has a ramp on the northwest corner and elevator access to the floor. It is about 20 minute walk (0.8 miles on flat terrain, city sidewalks) between Caltech Hall and the Pasadena Hotel & Pool, where funded AIM visitors stay. If you are an AIM visitor and unable to walk between the facility and campus, you can take a taxi, Lyft, Uber, or Pasadena’s Metro Micro service. AIM will reimburse this expense for funded participants who require the accommodation.
AIM has four single-occupancy restrooms, two of them designated as all-gender restrooms. Two of the restrooms are wheelchair accessible, with wide doors and handrails. Those same two restrooms have changing tables. AIM can provide a private lactation room and refrigeration for those who need it.
AIM’s space is newly renovated and does not use recirculated air. The air in the building is being flushed out and 100% outdoor air is cooled (or heated depending on the season) and pumped through the ducts. The system moves 1,210 cubic feet per minute of air (which results in 9.7 air changes per hour of return air, well above the CDC recommendation). The AIM space is cleaned and surfaces are sanitized each morning.
AIM supports virtual participants in SQuaREs with projectors and Meeting Owls in each breakout room. The SQuaRE organizer will coordinate the participation of those joining virtually, and ideally one member of the group will provide the virtual meeting room (e.g. a Zoom room). AIM staff will assist with the technology as needed. Virtual participation in workshops is at the discretion of workshop organizers.
If you have questions or require other accommodations during your visit to AIM, please contact Harpreet Kaur at kaur@aimath.org.
If your question is not on this list, or the answer is not clear, contact Harpreet Kaur (kaur@aimath.org) for further assistance.
Which airport should I fly to?
The closest airports to Pasadena are Burbank Airport (BUR) and Los Angeles International (LAX). BUR is much closer and ground transportation is much easier, but there are fewer flights and destinations available compared to LAX. Other airports in the area are Long Beach (LGB), Ontario (ONT), and John Wayne (SNA). If you find a cheaper airfare to one of those airports, be sure to estimate the higher ground transportation costs before finalizing your booking.
I have to travel somewhere else before or after the AIM workshop. What is AIM’s policy for multi-city fares?
Before purchasing a multi-city ticket, contact Harpreet Kaur (kaur@aimath.org). If your AIM visit is a major part of your time away from home, then AIM will reimburse the equivalent of a roundtrip economy ticket from your home airport to AIM. Note that this requires documentation of the cost of a roundtrip flight. If your trip to AIM is not a major part of your overall trip, such as when the trip to AIM is part of a months-long trip to the US, AIM will pay for the portion of the travel costs comparable to the proportion of the time spent at AIM.
I am flying from overseas and would like to arrive a day early so that I will not be jet lagged, or I would like to spend an extra day in the Los Angeles area. Will AIM pay the hotel for the extra night?
No. AIM will pay for a maximum of six nights at the hotel in Pasadena, with an arrival on Sunday and departure on Saturday. You need to make your own arrangements with the hotel to extend your stay.
I have found a ticket on a flight that is not on a U.S. carrier and does not meet one of the exemptions of the Open Skies Agreement, but it is cheaper than the tickets that do qualify. Should I buy this ticket?
No! Because of the Fly America Act, AIM can only reimburse you for flights booked on an American carrier or flights that qualify for an exemption under an Open Skies Agreement. Refer to our Travel Guidelines [add link] for more detail.
Can AIM book my airfare?
AIM is not able to purchase tickets for participants in our activities, but we strive to process reimbursements quickly. Often participants can receive their reimbursement check on the last day of their visit to AIM. Should a participant have funding issues, we recommend that they seek the assistance of their home institution. In these caes, reimbursement can be made to the Institution upon the attendance and completion of the workshop by the participant.
I can only attend the workshop for three days. Will my expenses still be reimbursed?
For participants who do not attend four full days of a workshop (or SQuaRE) AIM reimburses only half the total air fare.
What is AIM’s policy for mileage reimbursement?
Mileage reimbursement is provided to local funded participants as well as funded participants who are located within a reasonable driving distance of AIM. However, if cheaper air travel is available, then AIM will reimburse the equivalent of a round trip air ticket, plus average shuttle expenses. For example, if traveling from the Bay Area to Pasadena, AIM will reimburse the equivalent of a round trip air ticket plus average shuttle expenses, because that option is cheaper than the cost of mileage.
What is AIM’s policy for ground transportation?
Mileage: 65.5 cents per mile, subject to certain limits.
Airport parking: at most seven days per workshop.
Do I have to keep receipts for meals?
No. A per diem is provided for all funded participants.
Can AIM help me with child care?
Yes. AIM is able to help defray the cost of child care for invited participants. Please refer to our Child Care [add link] page for details.