Over eight years of observations, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I, 2000 - 2005; SDSS-II, 2005 - 2008) has transformed many fields of astronomy, from the identification of asteroid families to the discovery of the most distant quasars, from substructure in the outer Galaxy to the large-scale structure of the Universe.

This broad-ranging symposium will review progress and prospects in these fields, including observational contributions from the SDSS and from other major surveys, theoretical interpretation of the results, and plans for the next generation of large astronomical survey projects. The program will include invited reviews, contributed talks, posters, and a symposium banquet on a cruise boat on Lake Michigan.

The symposium will take place in downtown Chicago at the historic Merchandise Mart Conference Center (2nd Floor), 350 West Mart Center Drive, Chicago IL 60654.

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS (PDF format)

INVITED SPEAKERS

Timothy C. Beers Michigan State University	Pierre Bergeron Universite de Montreal	Michael R. Blanton New York University
Scott M. Croom University of Sydney	Daniel Eisenstein University of Arizona	Sandra M. Faber UC Observatories, Lick Observatory
Wendy Freedman Carnegie Observatories	Josh Frieman Fermilab and U. Chicago	James E. Gunn Princeton University, Astrophysical Sciences
Zeljko Ivezic University of Washington	Kathryn V. Johnston Columbia University	Guinevere A.M. Kauffmann Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics
Ofer Lahav University College London	Heidi Jo Newberg Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Gordon Richards Drexel University
Thomas F. Rosenbaum University of Chicago	Mark Sullivan University of Oxford	Simon D.M. White Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics

SCIENCE SESSIONS

• Galaxies
• Quasars, Absorption Systems, and the Intergalactic Medium
• The Milky Way and Its Neighbors
• Stars
• Large-Scale Structure and Galaxy Clusters
• The Solar System
• Supernovae and Supernova Cosmology
• The Near Future

BANQUET DINNER CRUISE ON LAKE MICHIGAN
600 East Grand Avenue at Navy Pier
(last boat on the Pier - turnaround #2)

August 17, 2008 (7PM - 10PM)
The symposium includes a dinner cruise on the fabulous Kanan boat, Chicago's newest and largest luxury charter vessel. The boat will cruise along the shores of Lake Michigan allowing guests to enjoy the spectacular views of the famous Chicago skyline.

Should you select one of the three recommended hotels a complimentary shuttle service to/from the symposium banquet (Kanan Boat at Navy Pier) will be provided on Sunday, August 17^th. Participants choosing alternative lodging are encouraged to take a cab or water taxi (location permitting) to Navy Pier. For water taxi information and map, refer to the Chicago WaterTaxi website.

Registration for the SDSS Symposium is nearing capacity, and new registrations may be added to a waitlist. Also note that if you have registered but not yet paid, the deadline for early registration is July 24, 2008. Confirmed registrants and those coming to the SDSS Collaboration meeting on Tuesday, August 19, 2008, should go to the kicp-ecommerce site to pay.

To register for the symposium, please visit the Registration page.

On-line fee payment by credit card can be made at the kicp-ecommerce.

PAYMENT
Early registration fee is $350 paid by July 24, 2008.
Student registration fee is $250 paid by July 24, 2008.
Late registration fee for all is $400 starting July 25, 2008.
Additional adult banquet tickets are $85 each (all registered participants will receive one banquet ticket).

The 'Student Travel Grants' application deadline has passed and applications are no longer being accepted.

Limited funds of up to $600/student are available to support student travel to the symposium. Applications are due by June 4, 2008; notification of awards will be sent by June 17, 2008.

All awards will be paid as reimbursement for submitted expenses (up to maximum of $600). Please contact the symposium organizers if you have any questions.

These travel grants are made possible in part with the generous support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

June 1, 2008	Deadline for Abstract submission
June 4, 2008	Deadline for Student Travel Grants application
July 24, 2008	Deadline for Early Registration Fee payment
July 25, 2008	Late Registration Fee payment
August 17, 2008	Banquet Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan
August 19, 2008	SDSS Collaboration Meeting @ the University of Chicago

August 19, 2008
The SDSS Collaboration is holding a collaboration meeting for members only on August 19, 2008 at the University of Chicago. If you are a member of the SDSS Collaboration and would like to attend the meeting, please register for this meeting. The registration fee for this meeting is $30 and can be paid along with your symposium registration fee at the kicp-ecommerce.

The following link gives directions from a section of Downtown Chicago (Merchandise Mart highlighted) to The University of Chicago campus:
Merchandise Mart -> University of Chicago.

• List of Participants
• Symposium Program
• Symposium Abstracts
• Symposium Poster