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Tyler L. McIntosh edited this page Mar 18, 2024 · 74 revisions

This page outlines information on coordinating Earth Lab / ESIIL events, including relevant links and resources, best practices, and basic information for participants.

CIRES Events

If you are going to be holding an event, make sure to check in with Linda Pendergrass, the CIRES Events Coordinator. Linda is an excellent resource and can help walk you through the process, ensure that needs are met, and serve as a source of support.

Planning Template

This spreadsheet holds a template for event planning. If you want to use it, make a COPY of the sheet (do not edit this sheet!), and then change the event date at top (highlighted in yellow).

Forms

If your event includes any purchase of alcohol, per-person cost of food/beverage over $115, or total cost of food/beverage over $500, you MUST fill out the CU Boulder Official Function Form. This document must be sent to your finance officer for signature prior to the event.

If food/beverage costs are over $10,000, or food/beverage costs per person are over $115, approval will need to be pushed up a level of leadership. This will take time, so make sure to submit to your finance officer ahead of time.

Adding Event to CIRES calendar

New Website Updated Instructions 11/9/2023 How to add events to https://cires.colorado.edu/events

To be included in our Monday AM Weekly Events emails, a CIRES event must be on our events page (or passed along to [email protected] and/or [email protected] with an outside link) by COB on Thursdays. If events are added to the website or passed along to us after COB Thursdays, we cannot guarantee they will be included in WE. If you have an event to promote that is not hosted by CIRES or featuring a CIRES person, please email [email protected] to request it be included in the weekly email. You must provide an outside URL for your event in this case. See below instructions for uploading events, or view in PDF from from Matt here..

To add an event to the CIRES website:

  1. Log in using your identikey credentials to the new admin website to add content. https://admin-cires.colorado.edu/user/
  • Note, you must have an existing account on your website please see above PDF or reach out to IT for help.
  1. Using the administrative toolbar, hover over ‘Content’ then select → ‘Add new Content’→ ‘Event’
  2. Fill in event content information
  • Event date, time, duration
  • Event Title - Unique - note if it is an event that recurs and there are multiple events with the same name, please add in a month and year to delineate this event.
  • Body text - Write about your event. - NOTE, if you have any actionable links, instead of placing them inline within your body text, please use the ‘Link’ option detailed below. Paragraph - Generally, Events won’t need ‘paragraphs’ - but should you need to embed a video or add some more visual content on your event you may utilize any of the following:
  • Accordion: Add content within a titled and expanding accordion
  • Block Quote: add a quote to your event
  • Contact: Add a custom contact
  • Content Reference: Reference a piece of content on the site
  • Gallery: Add a custom gallery to your event
  • Image: Add an image to your event
  • Video: Add a video to your event
  1. Event Summary: Next to the body heading click the blue highlighted 'summary' text → add summary of event to appear on the calendar
  2. MetaData & contacts
  • Display on → Should this event story display a referenced landing page?
  • Room Building → Where is this event taking place?
  • Links → Add links to this event
  • Availability → Is this event open to the public?
  • Host → Who is hosting this event?
  • Audience → Who is the audience for this event?
  • Event Type → What type of event is this?
  • Migration ID → This is a deprecated field you may see at the footer of an event form, no need to interact with this field, it was used to migrate our old event items to the new site and will be removed down the line.
  1. Save: Event will appear in calendar - may take up to 10 seconds to upload

Parking

Parking Permits for Visitors

Earth Lab no longer uses parking codes. Instead, if someone visiting Earth Lab needs a parking pass, you can purchase a daily permit for them using a p-card. Daily permits are $10 and you can add multiple permits to one cart and charge to a p-card at check-out. (up to 10 permits can be purchased at a time - any group of visitors over 10 cars requires Event parking.) Alison, Casey, and Ming all have p-cards and are able to assist with purchasing visitor parking permits. Prior to purchasing, please send us the speedtype(s) you wish to charge the permit so we can determine if this is an allowable expense.

In order to purchase a permit you will need the following information:

  • The visitor's vehicle information: License Plate, State, Make and Model

How-to:

  1. Go to CU Parking Portal (Do not log in to with your employee credentials - you must purchase the $10 daily pass)
  2. Select "Purchase Parking Permit"
  3. Select Daily & Evening parking, then 1 Day Parking
  4. Enter the permit date
  5. Choose the lot (Lot 556 is right behind SEEC)
  6. Add visitor's vehicle information
  7. Pay for the permit with your p-card & enter your email address to receive the receipt
  • Tip: if lot or service is unavailable please call parking services who can help purchase a permit over the phone (303-735-7275)

Parking for CU employees

We can only cover parking for someone on campus if they are performing work or conducting CU business at another campus location than their primary work location.

  • We are able to cover parking costs for CU employees If they DO NOT have an office at SEEC. View the CU Procedural Statement for more information.

Pcard reconciliation: please provide receipt & information on who the permit was for & where their primary office location is.

  1. Name, Title, email, phone, office location & Room number
  2. Attach proof what parking was used for if available. For example an image/screenshot from recording of EDS seminar speaker)

Event Parking

What is an event?

  • 10 or more vehicles
  • 1 oversized vehicle (bus, trucks, semi)
  • Requesting a parking lot or partial lot reservation

Give plenty of lead time before an event you will want to fill out a Special Event Parking Request. For events with 50 or more vehicles, it's safest to start the process 4-5 weeks in advance. Once you have filled this out, parking should reach out to you and provide a parking map, promo code, and other information. Jackson Bauer ([email protected]) currently does campus event parking. Parking for the SEEC building will be provided in Lot 556.

You should be offered two options:

  1. Guests can pay for themselves by card on the website ($10/day or $20/week)
  2. Guests can use an event promo code (will be provided by parking) at checkout, which will reduce the price to $0. An invoice will then be sent after the event for the number of codes used by guests to be charged to a Speedtype.

Guests will go to Parking Services to purchase/claim their permit.

Note that the website will inform guests that they need to print out the permit; this is NOT correct, and guests just need to ensure that the correct license plate is used when purchasing the permit.

If you decide to purchase an event parking code so that you can cover your attendees’ parking costs at SEEC, you need to maintain a logbook for who you provided the parking code to. The invoices that Parking Services provides only include detail on how many event codes were used and CU’s sensitive expenses policy requires us, at the department level, to maintain our own logbook of parking passes provided.

Sample language to send to guests

For any of you who will need to park a vehicle on campus, you will need to get a free permit and park in lot 556 near the SEEC building (map below).

To acquire a permit you will need to go to Parking Services and select “Purchase Event Parking”, click on “[NAME OF EVENT].” Add the parking permit to your cart, and on the next page, use code “[CODE]” to reduce your permit price to $0.

Note that the website will tell you that you need to print out the parking permit and display it on the dashboard of your vehicle–this is NOT correct and you are good to go as long as you enter your correct license plate number into the website when purchasing the permit.

Physical Space

Rooms on CU Campus can be reserved through the EMS system. However, they usually restrict EMS bookings to the current semester. If you need to book something in advance, contact Katie Lamb ([email protected]), Operations Coordinator of the SEEC Building. Note that the Earth Lab Viz Studio (S372 A&B) cannot usually be reserved through the EMS, and needs to be reserved at least a week in advance by someone in Earth Lab leadership.

  • VizStudio S372 A: Max Capacity: 47
  • VizStudio S372 B: Max Capacity: 30

Potentially useful rooms near Earth Lab

SEEC Lactation room: S120, first floor

3rd Floor

  • C325 - no windows, whiteboard wall. Max Capacity: 14
  • C315 - no windows, whiteboard, doesn't seem to be reservable in EMS. Max Capacity: 14

2nd Floor

  • S249 - Nice room, view of mountains, small whiteboard. Max Capacity: 12
  • S240 - Smaller room, whiteboard, no windows. Max Capacity: 8
  • S228 - Sievers Room, fancy, nice view, attached kitchen with sliding doors for food drop-off. Max Capacity: 47
  • S225 - Larger room, whiteboard, no windows. Max Capacity: 24
  • S221 - Small room, no whiteboard, no windows. Max Capacity: 8
  • S243 - Smaller room, no whiteboard, no windows, awkwardly in INSTAAR office space

1st Floor - May be available

  • S149 - Whiteboard, windows, nice view of mountains. Max Capacity: 16
  • S127 - Whiteboard, no windows. Max Capacity: 24
  • S124 - Whiteboard, no windows. Max Capacity: 12

Useful links

Cyberinfrastructure

Coordinate with the Earth Lab Analytics Hub / ESIIL team to set up cyberinfrastructure for your event. Do this far in advance of the event to allow time for module teachings and event coordinators to familiarize themselves with the interface and ensure that all code works smoothly on the infrastructure.

Note that you may need to have a new container made for your event, which should contain all packages that you expect to need (or participants to want). All packages should be tested in both Python AND R prior to the event, as package failure can create large bottlenecks in the event agenda.

Hackathons

If you will be having participants push to or pull from a GitHub repo, it is recommended to collect GitHub usernames IN THE APPLICATION PHASE! This would force everyone to ensure they have an account prior to the event, and a GitHub team can then be made without having to collect these from participants.

Alternatively, you could have a post-acceptance survey that requests participant GitHub and CyVerse usernames to demonstrate that they have made the accounts.

Applicant evaluation

To ensure equity, applicants should be evaluated using a rubric signed off on by the team lead. Here is an example of the evaluation criteria used for the NEON Science Summit.

Participant funding

Contact your Finance Officer prior to planning any participant funding. The below information is general and contextual.

There are a few different options for providing funding to participants (when budgeted for). The below options and guidance are from the CIRES Finance team.

Note that processing stipends (if you decide on this approach) will take at least two weeks to process, and the wait time can be up to a month.

There are some complications with non-US participants. Payments to non-US persons (whether a travel stipend or reimbursement) may incur a tax liability for the payee. Travel costs covered directly by us on behalf of non-employees may incur a tax liability for CIRES. If you plan to have non-US persons attend your workshop, you’ll want to work with the Finance Manager for the funding source early on to determine how the tax liabilities could impact the total workshop costs and funding source. For these purposes, a 'US person' is a US citizen or green card holder. Non-US persons are anyone else, including those on any of the following visa types:

  • B1/WB, B2/WT, A or G
  • F1 - Resident Alien or F1 - Nonresident Alien
  • J1 Student or Scholar or J2 - Resident Alien or J1 Student or Scholar or J2 - Nonresident Alien
  • H1B - Resident Alien or H1B - Nonresident Alien
  • TN - Resident Alien or TN - Nonresident Alien
  • O-1 (Employer Sponsored) - Resident Alien or O-2 (Employer Sponsored) - Nonresident Alien
  • O-1 (Agent Sponsored)
  • P-1, P-2, or P-3

The CU International Tax Office, in compliance with the IRS policies, may determine that some portion of participant support provided to Non-US Persons travelling to the US using a B1/WB, B2/WT, A, or G visa or for Non-US Persons holding non-resident alien visas may be subject to a tax withholding of up to 30%. If a tax withholding is applied to an individual payment to a Non-US Person, they are able to file a tax return for the appropriate year and may receive a refund of that withholding.

Additionally, when seeking applicants for working groups or workshops that have participant support, ensure that there is a question asking whether the individual is a CU employee (Y/N); covering costs for CU employees is problematic and difficult and should be avoided!

Suggested event application questions to help streamline funding include:

  • Are you a CU employee (Y/N)
  • Are you a US citizen or permanent resident?
  • If you answered 'No' to the US citizen/permanent resident question, please select your SPECIFIC visa type below:(add all options)
  • If you answered 'No' to the US citizen/permanent resident question, please select the US IRS definition below that best describes you. Links for relevant tests or documents mentioned in the options: Substantial Presence Test; Green Card Test; IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens;
    • I am not a U.S. citizen and DO NOT meet either the Substantial Presence Test or the Green Card Test described in IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens. (i.e., by US IRA definitions I am a 'nonresident alien' or NRA)
    • I am not a U.S. citizen and DO meet either the Substantial Presence Test or the Green Card Test described in IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens. (i.e., by US IRA definitions I am a 'resident alien' or RA)
Payment Option Description Drawbacks
1 We can pay for the actual travel costs of participants by reimbursing them after their trips are complete. Participants would need to follow all of the CIRES & CU policies for conducting business travel (including restrictions on requesting trip approval, including personal travel, and adhering to the Fly America Act); because the travelers make all arrangements themselves, there is some risk that their trips will not comply with the policies and then their travel costs cannot be charged to the project.
2 You (or a member of the project team) can arrange and pay for all of the travel costs on behalf of participants by booking their airfare in Concur and reserving their hotel rooms (NOTE: you would need to confirm with the hotel(s) that they will accept credit card payment over the phone on behalf of the participants). It could be very time-consuming for you or another person on the project team to arrange all of the airfare in Concur and reserve and pay for hotel rooms. In my experience, doing this for as few as 3 participants can take at least a few hours; I’m not sure it would be practical to do this for as many as 20 participants. Additionally, all of the travel would need to follow the CIRES & CU policies mentioned above in drawbacks for option #1.
3 We can pay a fixed-amount travel stipend to participants intended to defray their travel costs after the workshop is complete. The fixed-amount stipend could either be too much or too little to cover the participant’s actual expense.
4 We can pay a fixed-amount travel stipend before the workshop to participants to help them make their travel arrangements to attend the workshop. The participant is provided with their stipend before they’ve actually attended the workshop and they may not then follow-through with actually attending the workshop.

"To account for all participant costs consistently and appropriately, you can either do the same option for all participants, a combination of options #1 and #2, or a combination of options #3 and #4. In other words, you can either cover the actual travel costs for participants or you can pay a fixed-amount stipend to each participant, but it would not be appropriate to pay some participants for actual costs and others a fixed-amount stipend."

"In my own experience, paying fixed-amount travel stipends is a better option when there are more than 5 participants. If you are still a few months out from the workshop dates, you’d also have plenty of time to communicate to each participant how much they can expect to receive in their stipend to attend the workshop so they can make their travel plans accordingly. You do not have to pay the same amount to each participant, provided that there is a reasonable justification for paying different amounts to participants (e.g. some participants are in-state and do not need airfare covered)."

Lodging

There are two options for guest lodging. 1) Reserving a block of rooms for people to book, or 2) having participants book their own accommodations.

For information on reserving room blocks, connect with Linda Pendergrass (contact information at top). She can provide guidance on how to deal with requests to sign contracts, best hotels to try, and 'courtesy blocks.'

If you want to have participants book their own accommodations, CU has a set of negotiated rates with hotels around Boulder. Note that these negotiated rates may be used for University travelers and guests even if those travelers/guests are NOT part of a larger official event.

In the event that the total amount paid to a hotel is less than $5K, one team member could cover lodging for each individual traveler using their Travel Card, as long as the hotel agrees to that arrangement ahead of time. Confirm with your Finance Manager that this is appropriate for your event.

Sample language to send to guests

CU Boulder has set negotiated rates with hotels all around Boulder and the surrounding area, which should provide some different options depending on your budget. Of these hotels, the Millennium Harvest House, Marriott Boulder, Residence Inn Boulder Canyon Boulevard, Hilton Garden Inn, and Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder are the closest to CU Boulder’s East Campus. The Hotel Boulderado and the St. Julien Hotel and Spa are further from East Campus, but are within walking distance of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall–a lively, walking-only street with many shops and restaurants.

When booking with one of these hotels (instructions on the site), note that you need to mention “The University of Colorado special rate” and that you will be staying for a university-sponsored event. You should be able to get these rates up until the day before the event, but we recommend booking sooner than later to ensure that there is space at your preferred location.

Childcare

There are several childcare centers around Boulder that accept drop-ins or short-term care for a variety of age groups. Most childcare centers wont know drop-in availability until about a week or two before care is needed & require an application. Though we do not endorse anyone, this webpage may be helpful to offer suggestions to the parent based on their specific needs. CU Boulder Children's Center may offer childcare on a longer-term basis.

Below are some suggestions of drop-in daycare centers in Boulder, CO:

Catering

Important: Make sure that your Speedtype will pay for food before proceeding. See 'Forms' above about completing an Official Function if you expect food costs to be over $500, more than $115 per person or plan to have alcohol at the event.

There are a number of catering options available; contact Linda Pendergrass (contact at top) for a full rundown.

CU's internal catering service is UMC Events Planning & Catering. Contact Jessica Tooker ([email protected]) ahead of time and cc Linda if you are interested in using UMC Catering. You will want to provide: location, times you think you will want catering dropped off, generally what you will need (e.g. lunch & coffee), and a ballpark number of people. This will help UMC ensure that they have enough staff and resources available for your event.

UMC provides full catering menu options, as well as Express Drop-Off Menu options.

Note that you will need to provide finalized numbers at least 11 business days in advance of your event.

If you would like decaf and/or tea in addition to regular coffee, you will need to specify this.

If you are purchasing catering from an EXTERNAL company (i.e. not the UMC), and costs are expected to exceed $10,000, you will need to purchase the catering through a purchase order in CU Marketplace; those POs should be requested at least six weeks prior to the even and coordinated with the Finance Manager.

Event Evaluation

It is good to collect evaluation information/data on any event run by Earth Lab/ESIIL so that we can document participant skill development and satisfaction and use feedback to improve future events.

For Earth Lab events, connect with the Education Team, as they have standard evaluation content. For ESIIL events, also connect with Anne Gold ([email protected]). You should provide an event description, a list of event goals, an agenda, and a brief overview of the audience.

Communication & Collaboration

It is often useful to create a Slack channel for event participants to communicate. Helpful channels to add all participants to include:

  • social
  • jobs
  • shared-resources
  • welcome (have people share a brief introduction before the event)
  • help-me

It can also be helpful to set up a shared Google Drive if the event is a working group.

Sample language to send to guests

Communication

Throughout the week we will use Slack as our primary communication tool.

You should have received an invite to join a [NAME OF EVENT] workspace–if not, please follow [INSERT LINK] to join the Slack. If you do not already have Slack downloaded, you will be asked to download the app (free).

Prior to arriving on Monday morning, please introduce yourself in the “Welcome” channel. Who are you, why are you here, what gets you excited?!

There are other channels already set up for things such as shared resources, socializing, etc. Feel free to make others as needed.

Collaboration

We have a Google Drive [ADD LINK] set up for the working group. This will be a place where you can make slides, docs, and spreadsheets to help enable your collaborative work throughout the week.

IT Needs

Prior to any event, check in with the CIRES IT team. Events are currently handled by Nate & Dave, emails below. They will likely offer to have one of them present at the beginning of the event to ensure that IT needs are met.

Portable PA System

You can acquire a portable PA (mic) system from Troy Burke ([email protected]). This is especially helpful for quiet speakers.

Photo / Comms Support

If you would like any photography or comms support during the event, contact Katy Human with CIRES Comms: [email protected].

You do not need to get photo consent as long as all of your participants are adults. However, it is nice to let people know ahead of time that you will be taking photos and invite people to email you privately if they would prefer not to be identified in any photos.

Sample language to send to guests

We plan to take some photos of activities throughout the course of the week. If any of you do NOT want to be identified in photographs, please email me to let us know.

Information for participants

Below is some stock language that can be sent to participants about transportation, internet access, health and safety resources, etc.

Transportation

Air Transportation

If you are flying in for the event you will want to fly into the Denver International Airport (DIA). Note that the airport is quite large and you will need to take an airport train to the main terminal.

Ground Transportation

Public transportation to/from airport

Transit from the Denver airport to Boulder is quite easy via the AB1 Boulder/Denver airport bus. This bus runs at least once an hour during the day, with more frequent trips at popular times.

To locate the bus, follow signs in the Denver airport baggage claim area to ‘Train to city,’ which will lead you down an escalator. At the base of the escalator, instead of continuing straight towards the visible train station, turn left and you should see a bus terminal with an RTD ticket machine. Tickets for the AB1 can be purchased for $10. Find the gate for the AB1 / Downtown Boulder line.

Airport shuttle services

If you would prefer to book a shuttle to/from DIA (Denver International Airport) & Boulder, there are two options:

Car Rentals

There are a number of rental car agencies located at the Denver International Airport:

Additional car rental options include:

Transportation around the Boulder area

Boulder has a number of public transportation options for traversing Boulder and the surrounding area.

Bus lines

Information about Boulder’s local bus network can be found here. Note that the Skip, Bound, and Hop lines pass campus regularly.

If you need to travel to Denver for any reason, the Flatiron Flyer bus connects Denver to Boulder. Currently the FF1 is the best option, and connects Denver’s Union Station to the Downtown Boulder Station (with numerous stops in-between).

Biking & Walking

Boulder has an extensive system of city walking/biking paths; maps can be found here. Boulder B-Cycle is a community non-profit bike sharing system with daily and month passes available.

Internet Access

Access wireless service on campus by selecting UCB Guest Wireless from your available Wi-Fi network options and accepting the terms and conditions upon opening your web browser. You will be prompted to re-accept these terms and conditions periodically.

If you encounter difficulty accessing the Internet, call 303-735-HELP (4357) or email [email protected] for assistance during their business hours.

Check firewalls or security settings on your computer that could possibly complicate accessing the campus Wi-Fi system before you arrive.

Health & Safety Resources

  • Campus and Off-Campus Emergencies 911
  • CU Police Department (On-Campus, Non-Emergency) 303-492-6666
  • City of Boulder Police Department (Non-Emergency) 303-441-3333
  • Boulder Community Hospital 303-415-7000: 4747 Arapahoe Ave, Boulder, CO 80303

Smoking

The University is a smoke-free environment; smoking is not permitted anywhere on campus. Electronic cigarettes are included in the smoking ban.

Explore Boulder Like a Local!

Want to get out to explore while you’re here? This website has lots of information on things to do in Boulder, such as shopping, restaurants, nightlife, and much more!

Weather and Packing

Boulder is 5,430 feet in elevation and has a sunny, semi-arid climate. Hydrating during your stay is very important, as altitude sickness (headache, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, and tiredness) can occur.

Weather conditions can change rapidly throughout each day and from day to day. Layers are always a good choice.

In summer months, average high daily temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, with lows in the 50s and 60s. The sun is strong in Boulder, so please bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. Afternoon thunderstorms aren’t unusual, so a rain jacket is helpful. There are many trails near Boulder, so hiking or running shoes and a set of workout clothes can help get you outside during your stay.

In winter months, average high daily temperatures are in the high 40s, while average lows get down to the low 20s. We recommend bringing a warm hat, gloves, and jacket. Boulder is sometimes snow-covered in the winter. Snowfall often occurs in storm cycles, which then stays for a few days before melting and leaving Boulder snow-free again. If snowfall is followed by cold periods, snow and ice can remain for a few weeks.

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