The 23rd biannual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies (AABS) will be held at the University of Illinois at Chicago on 26-28 April, 2012.
On this website, you will find information about registration, the conference site, accommodations, and the conference program.
The 2012 AABS Conference is on Facebook! Get up-to-the minute information, join in the conversation, see photos of the UIC campus and more.
For additional information, please contact the conference planning committee at aabsconfinfochicago@gmail.com
Learn more about the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies and become a member at AABS.
As of February 2, 2012, the regular registration rates for presenters at the AABS annual conference are:
AABS Member: $180
Non-member: $240
AABS Student member or member with annual income under $30,000: $90
Student non-member or non-member with annual income under $30,000: $130
Banquet dinner on Saturday, April 28: $50
Participants can register for the conference at the AABS conference registration website. Registration will end on April 19, 2012 (at 11:55 pm Central Standard Time). The registration site accepts all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discovery, AmericanExpress).
Registration fees can also be sent by check; conference organizers, however, will accept only U.S. bank checks. Please download and fill out this registration form, write a check in the name of "AABS, Inc., 2012 Conference", indicate the presenter's first and last name in the Memo line and send the form and the check by April 19, 2012 to:
Dalia Anysas
AABS 2012 Conference Treasurer
614 South Laflin Street
Townhouse F
Chicago, IL 60607-3161
All participants will receive an e-mail confirmation of successful registration. If you register online, you will receive a confirmation by email (from the registration system) within minutes. If you register by mail, allow 7–10 days after receipt for an email confirmation. Please bring your confirmation letter (e-mail) with you to the Registration Desk to receive your registration packet.
Online registration will conclude at 11:55 pm Central Standard Time, on April 19, 2012. After that date, please register on-site at the conference registration desk.
Registration is required for attendance at all conference sessions and programs.
Registration rates for the general public are listed below.
One-day conference pass: $40*
Banquet dinner on Saturday, April 28: $50
* A one-day pass is valid for conference sessions only. Additional fees for cultural events and the Friday boxed lunch may be required.
Non-AABS members and other visitors who wish to attend conference sessions will be able to purchase (cash only) a one-day pass on-site at the conference (registration hours will be posted here and in Facebook page).
For more information contact us via email at aabsconfinfochicago@gmail.com. If you have any questions regarding registration matters please contact Aurelija Tamosiunaite at aurelijat@yahoo.com.
Most conference sessions will be held in the Student Center East Building, 750 South Halsted Street, Chicago. Maps of the UIC campus and the location of the student center can be downloaded here: UIC Student Center and UIC Campus Map
Information on conference accommodations can be found at Conference Accommodations Information
The following information provides several options on how to get from the two Chicago-area airports to the conference hotel (Holiday Inn & Suites-Chicago Downtown), the hostel (J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Hostel), and University of Illinois at Chicago, as well as tips on finding your way around important locations in Chicago.
If you are staying in other hotels or places in Chicago and would like to research other public transportation routes to and from destinations in Chicago area, we highly recommend that you use the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) trip planners. Many useful tips for Chicago visitors can also be found at the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau website.
The concurrent session timetable and cultural and networking programs are now being developed.
2012 AABS CONFERENCE PLENARY SESSION SPEAKERS that have been confirmed:
* Ambassadors to the United States, Marina Kaljurand (Estonia), Žygimantas Pavilionis (Lithuania) and Andrejs Pildegovics (Latvia) have accepted the invitation to participate in a roundtable plenary session discussion about globalization and the Baltic countries in the next 20 years.
* Dr. Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis, an economist and a member of Latvia's Parliament, will address the topic of the current economic crisis in the Baltic countries.
* Linguist and translator, Università di Pisa professor, Dr. Pietro U. Dini, will discuss how Renaissance Europe looked at Baltic languages and the Baltic peoples (his most recent book in Italian is entitled ,,Aliletoescvr: linguistica baltica delle origini", published in Livorno by Books & Co.)
Updated January 17, 2012
Graduate students and young scholars (doctors who defended their dissertation on or after April 26, 2008) can apply for a travel grant to attend the 2012 AABS Conference. The travel grant should not be expected to cover all travel expenses.
Please send the completed application form by email to Aurelija Tamošiūnaitė at aurelijat@yahoo.com.
The Travel Grant application form can be downloaded here.
The bi-annual Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies conference welcomes papers, panels, and roundtable presentations in fields related to the Baltic region, its countries, and populations within those countries, including minorities. Contributions are encouraged from disciplines including, but not limited to, the following: anthropology, architecture, business, communication and media, cultural studies, demography, economics, education, environment, ethnic relations, film studies, fine arts, gender studies, geography, history, international relations, law, linguistics, literature, memory, political science, psychology, public health, religion, sociology, and advancing Baltic studies. Interdisciplinary and comparative work is welcome.
Paper proposals were due October 1, 2011. The instructions on submitting paper and panel proposals can be found in the Call for Papers (updated August 1, 2011).
