Register & Attend

Travel

There are many ways to travel to St. Paul, Minn. The city (and nearby Minneapolis) is served by one major airport which offers multiple U.S. and international flights daily. The city sits at the cross-section of two major highways and is served by Amtrak trains. Explore different travel options and directions for getting to the meeting and around the city.

St. Paul is served by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP), a major hub in the Upper Midwest of the United States. The airport is 9 miles from downtown St. Paul.

Amtrak offers an energy efficient travel options to St. Paul with stations at the MSP airport and another station in downtown St. Paul.

BOOK A TRAIN

SUSTAINABILITY AT AMTRAK

Greyhound offers an efficient way to access St. Paul from numerous U.S. cities.

TRAVEL BY GREYHOUND

There are also numerous private bus lines that go to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Two major interstate highway systems serve the St. Paul area: I-94 runs east and west, and I-35 runs north and south. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul area also has two belt-line freeways, I-494 and I-694, which facilitate travel in and around the first and second-ring suburbs. View on Google Maps

View a map of downtown parking ramps at SaintPaulParking.com. For more information and event parking rates, click here.

Metro Transit offers a network of bus routes for easy travel around St. Paul and throughout the Twin Cities.

To reach downtown Saint Paul from the airport (MSP), take Metro Transit Route 54. Board the bus outside Terminal 1 Transit Station, on Level 1 of the Blue and Red parking ramps. From Terminal 1, passengers can access the Transit Station via the tram on the Tram Level or via the Concourse Connector between concourses C and G.

There is no Metro Transit bus service at Terminal 2 Terminal. Airline passengers arriving at Terminal 2 must take the METRO Blue Line (or another means of transportation) to Terminal 1 to access city buses. Trains operate 24 hours a day between airport terminals. Travel between airport terminal stations is free and no ticket is needed.

For bus fare and route information, speak to a transit representative at 612-373-3333 or visit Metro Transit’s website.

Light rail service connects the airport, Minneapolis, and St. Paul: METRO Blue Line trains stop at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 and connect travelers to over 17 stations, including downtown Minneapolis to the north and Mall of America to the south. For more information, visit the Metro Transit website.

Taxis and Ride Shares: Are available throughout the area. There is a taxi stand at the MSP airport.

Travel Grants

WaterSciCon Travel Grants provide funds to assist students and early career professionals with a combination of costs associated with attending the 2024 WaterSciCon. Student and early career travel grants support in-person attendees with up to USD 1,000 in reimbursements for travel expenses.  Eligible expenses include hotel accommodations, airfare, visa fees, poster printing fees, and meals. Electronic receipts are required for all reimbursements. Berkner travel fellows (learn more below) will be reimbursed for all costs associated with attending the Meeting. AGU will coordinate airfare and hotel accommodations for Berkner recipients.

The travel grant application window is 28 February - 23 April. 

Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Be attending the 2024 WaterSciCon in person,
  • Meet the eligibility requirement for the travel to which they are applying,
  • Show financial ability to attend the Meeting in addition to Travel Grant funds,

There are three grant types available: 

  • Student Travel Grant: Be an enrolled high school student, two- or four-year undergraduate student, or graduate student at an accredited academic institution at the time of WaterSciCon,
  • Early Career Travel Grant: Be an early career professional (less than 10 years from receiving terminal degree) at the time of WaterSciCon, or
  • AGU Berkner Travel Fellowship: Be under the age of 35 and a citizen of a country designated by the World Bank as “low” or “lower-middle” income per capita at the time of WaterSciCon.

Evaluation

Applicants are reviewed and ranked based on the following criteria: 

  • Demographic backgrounds historically marginalized in the water sciences
  • Demonstrated financial need
  • Applicants who have never attended a scientific conference
  • Applicants who are presenting at the meeting as a first author
  • Student applicants in the final year of their degree program

For questions, contact [email protected].

Visa & International Travel

We recommend that international participants apply for visas three months prior to WaterSciCon24. Some consulates may have delays in scheduling visa interviews. We encourage you to first contact the consulate to determine the wait time for an interview. If you require a letter of invitation before submitting an abstract or you will not be submitting an abstract, you must request one via email. After submitting an abstract, you can automatically generate a letter of invitation through the abstract submission system.

U.S. GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENT FOR VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

Effective 20 January 2011, citizens of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries will be unable to enter the United States without Electronic System for travel Authorization (ESTA) approval from the U.S. Government. VWP travelers who have not obtained approval through ESTA will be denied boarding on any carrier destined for the United States.

BUSINESS VISA CENTER

The U.S. Department of State offers resources and information to assist foreign nationals traveling to the U.S. for temporary business.

Visit the Business Visa Center

VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

Review the requirements to participate in the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens meeting specific requirements to enter the U.S. for 90 days without a visa.

Learn more about the Visa Waiver Program

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Comprehensive information about traveling to the United States, and the policies and procedures for obtaining a visa.

Learn more about Obtaining a Visa

HELP WITH EXPEDITING VISA APPOINTMENTS

WaterSciCon24 is being registered with the U.S. Department of State to assist with visa appointments. All scientists with accepted abstracts should have received an invitation letter as part of their documentation to help with the visa process. If you did not submit an abstract and need assistance obtaining an invitation letter, please contact the Member Services Team.

After applying for a visa appointment, the next potential step to help with your visa process is to contact the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine International Visitor Office (IVO). They often assist scientists with expediting the visa process to get appointments moved.

Scientists who have been accepted as speakers or attendees for WaterSciCon24 may request help from IVO to expedite the visa process by completing the Visa Questionnaire on their site. This questionnaire should be completed after you have already reserved a visa appointment in your country. An already established visa-appointment is crucial to working with the IVO, even if that appointment is in later 2024 or 2025.

Because of the personal information the IVO needs to move forward with requests, WaterSciCon24 staff or volunteer leadership are unable to make a visa request on behalf of a scientist. The IVO has provided a checklist to help you prepare for their Visa Questionnaire needs.

Complete the Visa Questionnaire

Justification Letter

WaterSciCon has developed a brief justification letter for you to share with your academic institution, organization, or supervisor. Be sure to highlight the educational value, networking advantages, and opportunities to advance you and your organization when you attend WaterSciCon24.

View and Download Justification Letter

To download the document, click the "down" arrow in the top-right corner. In the pop-up window, click "Or continue with download only."