CU Café Sci is looking for a new home in downtown Champaign (Its current home, Verde Gallery Café, is closing its doors on November 30 2006. Thanks to Curt Tucker and his staff at Verde for being open to the Café Scientifique concept and for providing such beautiful and comfortable surroundings, excellent coffee and wine and outstanding fresh-baked desserts!)
If you have ideas or suggestions for a new venue or sponsor or if you would like to become involved in the organization of the CU Café Sci, please leave a response here (or contact us by email). Thanks!
Ideally, a café scientifique should be held off-campus, one evening a month in a space where attendees can buy themselves a drink or a snack and sit at tables where they can hear a researcher speak and answer questions (in other words, no music during that time). Often it is on an evening where a cafe or bar does not usually have a big crowd so hosting the CU Café Sci improves their business for that evening. There is no admission charge and the speakers are not paid a fee. Plus, it’s fun and you attract a crowd who might not have been to your venue before!
If at all possible, we’d like to keep the event in downtown Champaign.
>>>Cafe Paradisio (Urbana, corner of Lincoln & Nevada)
>>>Urbana Free Library (auditorium, has coffee shop, but not sure if one can take drinks into the auditorium)
the new Champaign Library opens about October this year and will have a cafe
the lobby stage of the Krannert Center-food and drinks allowed
Another thought is the Illinois Terminal building (the AmTrak waiting area upstairs). Accessible by bus from all over town.
A couple of people have suggested Pages for all Ages bookstore café.