The Time Traveler Convention was a convention held at MIT on May 7, 2005, in the hopes of making contact with time travelers from the future. The convention was organized by Amal Dorai with help from current and former residents of the MIT living group Pi Tau Zeta. To date, it was the most significantly publicized Time Traveler Convention, including front page coverage in the New York Times and hence the most likely convention future time travelers would have attended. It was presumed time travelers would have the capability to visit any particular time if they could travel to that general time period at all. Convention has at least two very distinct but related meanings. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Time travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity—whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammeds trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... Pi Tau Zeta is a non-pledging, coed, residential fraternity located in a concrete block at MIT. http://web. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

The convention was held at 22:00 EDT on May 7, 2005 (May 8, 02:00 UTC) at the East Campus Courtyard and in Walker Memorial at MIT. That location is 42.360007 degrees north latitude, 71.087870 degrees west longitude. The Convention was announced in advance (that is, before the event) and over 300 contemporary people attended. (For fire safety reasons, a handful of attendees watched the convention via a closed circuit broadcast.) The spacetime coordinates continue to be publicized prominently and indefinitely, so that future time travelers will be aware and have the opportunity to have attended. Eastern Daylight Time or EDT is equal to Eastern Standard Time + 1, or UTC - 4. ... May 7 is the 127th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (128th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time or Z, is an atomic realization of Universal Time (UT) or Greenwich Mean Time, the astronomical basis for civil time. ... Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... Map of Earth showing lines of longitude, which appear curved and vertical in this projection, but are actually halves of great circles Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ...

The convention included lectures on various aspects of time travel from three MIT professors: Erik Demaine, a MacArthur "genius grant" winner, Alan Guth, an Eddington Medal winner for theoretical astrophysics, and Edward Farhi, winner of numerous MIT teaching awards. A De Lorean DMC-12, the car featured in the Back to the Future trilogy, was also on display, near the "landing pad" located at the exact coordinates advertised. Erik Demaine (b. ... The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution. ... Alan H. Guth (born February 27, 1947) is a physicist and cosmologist. ... The Eddington Medal, named after Sir Arthur Eddington, is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society nominally once every two years for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics. ... Theoretical astrophysics is the discipline that seeks to explain the phenomena observed by astronomers in physical terms with a theoretic approach. ... The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, is a research and educational institution located in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. MIT is a world leader in science and technology, as well as in many other fields, including management, economics, linguistics, political science, and philosophy. ... The De Lorean DMC-12 is a sports car which was manufactured by the De Lorean Motor Company from 1981 until 1983. ... Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) watching the first test of the time machine. ...

All time travelers from the future are welcome to attend, without having to observe any dress code. The organizers request only that clear proof of a future origin, such as demonstration of technology far beyond that which is contemporary in 2005, be presented. An invention that solved a pressing problem in 2005, such as a cure for AIDS or cancer, or a working strategy for solving global poverty, would be particularly welcome. Clothing has various sociological functions, including: conspicuous consumption stating or claiming identity establishing, maintaining and defying sociological group norms Thus wearing specific types of clothing or the manner of wearing clothing can convey messages about class, income, belief and attitude. ... Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (or acronym AIDS or Aids), is a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ... When normal cells are damaged beyond repair, they are eliminated by apoptosis. ... This article or section may contain external links added only to promote a website, product or service — otherwise known as spam. ...

No time travellers were verified as having attended.

External links

• Official website

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth