Host City

Tucson, Arizona, the astronomy and optics capital of the world, will host ISEC 2008.

Set on the Eastern edge of the scenic Sonoran Desert, Tucson is a metropolitan area of about 750,000 people with a casual life style. The hills and lower slopes of the mountains surrounding the valley host large forests of the unique giant Saguaro cactus. Outdoors, indoors and underground, from Kitt Peak National Observatory to the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum to Pima Air Museum to the Arts District to Karchner Caverns, Tucson has it all, while the state of Arizona is home to the Grand Canyon. Famous for blue skies and abundant sunshine, Tucson could see a late season, lightening-filled thunderstorm in mid-September. Having flown under the flags of Spain, Mexico and the United States, the city has a strong Hispanic influence and the best Mexican cuisine in the United States. As an added interest, there are several copper solvent extraction plants within a driving time of 30 minutes.