PASCA 2.0

Location & dates     Speakers & activities     Applications     Organizers     Local information    

PASCA 2.0

Pan-American School in Commutative Algebra

A graduate summer school in Guanajuato, Mexico





photo credits: Manuel González Villa and CIMAT

Poster

Sponsored by CIMPA, CONAHCYT/SECIHTI, and NSF.



Location & dates

Location: Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas, Guanajuato, Gto., Mexico

Dates: May 18–May 29, 2026





Speakers & activities

Lecture series:

Federico Castillo (Pontificia Universidad Catolica)

Daniel Duarte (UNAM Morelia)

Eloísa Grifo (University of Nebraska)

Karl Schwede (University of Utah)

Additional lectures:

Lara Bossinger (UNAM Oaxaca)

Javier Carvajal Rojas (CIMAT)

Alessandro De Stefani (University of Genoa)

Lisa Seccia (University of Neuchâtel)

Titles and Abstracts

Activities:

This is a two week summer school on current topics of research interest in commutative algebra.
For each of the two weeks, there will be two lecture series with accompanying problem sessions.
There will also be a poster session for participants and forums on professional development issues.

Schedule







Applications

Apply to the school here.

The deadline for applications is January 21, 2026.

Note: Although US-based students are not eligible for funding from CIMPA, we are hoping to support some US-based students from other sources. All applicants should apply at this link nonetheless.




Organizers

Josep Àlvarez Montaner (Universitat Politècnica Catalunya)
Jack Jeffries (University of Nebraska-Lincoln)
Jonathan Montaño (Arizona State University)
Luis Núñez-Betancourt (CIMAT)
Yuriko Pitones (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitan)


For inquiries, contact Jack Jeffries (jack.jeffries@unl.edu) or Jonathan Montaño (montano@asu.edu)





Local information

About the city:

The City of Guanajuato is the Capital of the State of Guanajuato and home to the main campus of the University of Guanajuato. It is one of the most important colonial towns in Latin America and a UNESCO declared World Heritage Zone.

This City is located about 350 km (220 miles) NW of Mexico City. Guanajuato dazzles the visitor with the charm of its relaxed atmosphere, its cobblestone streets, its picturesque plazas and underground streets. While remaining a small provincial city, Guanajuato boasts a great number of attractions, from beautiful colonial buildings to modern museums, from silver mines to a university.

Guanajuato’s altitude, 2000 meters (6000 feet), ensures that the climate is always pleasant. The rainy season is from June to September.

Getting to Guanajuato:

By air: The nearest airport to Guanajuato is Bajio International Airport (BJX) that have direct daily flights to and from Mexico City, Monterrey, Tijuana, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles. From the airport you can get to Guanajuato by taxi (30km). Just down the hall from the arrival area you will find a booth selling tickets for the taxis. Ask for a ticket to Guanajuato City. The taxi ride takes about 30min., the fare is approximately 600 pesos; payments with US dollars are accepted but not with credit cards. In the hall, there is an ATM connected to the Plus and Cirrus networks and a Currency Exchange office. There is no public transportation from the airport to Guanajuato City.

Another airport close to Guanajuato is Guadalajara International Airport (GDL). From there, you can take a bus to Guanajuato. Take a taxi to the Bus Terminal of Guadalajara (“Central de Autobuses”); the fare is approx. 450 pesos and the trip takes at least 20 minutes depending on traffic conditions. ETN and Primera Plus offer a direct service from the Central Bus Station to Guanajuato, each with a frequency of about ten departures a day. Travel time is approximately 4 hours.

Another option is Mexico City International Airport (MEX). From there, you can take a bus to Guanajuato. Once you are outside the arrival area, go to any of the taxi stands and ask for a ticket to the Northern Bus Terminal (“Terminal Central del Norte”). Caution: there are several bus terminals in Mexico City. The trip takes at least 30 min., and the fare is about 300 pesos. Travel time is approximately 5 hours.

By bus: Primera Plus and ETN are two first class bus companies operating routes to Guanajuato. Compared to Primera Plus, traveling with ETN is more comfortable due to a reduced number of seats in the bus (including 8 individual seats); Primera Plus is about 20% cheaper. In general wifi is available. For time schedules and ticket purchase, consult Primera Plus and ETN webpages. In the evening, as buses run less frequently, buy your ticket in advance if possible. Once you arrive at the bus station in Guanajuato, take a taxi. There are no taxi stands to buy tickets. You should pay directly to the driver. The ride should cost about 80-120 pesos.

By car: Take into account that due to limited parking space, daily traffic congestions and the peculiar topography of Guanajuato, a car is not an efficient mean of transportation within Guanajuato City. As road signs are often confusing or absent, consult a route planning device in advance (e.g. google maps or the SCT planner). Except if you are an experienced driver in Mexico, we advise against car renting.

From Mexico City, head north and take toll highway 57D to Queretaro. From there take highway 45D to Celaya, Irapuato and afterwards in the direction of Leon. Take the toll road to Guanajuato (exit "Guanajuato Cuota”).

From Guadalajara At the Guadalajara airport, take the highway to Guadalajara. Reaching the highway interchange take the exit to Tonalá. On your way to Tonalá on highway 90D, keep on your left lane to Tepatitlán and Lagos de Moreno. Keep straight until reaching junction to Aguascalientes. Take highway 80D to Aguascalientes and keep forward until reaching next junction to León, take the junction to the right and drive all the way to the next toll booth on highway 45D. You are now on León city bypass, go forward until the next junction and take the right lane to Silao, and Irapuato. You will see Bajío International Airport on your left side and afterwards you'll reach Silao. Keep driving through Silao until reaching the sign Guanajuato Cuota, at the end of Silao bypass. Take the right exit to reach the toll highway from Silao to Guanajuato and drive until reaching the toll booth. You are now in Guanajuato.

Entering Mexico:

Anyone who has citizenship/permanent residency or a valid and current visa from Canada, the United States of America, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or any of the countries that make up the Schengen Area can enter Mexico without an additional visa. https://www.inm.gob.mx/gobmx/word/index.php/paises-requieren-visa-para-mexico/
local information provided by Luis Núñez-Betancourt

Laundry:

You can have laundry done at CIMATEL for a small fee.





2026 CIMPA schools





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