Official Ballot High Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD), American Astronomical Society (AAS) Candidates for HEAD Executive Committee (2001-2002) Vote for no more than Three _____ Nancy S. Brickhouse _____ Matthew G. Baring _____ Greg Madejski _____ John Nousek _____ Ron Remillard _____ Kimberly Weave XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX clip here XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX You may vote by electronic ballot or by paper ballot. Send completed ballots to Paul Hertz, HEAD Secretary/Treasurer. Deadline for balloting is 5:00 p.m. EST on December 29, 2000. 1. To vote by electronic ballot, send your completed electronic ballot to paul.hertz@hq.nasa.gov. You may use the reply function on your e-mail program. To validate your electronic ballot, the return address on your electronic ballot must match your e-mail address in the AAS Directory. If you received your ballot electronically, that is the address it was mailed to. To simplify processing for the HEAD Secretary/Treasurer, put OFFICIAL HEAD BALLOT in the subject line. 2. To vote by paper ballot, send your completed paper ballot to Paul Hertz, HEAD Secretary/Treasurer, Code SR, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546-0001. To validate your paper ballot, the return address on the envelope must match your mailing address in the AAS Directory and you must sign the flap of the envelope. If you received your ballot by mail, that is the address it was mailed to. Candidates’ Statements ====================== Nancy S. Brickhouse Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Ph.D., Physics, University of Wisconsin --- Madison, 1984 Areas of scientific interest: solar and stellar coronae, optical to X-ray spectroscopy, and atomic data needs Statement: The recent HEAD meeting in Honolulu demonstrated the excitement of our field as new missions are bringing us spectacular data. If elected to the Executive Committee, I hope to help raise the visibility of our field within the astronomy community and beyond. In my interactions with the atomic and plasma physics communities, it seems that there is a great overlap between the goals of physics and astronomy. The joint meeting with the APS in April 2002 provides an ideal opportunity for exchange. I will also work to ensure that the division meetings continue to be productive as well as exciting. The success of the workshops on data analysis and the significant demand for contributed talks at HEAD 2000 may indicate that we should re-examine the frequency and/or format of the meetings. Matthew G. Baring Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University (from 1/1/01) Research Scientist, Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (till 12/31/00) Statement: My candidacy for a position on the HEAD Executive Committee represents a step towards achieving a long-held personal goal of serving the high energy astrophysics community in this office. In running, I bring considerable experience to such a position, much of which has drawn on my association with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. My eight years there has enabled intimate contact with various teams connected with many of the missions that have yielded such a wealth of new and exciting results in X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy. This has led to me developing an informed and balanced perspective of the high energy astrophysics field, and a context for its future expansion and enrichment. As my career continues at Rice University, I plan to act as an advocate for the HEAD membership, not just as a member of the Executive Committee, but in the broader astronomy and physics communities, to help ensure a continuing prominence and funding for high energy astrophysics in the 21st Century. Greg Madejski Staff Physicist, Research Division, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Bio: MIT (SB/SM in physics) 1974; instrumentation scientist at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory 1974-1980; Harvard (PhD in astronomy) 1986; NAS/NRC at Lab for High Energy Astrophysics, NASA/Goddard 1986-1989; Univ. of Maryland research scientist at NASA/Goddard till 10/2000. Statement: High energy astrophysics has entered its "golden age" with the launch of Chandra and XMM-Newton, providing us with spectacular results. Over the next few years, several new missions and ground-based TeV gamma-ray facilities will become operational. To fully take advantage of these new opportunities - and pave the way for the future - the next major task awaiting us is the expansion of our effort beyond our own ranks. This must happen both towards general public, but also towards the more traditional scientific community, such as high energy and particle physics - via conveying the excitement provided by the recent results, and developing synergy with other branches of physics. John Nousek Senior Scientist & Professor, Dept. of Astronomy & Astrophysics,The Pennsylvania State University Statement: The fundamental priority for the HEAD must be to promote the development of excellence in the study of high energy astrophysical phenomena, and to promote the visibility of that work both within the astronomical community and to the wider scientific and popular communities. I would support the following programs. 1) The regular HEAD sessions at AAS meetings and special dedicated HEAD meetings. By providing a forum for invited talks we highlight important developments to our colleagues in the AAS. At our dedicated meetings we focus on cross-development and collaboration within the HEAD. 2) HEAD awards and prizes. By singling out achievements we help promote our members who have made these discoveries. We should also present our top candidates for awards outside HEAD. 3) Public outreach. Our future success in future high energy astrophysics discoveries is directly related to our success in explaining our past and current discoveries. We should support our Press Officer and the education/public outreach activities to enthuse the public about science and astrophysics. 4) Public policy. We should work to ensure that when issues concerning the HEAD arise in government, our membership is aware of those issues and know how to make their feelings known. My work on the Chandra, ASCA, and Swift missions has given me experience with all of these issues. I hope to benefit our community with my efforts. Ron Remillard Principal Research Scientist, Center for Space Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Statement: The HEAD organization provides meetings, workshops, and lectures that help to focus our science efforts in high energy astrophysics. It is especially important that these HEAD programs facilitate multifrequency science and interactions between observers and theorists. It is also important that the HEAD programs help to inform both the general public and the rest of the astrophysics community about progress and problems encountered in our division. Kimberly Weaver Astrophysicist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Statement: I have thoroughly enjoyed my participation as a full member of the high-energy astrophysics community during the past 7 years. After completing graduate work with the Laboratory for High Energy Astrophysics at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, I received my Ph.D. in astronomy in 1993 from the University of Maryland, with a thesis on broad-band X-ray studies of active galactic nuclei. Since then, I have spent five years working in the university environment at Penn State University in State College, PA and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and two years working in the government environment at NASA/Goddard in Greenbelt, MD. I enjoy both, and have become fascinated with the many differences and similarities. One of my goals as a researcher is to try to bridge the gap between these environments and to facilitate more communication and collaboration between universities and government-funded science institutions. This goal and my general interest in the health and advancement of research in high-energy astrophysics, along with my commitment to do the best job that I can in any situation, will be a valuable asset if I am elected a member of the HEAD Executive Committee.