Saturday, 8 January
Modeling the Universe Educator’s Workshop
College Astronomy Teaching Excellence Workshop
NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellows (AAPF) Symposium
Sunday, 9 January
College Astronomy Teaching Excellence Workshop
NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellows (AAPF) Symposium
Winning Small Grants to do Education & Public Outreach with NASA Office of Space Science Programs
Career Workshop
Palomar Observatory Tour
Spitzer Observation Planning Workshop
NASA’s WISE Mission Education and Outreach kick-off Meeting
Astronomy 101: A Continuing Dialogue
Undergraduate Orientation
Opening Reception
Monday - Thursday, 10-13 January
Monday, 10 January
NASA Town Meeting
HAD Business Meeting
NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder Missions and the Vision for Exploration
Space Interferometry Mission : Opportunities to propose Key Projects
Tuesday, 11 January
Structures to Facilitate Networking among Teachers of Introductory Astronomy
Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy
ALMA Town Meeting
Astronomy, Space Science and the New NASA
Graduate Student – Employer Networking
Wednesday, 12 January
Thursday, 13 January
Modern Universe Space Telescope Open House
JWST Town Meeting
Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy
Saturday, 8 January 2005, 9:00am – 3:00pm, Pacific Salon 1
The Structure and Evolution of the Universe (SEU) Education and Public Outreach Team and related NASA missions will lead teachers of grades 8-12 through an inquiry-based exploration of key space science and physical science ideas. Through a series of integrated hands-on activities and inquiries, this educator workshop explores our current models for the origin and evolution of the universe. We will also investigate the nature of science and the role of models, evidence, and explanations. The topics covered directly address the National Science Content Standards for grades 8-12 by highlighting how we understand the origin and evolution of the universe.Participants will receive a free package of classroom-ready materials supporting each activity, along with background material and additional resources. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided, sponsored by the NASA’s Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission.
This workshop will be held in conjunction with the American Astronomical Society 205th Meeting.
Act fast as there are only 45 seats available. To sign up visit: http://epo.sonoma.edu/mtu/signup.html. There is a $25.00 deposit to reserve your spot, and it will be returned to you at the completion of the workshop.
Saturday, 8 January and Sunday, 9 January, 9:00am-5:00pm, Pacific Salon 3
Astronomy provides a unique environment for teaching the excitement of scientific inquiry to students. At the same time, high quality astronomy teaching presents an ardent challenge because students who most often elect to take astronomy courses are frequently apprehensive of science and mathematics courses in general. Sponsored by the NASA JPL Navigator and Spitzer EPO Programs and the National Science Foundation, this two-day interactive teaching excellence workshop focuses on dilemmas astronomy teachers face and develop practical solutions for the troubling issues in topic coverage, engaging instruction, and authentic assessment. The workshop meets from 9am - 5pm both days.In the workshops, after reviewing the latest research about how students learn, participants define and set measurable student learning goals and objectives for students in their astronomy courses. To improve instruction, participants learn how to create productive learning environments by using interactive lectures, peer instruction, engaging demonstrations, collaborative groups, and tutorials. Participants also learn how to write more effective multiple-choice tests and implement authentic assessment strategies including portfolio assessment, performance tasks, and concept maps with the goal of constructing a syllabus and assignments that improve student achievement. Materials presented include resources from: (i) Learner-Centered Astronomy Teaching, Slater & Adams, Prentice Hall, 2002;
(ii) Great Ideas for Teaching Astronomy, Pompea, Brooks Cole, 2000; (iii) Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy, Adams, Prather, & Slater, Prentice Hall, 2002; and (iv) Insights into the Universe, Slater & Zeilik, AAPT Press, 2003.
PRESENTERS: The presenters Ed Prather and Tim Slater are astronomers in the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) Team at University of Arizona 's Steward Observatory where their scholarship focuses on the teaching and learning of astronomy. The workshop leaders have published numerous articles and books on active learning in astronomy and have coordinated curriculum development and professional development projects for professional societies, NASA, and the National Science Foundation. Additional presenters will also be invited to participate.
COSTS: There is no registration cost for this workshop. Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses. The majority of costs are being borne by the participating professional societies, the NASA JPL Navigator and Spitzer EPO Programs, and the National Science Foundation. You do not need to be a member of a professional society to attend the workshops.
PREREGISTRATION: Pre-registration is highly recommended, but not required. You should email your name, institutional contact information, and email address to: caper@as.arizona.edu and the specific workshop dates and locations you wish to attend. It is strongly recommended that you attend ALL days of the workshop. If you have additional questions, please contact Tim Slater at tslater@as.arizona.edu or telephone 520-621-7096.
Saturday, 8 January, 1:00-6:00pm and Sunday, 9 January, 9:00am-5:00pm, Golden West
The NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship (AAPF) program is designed to support promising young scientists who combine their research with education and/or outreach activities. During this two-day weekend session, the NSF fellows will discuss their research and education/outreach activities with invited faculty mentors and any AAS members who wish to attend. The goals are to learn from each other's experiences, to listen to suggestions from the audience, and to foster new collaborations. The session will also feature informal discussion panels on topics such as integrating research with teaching and outreach, balancing family life with a scientific career, and making the transition from postdoc to faculty. A tentative schedule is included below.For more information on the NSF AAPF program (the full meeting schedule will also be posted on this site as soon as it is available), please see http://astro.uchicago.edu/~coble/nsf_fellows/
RSVP is requested for the purpose of estimating attendance. For questions and/or RSVP, please contact gawiser@astro.yale.edu
Tentative meeting schedule:
Saturday, 8 January 2005, afternoon:
- Keynote speech: Meg Urry
- AAPFs talks on integrated research and education or public outreach programs
- Discussion panel: The integration of research with teaching and/or public outreach
- Informal discussion
- Conference dinnerSunday, 9 January 2005, morning:
- AAPF talks on research topics
- Discussion panel: Balancing family life with career
- Informal discussion
- LunchSunday, 9 January 2005, afternoon:
- AAPF talks on education and/or public outreach programs
- Discussion panel: The transition from postdoc to faculty
- Informal discussion
Sunday, 9:00am-12:00pm, Royal Palm 5/6
This half-day workshop is designed to support the efforts of the growing number of astronomers who either are, have been, or will be proposers for small grant awards for education and public outreach (EPO) in NASA's Office of Space Science (OSS) [e.g. ROSS EPO supplements, HST and Chandra EPO supplements, and the IDEAS grants]. The workshop goals are to provide participants with:1) a systemic view of the OSS EPO grant programs;
2) important tips for preparing winning proposals based on actual experience with the review process;
3) a networking opportunity for astronomers engaged in NASA-supported K-12 education and public outreach; and
4) an opportunity for feedback to NASA regarding experience with the programs and recommendations for improvement.
Workshop facilitators and presenters will include Dr. Cherilynn Morrow (Space Science Institute, Boulder CO ), Dr. Larry Cooper (NASA HQ), and Dr. Timothy Slater ( University of Arizona ). Additional OSS EPO Support Network representatives will also be on hand to help address questions and facilitate small group discussion.
Sunday, 9 January, 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-4:00pm, Royal Palm 1/2
Registrants for this special workshop (attendance is limited) will learn how to market themselves in today's challenging employment environment. Ms. Jennifer Giesler, former director of employment services at the American Geophysical Union, will spend the morning portion of the workshop providing insight into the current job market for astronomers, how to capitalize on unique skills and abilities to land a job, unveil the interview process and discuss other topics based on questions from participants. The afternoon portion of the workshop is direct one-on-one review of participant resumes with special emphasis on resume customization. The registration fee for this event is $30. Please send a check made payable to the American Astronomical Society for this amount and address it to :American Astronomical Society, ATTENTION: CAREER WORKSHOP, 2000 Florida Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20009.
Sunday, 9 January, 12:30-5:30pm
Busses will be provided. There is a $20 fee.Meeting registrants who sign up for this tour will receive a talk on the history and current research of the Palomar Observatory. Included will be a behind-the-scenes tour of the venerable 200-inch Hale Telescope, a dramatic demonstration of it in operation and a chance to explore the Observatory's newly updated visitor's center. The Center highlights some of Palomar's discoveries and its current research.
The interior of the dome at Palomar is kept at nighttime temperatures. Warm clothing is strongly recommended.
Sunday, 9 January, 2:00-6:00pm, Royal Palm 3/4
The Spitzer Science Center (SSC) Observer Support Team (OST) will host a timely workshop for prospective General Observers (GOs). This workshop will be held shortly after the Cycle-2 Call for Proposals is released, and occurs more than a month before the mid-February proposal deadline. Spitzer has adopted a single-phase proposal submission process, in which science proposals must be accompanied by detailed observations generated by Spot (the Spitzer software for preparing observations and submitting proposals). This workshop will provide a primer on how to download and use Spot to plan observations and to prepare and submit a GO proposal.OST staff will provide an overview of Spitzer, its three science instruments and its seven observing modes. Attendance will be limited to the first 40 (or so) registrants, with the precise limit depending on the room assignment. Interested GO investigators can complete a no-fee registration form online by visiting http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/ost/workshops/2005jan/
Organized by Spitzer Observer Support: obsplan@ipac.caltech.edu
Sunday, January 9, 2:00-6:00pm, Garden 2
NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission, scheduled for launch in Summer 2008, will conduct a survey of the entire sky in the infrared, studying more than 100,000 asteroids, the coolest and closest stars to the Sun, and the most luminous galaxies in the Universe. The mission will captivate a wide range of audiences in the formal and informal science education communities. WISE science presents unique opportunities for the E/PO program to
- Enhance the quality of science, mathematics, and technology education at the pre-college level
- Share the excitement of WISE space science discoveries with the public
- Help create our 21st-century scientific and technical work force
Over the course of the mission, WISE and its E/PO partners will develop physical science and mathematics lessons to be used in K-14 classrooms, teacher professional development experiences, museum exhibits and programs, kits for informal educators to use in public presentations, and multimedia with background science information on the WISE website. The WISE E/PO team will hold a kick-off meeting with 11 nationwide institutional partners to discuss long-range plans. All interested in NASA E/PO programs are welcome to attend.
Sunday, 9 January, 2:30 – 5:30pm, Pacific Salon 1
In July 2004, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific and the AAS jointly sponsored “Cosmos in the Classroom,” a three-day symposium focused on teaching introductory astronomy for non-science majors. The meeting considered such topics as offering large classes without always lecturing, new modes of testing, the future of astronomy textbooks, the effective use of technology in our courses, and the need for greater networking among astronomy instructors across the country. In this session, we will report on the highlights of the July symposium, set out the main issues that were raised, and begin a dialogue about these issues with AAS members who were not able to attend. Andrew Fraknoi ( Foothill College ) and George Greenstein ( Amherst College ) will act as moderators.
Sunday, 9 January, 6:00-7:00pm, Terrace Pavillion
Undergraduate students, their advisors and those interested in attracting undergraduate students to their graduate program, or undergraduate research opportunity are invited to attend this event. The Chair of the Astronomy Education Board will explain how to get the most benefit from an AAS meeting and outline how the meeting works. The leadership of the AAS will also be in attendance to answer questions and get to know the undergraduate attendees. Tickets are required and are available free of charge to all undergrads, their advisors and those offering research opportunities (or jobs) to undergraduates, through the meeting registration form and will be placed in their registration envelope. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Organizations hoping to recruit undergraduate students may reserve poster display space for a small fee. Contact Susana Deustua, Director of Educational Activities (deustua@aas.org), for further details.
Sunday, 9 January, 7:00-10:00pm, Town and Country
This opening reception is for all participants and registered guests. It will feature a cash bar and light snacks (not to be construed as dinner!).
Monday-Thursday, 10-13 January, Stratford
The AAS Job Center will be operated as normal at each AAS meeting.Employers: If you are planning to conduct interviews in San Diego , please let us know. Send your name, institution and position for which you will be interviewing to jobs@aas.org
Job Seekers: To participate, please submit your resume and coversheet to jobs@aas.org at the AAS Executive Office by 15 December.
Monday-Thursday, 10-13 January, Terrace 2
The Cyber Café opens at the beginning of the morning coffee break and ends after the evening poster sessions. In addition to computers, there will be about ten open lines for your laptops. There will also be an open area near registration for wireless connectivity. Please be advised that users need to bring their own wireless cards and review the connection process with their system administrators.
Monday-Thursday, 10-13 January, Terrace 3
View the latest hands-on instructional tools used in astronomy education. Details to be published in the Program Update.
Monday, 10 January, 1:00-2:00pm, Town and Country
Senior representatives from NASA's Science Mission Directorate will discuss the Vision for Space Exploration including the creation and organization of the Science Mission Directorate to implement NASA's science program. As time permits, additional topics to be discussed include science roadmapping for an updated NASA strategic plan, status of operating missions, plans for missions nearing launch, progress on key new programs approved in the Fiscal Year 2005 budget, and anticipated solicitations in 2005 for both non-flight basic research awards (grants)and flight mission investigations.Organized by Paul Hertz : paul.hertz@nasa.gov
Monday, 10 January, Pacific Salon 1
Monday, 10 January, 6:00-7:15pm, Pacific Salon 2/3
Part of the President's new vision for space exploration is for NASA to "conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars." The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) is designed to detect Earth-like planets around nearby stars, and to perform low-resolution spectroscopy of detected planets, to search for possible chemical and biological signatures of life.This session on TPF has two objectives:
(1) to update the community on science objectives for TPF, and to discuss an important - and exciting - development in the TPF Project. To meet the
Vision for Exploration, NASA has chosen to fly *two* separate missions to achieve the goal of the Terrestrial Planet Finder: TPF-C: a moderate-sized visible-light coronagraph, to launch around 2014; and TPF-I: multiple spacecraft carrying 3 to 4-m mid-IR telescopes operating as a nulling interferometer. Scientific collaboration continues with ESA astronomers on a joint Darwin/TPF-I mission.We will cover the rationale for this approach, the scientific benefits of
obtaining planet spectra in two wavebands, and provide a brief status and plans for the two missions.(2) to alert the community to continuing opportunities for research on
scientific problems related to TPF and the field of extra-solar planet research. In particular, the NASA ROSS program includes 'TPF preparatory Science', covering a wide range of observations, modeling and theory topics.Science community input on all aspects of TPF are encouraged, and this meeting will include plenty of time for discussion. We expect many people will also wish to attend the SIM meeting on observing opportunities which follows, so we plan to cater a light dinner. Details will be provided later. Information on TPF is available at the following URL: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/TPF/tpf_index.html
Organized by Steve Unwin: stephen.unwin@jpl.nasa.gov
Monday, 10 January, 7:30-8:45pm, Pacific Salon 2/3
You may be surprised how many astronomical research areas can benefit from ultra-precise astrometry! Do you need fundamental microarcsecond-level dynamical measurements? The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM), under development for launch in early 2010, will perform precision astrometry oftargets as faint as 20th magnitude, to an expected accuracy of 4 microarcseconds, and 1 microarcsec in a single measurement over a narrow field. This meeting will highlight the science objectives for SIM, and the many research areas in which SIM will provide key data, and it will explain how the astronomical community can propose for observations with SIM.The next proposal opportunity, planned for late 2005, will be a NASA
Announcement of Opportunity (AO) for new Key Projects (major observing
programs) and membership on the SIM Science Team. We will also describe plans for the General Observer (GO) program, which is expected to begin in 2007. Featured in the GO call will be 'snapshot observing' - we expect a large community of users who need accurate parallaxes for their research can use this observing mode. 'Snapshots' exploit SIM's ability to deliver precision parallaxes to 10s of microarcseconds for tens of thousands of objects.There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions on proposal
opportunities. We expect many people will also wish to attend the TPF meeting which precedes this session, so we plan to cater a light dinner. Details will be provided later. Information on SIM is available at the following URL: http://sim.jpl.nasa.govOrganized by Steve Unwin stephen.unwin@jpl.nasa.gov
Tuesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm, Pacific Salon 2/3
Our profession has a wide variety of structures in place to serve the needs of astronomy instructors, enabling them to keep in touch with one another and with developmentsin the field. These structures include professional organizations, education sessions at meetings, faculty training sessions, and journals (both print and on-line) which publish education articles. Does this suite adequately serve the needs of these instructors, particularly in smaller colleges? Or are more structures needed? Bring your lunch and your ideas to this conversation moderated by George Greenstein ( Amherst College ) and Andrew Fraknoi ( Foothill College ), with representatives from NASA, the AAS, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific present.
Tuesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm, Pacific Salon 1
Ann Springer, legal counsel for the American Association of University Professors, will give a presentation entitled " Michigan and Beyond: Affirmative Action and the Future of Student and Faculty Diversity". This presentation will examine the Supreme Court's recent affirmative action decisions in the University of Michigan cases, their legal framework, and the current legal landscape for affirmative action. It will then address the practical implications of the decisions and their current and future effects on diversity in student admissions and faculty recruitment.Organized by Keivan Stassun: Keivan.stassun@vanderbilt.edu
Tuesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm, Royal Palm 1-3
- Introduction - K. Y. Lo, Director of NRAO
- ALMA Science Examples - Speaker TBA
- Project desciption, status - M. Tarenghi, ALMA Director
- NA ALMA Science Center - A. Wootten
- Discussion (15 mins) - Moderator A. Wootten, awootten@cv.nrao.edu
Tuesday, 11 January, 6:00 – 7:30pm, Golden Ballroom
NASA has been the center of policy news this year. This special evening session will feature a panel of NASA insiders, external observers and a policy expert who will discuss the NASA reorganization, the impact of the reorganization on astronomy research and other relevant topics. Plenty of time will be made available for questions from the audience.Organized by Kevin Marvel: marvel@aaas.org
Tuesday, 11 January, 7:00-8:00pm, Terrace Pavillion
Graduate students and those hoping to recruit them for employment in either research, academia or industry are welcome to attend this evening networking event. The chair of the Employment Committee will be present to discuss the activities of the employment committee and how graduate students can benefit from them as well as briefly introducing the recruiters present. Tickets are required and are available free of charge to grad students and recruiters through the meeting registration form and will be placed in their registration envelope. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Organizations hoping to recruit graduate students may reserve poster display for a small fee. Contact Kevin Marvel, Deputy Executive Officer (marvel@aas.org), for further details.
Wednesday, 12 January, 1:00-2:00pm, California
The Division of Astronomical Sciences of NSF will continue its discussion with the community at this town meeting. Staff will provide updates on the status of the NSF and Divisional budgets, highlight new and continued funding opportunities, and discuss ongoing strategic planning and coordination with other agencies. The majority of the session will be reserved for questions and discussion.Organized by Eileen Friel: efriel@nsf.org
Wednesday, 12 January, Town and Country
Wednesday, 12 January, 7:15pm, Golden Ballroom
Price: $40.00
Salad
Romaine Salad Jordan
Romaine Leaves with Tomatoes & Feta Cheese
Served with Raspberry or Balsamic Vinaigrette DressingsCombination Entrée
Petite Filet of Beef & Stuffed Chicken Breast Combo
Filet of Beef with a Bordelaise Sauce &
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach, Cream Cheese & Mushroom Duxelle
Topped with Creamy PestoTruffle Mashed Potatoes
Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
Garnished Plate with Fresh Herbs
Assorted Warm Rolls & ButterVegetarian Entrée
Portobello Mushroom Stack
Stack of Marinated & Grilled Peppers, Zucchini, Eggplant, Yellow Squash & Portobello Mushroom. Drizzled with Balsamic reduction & placed in a Pool of Herbed Marinara SauceDessert
(Served alternating dessert, every other guest - you may fight over your choice!!)Chocolate Mousse Tort
Rich Chocolate Torte filled with Chocolate Mousse- OR-
Lemon Roulade with Raspberry Sauce
Sponge Cake Studded filled with Tart Lemon Filling & Finished with Powdered SugarFreshly Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee and Assorted Hot Teas
Thursday, 13 January, 10:00am-12:00noon , Pacific 6/7
Thursday, 13 January, 1:00-2:00pm, Pacific Salon 2/3
The detailed design and initial development of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is well underway. In particular, ESA has chosen EADS/Astrium Germany for the development of the Near Infrared Spectrograph and the GSFC micro-shutter array for that instrument has successfully passed several critical milestones. The JWST Science Working Group will present the project status, the major technical challenges facing the observatory and JWST's scientific opportunities. We will allot ample time for addressing questions and comments. For more JWST information, visit our display booth and website, http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/Organized by Peter Stockman : stockman@stsci.edu
Thursday, 13 January, 1:00-2:00pm, California
The Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) will host a session focusing on “The Pasadena Recommendations to Promote Equity in Astronomy.” This session aims to educate AAS members about the recommendations and to begin to devise ways to implement them. We will start with a report on the outcome of presenting the recommendations to the January 2005 AAS Council meeting. This will be followed by a panel of invited speakers representing the different types of institutions (research universities, observatories, government labs, small colleges, etc.) discussing ideas for promoting and implementing the recommendations. The floor will then be opened to comments and suggestions by the audience.Organized by Patricia Knezek, Chair, CSWA: knezek@noao.edu