SESSIONS AND EVENTS 

Additional Sessions will be added based on abstract submissions. 

Saturday, 7 January 2006 

Modeling the Universe Educator's Workshop

Saturday, January 7, 2005, 9:00am – 3:00pm
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 Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. Act fast as seating is limited. To sign up visit: http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/workshops/schedule.html#jan. There is a $25.00 deposit to reserve your spot, and it will be returned to you at the completion of the workshop.

The NASA Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) Teaching Excellence in Introductory Astronomy Workshop 

Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 January
Organized by Gina Brissenden, gbrissenden@as.arizona.edu 

This two-day, interactive teaching excellence workshop focuses on dilemmas college astronomy instructors face and develops practical solutions for troubling issues in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. After reviewing the latest research about how students learn, participants will 1) define and set measurable learning goals and objectives for students in their astronomy courses, 2) learn how to create productive learning environments by using interactive lectures, peer instruction, engaging demonstrations, collaborative groups, and tutorials and 3) also learn how to write more effective multiple-choice tests and implement authentic assessment strategies including portfolio assessment, performance tasks, and concept maps. 

PRESENTERS: 

Lead presenters, Ed Prather and Tim Slater, are astronomers in the Conceptual Astronomy and Physics Education Research (CAPER) Team at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory. 

COSTS: 

Participants are responsible for their own travel and lodging expenses. There are no registration or materials fees and you do not need to be a member of the AAS to attend the workshop. 

PREREGISTRATION: 

Pre-registration is required, however. You can register online at http://astronomy101.jpl.nasa.gov/workshops. It is highly recommended that you attend BOTH days of the workshop. 

Sponsored by the NASA Navigator Public Engagement Program, with additional support from the Spitzer EPO program and the American Astronomical Society. 

Sunday, 8 January 2006 

Historical Astronomy Division 

Sunday-Monday, 8-9 January
HAD is planning two sessions of contributed papers on Sunday afternoon. On Monday there will be the HAD business meeting, the Doggett Prize Lecture and two sessions of contributed papers.

Astro 101 

Sunday, 8 January, 2:30-5:30pm
Organized by: Susana Deustua (deustua@aas.org), Jake Noel-Storr (jnoelstorr@as.arizona.edu)

Astronomy 101 is a popular elective amongst undergraduates of all backgrounds, as is demonstrated by the attendance of 250,000 students across the country in introductory astronomy courses. This session, offered at every meeting, is equally popular with their instructors.

Discussions are wide ranging with specific topics selected for each session, but they always focus on What makes science/astronomy difficult for students? How do we, as instructors, adapt our specialized knowledge so that our students learn astronomy and enjoy doing so. Join us for an interactive discussion.

Career Workshop 

Sunday, 8 January, 9:00am-12:00pm, 1:00-4:00pm 

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 and may be paid with your meeting registration. 

Undergraduate Orientation 

Sunday, 8 January, 6:00-7:00pm 

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. 

Opening Reception 

Sunday, 8 January, 7:00-10:00pm 

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, 9 January 2006 

Job Center

Monday-Thursday, 9-12 January 

Cyber Café 

Monday-Thursday, 9-12 January 

The Cyber Café, sponsored by Apple, will run Monday through Thursday, opening at the beginning of the morning coffee break and closing after the evening poster sessions. In addition to computers, there will be about ten open lines for your laptops. There will be an open area with wireless connectivity. Please be advised that users need to bring their own wireless cards and review the connection process with their system administrators. In order to provide continuous network connectivity to all of our attendees and exhibitors, we will ask you to adhere to the following rules. 

Gadget and Gizmos 

Monday-Thursday, 9-12 January
Organized by Susana Deustua, deustua@aas.org. 

Gadgets and Gizmos was a very popular session at the San Diego meeting and will be repeated in Washington. 

If you’re interested in sharing the gadgets and gizmos you’ve developed, adapted and used, whether you’re new to teaching or an old hand, this session is for you. Suitable demonstrations would include interactive web tools (applets, immersive experiences, touch screens), instructional software, remote observing tools, audience response systems (or “clickers”), wireless delivery of content to handheld devices or web phones and real gadgets and gizmos. Only non-commercial educational presentations are appropriate for this forum. Presenters will be able to distribute printed materials and/or CD and DVDs but will not be allowed to conduct sales. 

For the Washington DC meeting, space near the main exhibit area will be open throughout the week to give everyone the opportunity for a hands-on experience. If you are interested in using this forum, or have questions about the suitability of an idea or technology, please email gg@aas.org. If you want to be a presenter, send a statement of intent and a brief description of your demonstration to the same email address by 15 October 2005. Please note in your email any specific display, space, electrical and connectivity requirements as well as times you would be present. We do ask that your demonstrations be as stand alone as possible – during peak usage times internet access at the convention center can be limited. 

Registration 

A simple form is at http://members.aas.org/education/gadgets/gadgetregform.cfm, that you can email or fax in. Bear in mind that space is limited, so submit your request as soon as possible before the deadline. 

Opening Remarks 

Monday, 9 January, 8:15-8:30am 

Russell Prize Lecture 

Monday, 9 January, 8:30-9:20am
James Gunn, Princeton University 

Extreme Physics from Compact Objects 

Monday, 9 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Martin Elvis, elvis@cfa.harvard.edu and M. Coleman Miller 

Neutron stars and black holes in compact X-ray binaries send us strong signals from places with extreme conditions of gravity, density and magnetic field. These make them good tools to explore the limits of physical theory. 

Speakers in this session will address the tests of general relativity and quantum theory that are possible using compact objects and will present concepts for missions that begin to execute these tests on a reasonable timescale. 

Speakers 

Chair: M. Cole Miller (U.MD, College Park)
Extreme Magnetic Fields and Magnetars: Roger Blandford (Stanford)
Extreme Densities in Neutron Stars: Jim Lattimer (SUNY, Stony Brook)
Extreme Gravity near Black Holes & Neutron Stars: Chris Reynolds(U.MD)
Mission Concept #1: Chryssa Kouveliotou (NASA, MSFC)
Mission Concept #2: Martin Elvis (CfA)

Ground Based Optical Interferometry 

Monday, 9 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Deane Peterson, dpeterson@astro.sunysb.edu, Steve Ridgway and Wes Traub 

Over the past two decades several groups in the US and overseas have been building second generation optical and near IR interferometeric arrays. These arrays are now coming on line, demonstrating finally that the atmosphere does allow the practice of long baseline interferometry at these wavelengths. Making "routine" high angular resolution optical observations from the ground is becoming a reality. Already the first wave of significant scientific results are being accepted by the journals and we wish to call the community's attention to them and to the availability of these new tools. 

Further, it is time to begin planning for the next generation instruments. The facilities currently being commissioned have proved to be challenging on all levels and there is concern that the next generation will overwhelm the capabilities and budgets of the individual groups. However, the next decadal review is only 5 years away, only 2 years to the beginning of the review process. Now is the time for the community to begin to consider the role that optical interferometry will play in the 2010s. We will open that public discussion at this session. 

In addition to the formal session of invited presentations (tentative program below) we hope to have a contributed session and strongly encourage contributed presentations, both oral and poster. 

Program 

Review of Ground Based Optical Interferometry Results (15 min): Tom Armstrong (NRL) 

Invited Speakers (10 min each):
Rotation in Early Type Stars: Gerard Van Belle (Michelson Sci Center)
Asymptotic Giant Branch Evolution: John Monnier (Michigan)
Active Galactic Nuclei: Mark Swain (JPL/Grenoble)
Be Stars: Christopher Tycner (USNOf)
Young Stellar Objects: Rachel Akeson (Michelson Sci Center)
Optical/IR Interferometry in the Antarctic: James Lloyd (Cornell) 

The Future of Ground Based Optical Interferometry (15 min): Steve Ridgway (NOAO/NASA) 

The Herschel Far-Infrared/Submillimeter Astronomy Mission 

Monday, 9 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Martin Harwit, harwit@verizon.net and William Latter, edulatter@ipac.caltech.edu. 

The Herschel space observatory, a cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), with a Principal-Investigator-provided science payload, and contributions from NASA, is designed to explore the far-infrared and submillimeter spectral range with a powerful set of astronomical instruments built by multinational consortia of scientists and engineers. It will house a 3.5-meter passively cooled telescope and three liquid-helium-cooled instruments operating in the wavelength range from 60 to 650 micrometers. 

Herschel is expected to be launched late in 2007. ESA will solicit proposals for large observing programs for Herschel, called Key Projects, in the course of 2006. The purpose of this session is to inform American astronomers about observing opportunities offered by Herschel and to help interested American astronomers prepare proposals for Herschel Key Projects. 

The session will include: 

An introductory talk by the Project Scientist, Goran Pilbratt of the European Space Research and Technology Center, ESTEC, on the structure and capabilities of the Herschel payload; plans for this mission, whose 3-to-5 year life expectancy is dictated by the endurance of its liquid helium coolant; and opportunities open to the U.S. astronomical community offered by the 65% of Herschel’s observing time that will be awarded to competitively submitted proposals. 

A brief introduction by George Helou, Director of IPAC on the support that the NASA Herschel Science Center (NHSC) at IPAC will provide to US astronomers in submitting proposals for observing time on the Herschel mission and in the support of successful proposals, with proposal preparing tools, grants to support successful proposals, and information on data reduction procedures. 

Albrecht Poglitsch of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, Principal Investigator on the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) will describe the scientific capabilities of PACS, which is both a camera and an image-slicing spectrometer capable of spectroscopy in the 60 to 210 micron regime with a spectral resolution of ~ 200 km/s, corresponding to a spectral resolving power R ~ 1500. 

Matt Griffin of the University of Cardiff in Wales is Principal Investigator of the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), which will operate in the 200 to 650 micron range and map large areas of the sky. It will also carry out low resolution Fourier transform spectroscopy at 520 microns. Many of the PACS and SPIRE programs will complement each other and will be planned jointly. 

Thijs De Graauw of the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands (SRON) is Principal Investigator on the Heterodyne Instrument for the Far-Infrared (HIFI), which will provide very high spectral resolving power up to R ~ 3 x 10^6 in the frequency band from ~ 480 to 1910 GHz (625 to 158 microns). HIFI is expected to have by far the highest spectral resolving power of any submillimeter mission launched into space. 

Finally, Bill Latter, NHSC Project Scientist and IPAC’s chief delegate to the Herschel project, will present details of how proposals for observing time are to be submitted by US astronomers. He will field questions from the audience and call attention to the availability, at a booth to be manned by IPAC personnel, of the Herschel scientific observation preparing tool (HSPOT) with which attendees will be able to familiarize themselves. 

We welcome posters for an associated poster session on the Herschel Mission. 

 

Astronomical Data from the NVO: Opportunities for Enhancement of Science Education

Tentative for Monday, 9 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Carol Christian, carolc@stsci.edu

This session will be conducted in two parts. First, short descriptions of lessons learned and practical demonstrations on how astronomical data from the National Virtual Observatory can be used in a wide variety of educational venues. The second part will be an open discussion to probe educator's and education developer's support needs from the NVO. In addition, the NVO team would like to collect new ideas and strategies for improving NVO services to the science education community.

HAD Sessions 

 

Invited Talk: 

Monday, 9 January, 11:40am-12:30pm
Nergis Mavalvala, MIT 

ALMA Town Meeting 

Monday, 9 January
Organized by Paul Vanden Bout, pvandenb@nrao.edu, K.Y. Lo, A. Beasley, A Wootten, and J. Hibbard, ANASAC Chair 

The purpose of this Town Meeting is to inform the membership of the status of the ALMA Project. By the time of the AAS meeting in Washington, the ALMA Prototype Interferometer at the VLA site will have produced its first fringes, the production antenna contract will have been let, and construction in Chile will have advanced substantially. Further, the North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) will have begun initial operations in preparation for ALMA Early Science. At this proposed Town Meeting, the progress of ALMA construction and plans for the NAASC and Early Science will be presented, with time allocated for answering questions from the audience. 

IAU 

Monday, 9 January, 1:30-2:30pm
O. Engrold 

Constellation-X 

Monday, 9 January
This one-hour town hall session will update the community on the programmatic and technical advances that have been made recently on the Constellation-X (Con-X) mission. Con-X, with more than 100 times the collecting area of any previous spectroscopic mission operating in the 0.25-40 keV bandpass, will enable high-throughput, high spectral resolution studies of sources ranging from the most luminous accreting supermassive black holes in the Universe to the disks around young stars where planets form. Con-X is one of the two flagship missions within NASA's Beyond Einstein space science program (the other being LISA). This mission was ranked second only to JWST in US National Academy of Sciences McKee-Taylor & Turner Committee reports. For more information, AAS members are encouraged to visit the Con-X website, constellation.gsfc.nasa.gov

The session coordinator is Harvey Tananbaum, Facility Science Team Chair.

Anne Kinney will present the NASA Headquarters perspective on the mission.

Presenting on behalf of the Con-X Project, Facility Science Team, and Facility Science Team Panels will be:

Nicholas White, Project Scientist - Mission Update
Michael Garcia (Science Lead) & Jay Bookbinder (Mission Scientist) - Recent Advances on Optics and Detectors
Ann Hornschemeier (Deputy Project Scientist) & Michael Garcia - Science Case Update

HAD Members Meeting 

Monday, 9 January 

Epoch of Reionization: Observing Cosmic HI at 21cm 

Monday, 9 January, 2:30-4:00pm
Organized by Jacqueline N. Hewitt, jhewitt@space.mit.edu, Lincoln Greenhill and Colin Lonsdale 

This session is dedicated to the emerging frontier of mapping the three-dimensional distribution of cosmic hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization (EOR) via its redshifted 21cm line. This topic promises to provide important insights about the first generation of galaxies in the universe, as well as the global cosmological parameters including the initial conditions of density perturbations that were left over from the big bang. There are currently several low-frequency arrays under construction around the globe (in the Netherlands, Australia and China) with the the goal of achieving the sensitivity required for a first detection of the signal predicted by theory over the next few years. The situation resembles the field of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) at its early stages. If detected, the redshifted 21cm fluctuations would provide a much richer data set than the CMB because they continue down to smaller angular scales and are in three rather than two dimensions. 

The 21cm line is in principle detectable through a broad range of redshifts, from z=6 to at least z=20 and possibly up to 100. The planned observations will yield unique information about the matter density structure, the hydrogen spin temperature distribution, and the neutral fraction variations. All this information will be available as a function of redshift, and will include both cosmological and astrophysical signatures, yielding an extraordinarily rich data set. Important new constraints will be placed on the process of structure formation, and the first luminous sources (be they star clusters or accreting black holes) in the universe will be identified and characterized. The observations will be the central component of a multi-pronged and complementary observational assault on the "dark ages" beyond z=6. 

The time is therefore ripe to summarize the state of this rapidly developing subfield of observational cosmology. A general theory presentation will address the question of why we need to pursue this research and how it fits in with modern cosmology in a broad sense, while the general instrumentation presentation will explain how it will be done, exploiting digital signal processing techniques that are only now becoming affordable. Each of the three major instruments under development will then be described, with status updates and projected timelines. Work on a number of smaller, more targeted experiments will be reviewed. 

We also solicit posters from the community for a poster session to be held in conjunction with this session. 

Highlights and Discoveries from INTEGRAL 

Monday, 9 January, 2:30-4:00pm
Organized by Chris Shrader, chris.r.shrader@gsfc.nasa.gov and B. Teegarden 

The INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), launched by ESA in October 2002, is providing new insights into a wide variety of astrophysical topics. INTEGRAL carries an instrument suite which, collectively, offers a 10-fold improvement in spatial and spectral resolution in the hard-X-ray to soft gamma-ray spectral domain. It is also unique in its broad-band spectral coverage, spanning optical to MeV gamma-rays. The Galactic plane has been mapped with unprecedented detail at energies above 20 keV leading, for example, to a resolution of a long standing problem of the origin of the high-energy component of the ”Galactic ridge” continuum emission. A heretofore “hidden” X-ray binary population has been revealed; followup work indicates apparent concentrations of high-mass binaries near several spiral arm boundaries, potentially impacting quite significantly our understanding of binary star population, and Galactic evolution. The enigmatic Galactic center electron-positron annihilation source has been mapped with unprecedented sensitivity, spatial and spectral resolution. Diffuse Galactic emission from radioactive nuclei have been measured with higher spectral resolution than previously possible, and a wide variety of transient phenomena - SGRs, gamma-ray bursts, and X-ray nova - have been extensively studied. The oral session will consist of invited speakers on each of these topics, and contributions to a poster session are solicited. 

We plan 7 talks, including a 5+4 minute introduction and overview, followed by 6 10+4 minute topical talks. The speakers and topics are all confirmed, but the titles are presently generic. 

5+4 Overview and Status of the INTEGRAL Mission C. Shrader, NASA/GSFC 
10+4 Gamma-Ray Line Studies and Nucleosythesis M. Leising, Clemson Univ 
10+4 Galactic Center Electron-Positron Annihilation Source B. Teegarden, NASA/GSFC 
10+4 INTEGRAL Studies of Active Galactic Nuclei V. Beckmann, NASA/GSFC 
10+4 INTEGRAL Observations of Centaurus A R. Rothschild, UCSD 
10+4 X-Ray Binary Studies with INTEGRAL J. Tomsick, UCSD 
10+4 New Results on SGRs and GRBs with INTEGRAL K. Hurley, UC Berkeley 

NASA Strategic Planning and Space Astronomy 

Monday, 9 January, 2:30-4:00pm
Organized by Harley Thronson, harley.a.thronson@nasa.gov, Dan Lester and Andrea Schweizer 

For the past half-year, NASA and its Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has been engaged in several long-range planning activities, including science priorities and justification, major missions, options and alternate pathways, and a technology investment strategy to achieve SMD goals in astronomy. These studies will be completed over the summer, 2005, and are expected to be ready for presentation and discussion with the general astronomical community at the AAS meeting. The session will consist of a five-person panel discusssion, approximately 15-minute presentations from each individual, followed by questions and answers with the audience. Hard copy materials from the SMD planning activities are expected to be available for the attendees. 

Speakers 

Harley Thronson - NASA Technology Priorities in Space Astronomy
Eric Smith - The NASA Science Mission Directorate's Planning and the Search for Earth-like Worlds
Michael Salamon - The NASA Science Mission Directorate's Planning and the Early Universe
Paul Hertz - The NASA Science Mission Directorate's Science Program
Marc Allen - NASA Strategic Planning and Space Astronomy 

Cool Astronomy 

Monday, 9 January
Organized by Susana Deustua, deustua@aas.org. 

This special session highlights topics that are interesting and exciting, with appeal to a broad audience. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for non-experts to hear about stimulating topics in astronomy research and astronomy education from the people actively involved in them. The session is modeled as an informal colloquium talk, with an opportunity to interact with the speakers, and other astronomers, afterwards. Coffee and cookies are sponsored by the AAS Education Office.

This Cool Astronomy session consists of two 45 minute talks: one on a science topic and the other on an education topic. Instructors and science faculty in the greater Washington, D.C. area, who might not have specific training in astronomy yet still find themselves covering astronomical topics in their physical or earth science courses, are especially invited to attend the Meeting on Monday, 9 January 2006.

Invited Talk: 

Monday, 9 January, 4:10-5:00pm
Sarbani Basu, Yale University 

Invited Talk: 

Monday 9 January, 5:00-5:50pm
Sally Oey, University of Michigan 

NASA's Planet Finding Missions 

Monday, 9 January,  6:00 - 8:00pm
Organized by Steve Unwin, stephen.unwin@jpl.nasa.gov 

The President's vision for space exploration calls for NASA to "conduct advanced telescope searches for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars." The primary missions in these searches are SIM PlanetQuest, and the Terrestrial Planet Finder Missions (TPF-C and TPF-I). Other observatories also play important roles in developing the field of extrasolar planet exploration: e.g. Kepler, Spitzer Space Telescope, JWST, the Keck and LBT Interferometers, and others.

In this session, we will have invited talks which will focus on recent science results and show how the various techniques and instruments all have important roles in advancing our understanding in this rich field of research. There will be a brief update on NASA's overall planet-finding program. We will also have updates on the technical and development status of these major missions.

Prior to the session, we expect to provide light refreshments for attendees; look for a flyer describing the session near the registration desk. There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions on NASA's planet-finding missions and related research opportunities. Information on SIM, TPF, and the Keck and LBT Interferometers is available at the following URL: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov 

Tuesday, 10 January 2006 

Invited Talk: 

Tuesday, 10 January, 8:30-9:20am
James W. Cronin, NSF and University of Chicago 

Science with the Submillimeter Array 

Tuesday, 10 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by David Wilner, dwilner@cfa.harvard.edu, James Moran, Paul Ho and Sun Kwok 

The Submillimeter Array (SMA) was built near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) and dedicated in late 2003. The SMA is the first telescope for subarcsecond resolution imaging observations at submillimeter wavelengths, operating in atmospheric windows between 1.4 to 0.4 millimeters. Research areas include Solar System objects, protostars, disks around young stars, evolved stars, nearby galaxies, starbursts, and dusty galaxies at cosmological distances. The SMA is providing unique pathfinder observations for the international Atacama Large Millimeter Array now under construction in Chile. A fraction of the SMA observing time is made available to the worldwide astronomical community on a competative basis, with two proposal deadlines each year. This special session will consist of a series of talks that describe the capabilities of the SMA and will present scientific highlights from the first two years of SMA operation. 

Speakers 

James Moran - Introduction to the SMA
Mark Gurwell - Solar System
Jonathan Williams - Protoplanetary Disks
Jes Jorgensen - Low Mass Protostars
Elizabeth Humphreys - Submillimeter Masers
Dinh-V. Trung - Evolved Stars
Dan Marrone - Galactic Center (SgrA*)
Daisuke Iono - Ultraluminous Galaxies 

The COSMOS Survey 

Tuesday, 10 January, 10:00-11:30am 

Organized by Chris Impey, cimpey@as.arizona.edu and Nick Scoville 

COSMOS is the largest imaging survey ever carried out with the HST, covering two square degrees of an equatorial region of sky. Compared with other deep fields, it is the only one large enough to encompass the largest known cosmic structures out to redshifts of one or two. The field has outstanding coverage across the electromagnetic spectrum, including deep VLA data, millimeter imaging, recently awarded time on Spitzer, near infrared, optical photometry down to AB magnitude 26 from Subaru and CFHT, GALEX imaging, and full coverage with XMM. A large project with the VLT will yield 45,000 redshifts over the next 2 to 3 years, and Magallan is being used for spectroscopy of the AGN populations. The HST data, and eventually other datasets, will be maintained in a public archive at IPAC. First scientific results will be presented to give a sense of the wide range of extragalactic and cosmology projects that can be tackled with this rich dataset. 

Speakers 

Nick Scoville - COSMOS
Simon Lilly - The z COSMOS Redshift Survey
Jason Rhodes - Dark Matter Maps with COSMOS
Eva Schinnerer - Radio Sources in the COSMOS Field
Anton Koekmoer - High Redshift AGN in COSMOS
Chris Carilli - VLA MAMBO and OIR COSMOS Imaging
Guenther Hasinger -S The XMM Newton COSMOS Survey
Peter Capak - Morphology Evolution in COSMOS
Patrick Shopbell - The COSMOS Archive 

Radio Astronomy Legacy Sky Surveys with the Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) 

Tuesday, 10 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Robert L. Brown, rbrown@astro.cornell.edu and Snezana Stanimirovic, sstanimi@astro.berkeley.edu 

Three large-area, radio astronomical, sky surveys are underway at the Arecibo Observatory using the new ALFA multibeam array receiver on the 305-m diameter Arecibo telescope. The three surveys are organized as community-led research consortia involved in producing comprehensive, unbiased, censuses of (1) the HI content of galaxies, visible and dark, to z ~0.2; (2) the pulsar population in the Galaxy; and (3) properties of the neutral and magnetoionic Galactic interstellar medium, including Galactic non-thermal radio emission. These consortia, known as E-ALFA, P-ALFA and G-ALFA respectively, each involve the efforts of more than 50 contributing researchers and students. 

The goals of this special session are the following: to inform the community of the objectives of each of the ALFA surveys; to provide an assessment of the progress made on the observational program of each survey, including highlights of discoveries made to date and future observing plans; and to discuss the survey data archives and community access to survey data. The preliminary agenda for this session is as follows: 

1. “Scientific Organization of the ALFA Legacy Surveys”….R. Brown 

2. The Extragalactic ALFA Surveys
a. “AGES, AUDS, ALFALFA, ZOA—Surveying the Extragalactic Sky from A to Z”….Robert Minchin
b. “ALFALFA: HI in Galaxies Bright and Dark”….R. Giovanelli 

3. The Pulsar ALFA Survey
a. “One Thousand New Pulsars”….F. Camilo
b. “Pulsars as Laboratory Instruments for Extreme Physics”…P. Freire 

4. The Galactic ALFA Surveys
a. “Probing the Physics of the ISM with HI Surveys”….S. Stanimirovic
b. “Imaging the Thermal and Non-thermal ISM”….S. Gibson 

5. Discussion: “ALFA Surveys as a Complement to Surveys at Other Wavelengths”…..M. Haynes 

6. Poster papers: Posters from the community on ALFA science and related technical issues will be displayed. 

Planets in Binary Star Systems 

Tuesday, 10 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Nader Haghighipour, nader@ifa.hawaii.edu, Alan Boss, boss@dtm.ciw.edu and Steve Kortenkamp, kortenka@psi.edu. 

The discovery of extrasolar planets during the past decacde has not only changed our views of planetary systems, it has also confronted us with many fundamental questions. While the current theories of planet formation explain the formation of planets around single stars, approximately 20% of extrasolar planet-hosting stars are members of binaries or multistar systems. The concept of a "world with two suns" is no longer a myth, and is
now among major scientific mysteries that seek theoretical explanations. The goal of this session is to present the current state of planets in binary star systems and discuss its associated theoretical and observational challenges. The session includes invited talks by observers and theorists, and will cover the following subjects.

Circumstellar/Circumbinary disks as the birth place of planets (Alycia Weinberger)
Radial Velocity Search for Extrasolar Planets in Binary and Multiple Stellar Systems (Maciej Konacki)
Dynamics of a planet-forming nebula in the presence of a stellar companion (Alan Boss)
Planet formation in/around binary star systems (Jack Lissauer)
Integrating planetary orbits (John Chambers)
Habitability in dual-star sytems (Nader Haghighipour)

Contributed papers are accepted for two or three short talks. There will also be an associated poster session. Poster talks are strongly recommended.

Invited Talk: 

Tuesday, 10 January, 11:40am-12:30pm
Michael Griffin, NASA Administrator 

Expended Very Large Array (EVLA) Town Meeting 

Tuesday, 10 January, 1:00-2:00pm
Organized by Mark T. Adams, mtadams@nrao.edu 

The purpose of this Town Meeting is to inform the AAS membership of the status of the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) Project. By the time of the Washington D.C. AAS meeting, the EVLA will have completed outfitting five antennas in the 27-telescope array, and installation will have begun of the new wide-band L (1-2 GHz) and C (4-8 GHz) receivers. The Canadian partners will have made considerable progress on the EVLA correlator. An on-the-sky test of the prototype correlator will take place in early 2007. At this proposed Town Meeting, NRAO and DRAO personnel will make brief presentations regarding: (a) the exciting science opportunities enabled by the EVLA; (b) an overview of the project and construction progress; and (c) the correlator. At least half of the hour-long Town Meeting will be allocated for answering questions from the audience. 

Session Chair 

James Ulvestad (Director, NRAO New Mexico Operations) 

Agenda/Speakers 

EVLA Overview, Progress, and Future - R. Perley (EVLA Project Scientist)
Science Opportunities - D. Frail (NRAO)
Correlator - P. Dewdney (DRAO)Audience Questions 

NASA Town Meeting 

Tuesday, 10 January, 1:00-2:00pm 
Senior representatives from NASA's Science Mission Directorate will discuss NASA’s science program and outlook. Topics will include the status and highlights of operating missions, progress of missions in development, and anticipated opportunities in 2006 for both non-flight basic research awards (grants) and flight mission investigations.

From Here to Eternity: The Spitzer Legacy Programs 

Tuesday, 10 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Gordon K. Squires, squires@ipac.caltech.edu 

The Spitzer Space Telescope launched in August 2003. A total of 3160 hours of Spitzer observing time, primarily in the first year of the mission, was dedicated towards six large "Legacy" programs, with the goal of creating a substantial and coherent database of archived observations that can be used by subsequent Spitzer researchers, including General Observers. Observations are mostly complete. Each Legacy Science project also develops post-pipeline data products and analysis tools that are regularly delivered to the Spitzer Science Center for wider dissemination to the community. The Spitzer Legacy programs encompass the full-range of science topics accessible to Spitzer, from star and planet formation, to the structure of the Galaxy, a census of nearby galaxies, and both a wide-area and a deep study of the extragalactic sky. 

This session of invited talks will give a highlight of the Legacy science program, an update from each Legacy team on the latest discoveries, and an overview of resources available to the community. Contributed papers on any topic associated with the Spitzer Legacy science program are welcomed for the associated poster session. 

Confirmed oral presentations: 

1. The Spitzer Legacy Science Program Gordon K. Squires (Spitzer Science Center, Caltech) 10min + 5min Q and A

2. From Cores to Planets: the Spitzer C2D and FEPS Legacy programs Neal Evans (Univ. of Texas, Austin) and Dana Backman (SOFIA/SETI Institute) 20min + 5 min Q and A

3. Galaxies, Here and Near: the Spitzer GLIMPSE and SINGS Legacy programs B. Whitney (Space Science Institute) and R. Kennicutt (Steward
Observatory) 20min + 5 min Q and A

4. The Universe Deep and Wide: the Spitzer SWIRE and GOODS Legacy programs (Carol Lonsdale (IPAC, Caltech) and Mark Dickinson (NOAO) 20min
+ 5 min Q and A

Poster session(s): 

Contributed poster papers are welcome. One or two (which would run concurrently) associated poster sessions will be organized. Depending on the number of abstracts, posters will either be in one session or split by "Spitzer Galactic Legacy Science" and "Spitzer Extragalactic Legacy Science." 

Seeing the Universe in a New (Sodium) Light: Early Science Results from Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics 

Tuesday, 10 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Michael Liu, mliu@ifa.hawaii.edu, Claire Max, Shri Kulkarni, Fred Chaffee and Peter Wizinowich 

This session will highlight the early science results from the new laser guide star adaptive optics (LGS AO) systems on large ground-based telescopes. 

LGS AO provides a powerful new instrumental capability for high angular resolution science from ground-based telescopes. Unlike natural guide star AO systems, which are restricted to observations around bright stars, LGS AO opens up most of the sky to diffraction-limited imaging and spectroscopy at infrared wavelengths. The Keck II Telescope is the first 8-10-meter class telescope with LGS AO and achieves images as good as 0.05" FWHM in the infrared, 3-4 times better than Hubble Space Telescope at similar wavelengths. In the near-future, LGS AO will be deployed on all large ground-based telescopes and will provide an enduring platform for high angular resolution science. LGS AO is also a key component in designs of next-generation extremely large telescopes. 

The goal of this session is to share the first wave of LGS AO science results with the general astronomical community. Given the upcoming deployment of LGS AO on other large telescopes, these early results will also help to inform the community about this new capability. 

All talks will be contributed, 15-20 minutes in duration, and chosen to span a range of science areas. There will be an invited introductory leadoff talk for the general astronomical audience. We will have an accompanying poster session. 

Early Results from Swift: The Gamma Ray Burst Bonaza 

Tuesday, 10 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Neil Gehrels, gehrels@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov and John Nousek 

The launch of the Swift mission in November 2004 has ushered in a new era in gamma-ray burst (GRB) astronomy. GRBs are the most powerful explosions in the universe and thought to be the signature of black hole birth. Swift is detecting a burst every few days with follow-up observations performed in the X-ray and UV/optical within minutes by on-board telescopes. Arcsecond positions are immediately distributed to the astronomical community and dozens of telescopes slew to observe the afterglow. The results from the first months of operation include: The first localizations of the mysterious "short" bursts indicate that they are born in a fiery merger of neutron star binary stars. Discoveries of giant X-ray and optical flares in the afterglow are giving a new view of the black hole central engine. Bursts are being observed at high redshift (z>4) and may provide a unique tool for studying the early universe. Prominent researchers in GRB astronomy will present the new discoveries and their implications. Opportunities for participating in GRB follow-up observations and in Swift science through the Guest Investigator program will be described. 

Chair: John Nousek

Swift Discoveries Neil Gehrels
High Redshift GRBs Dan Reichart
GRBs from Mergers Stephan Rosswog
Early Afterglows Dave Burrows
Future Prospects Shri Kulkarni

Invited Talk: 

Tuesday, 10 January, 3:40-4:30pm
Wendy Freedman, Carnegie Observatories 

Invited Talk: 

Tuesday, 10 January, 4:30-5:20pm
Andrew Blain, Caltech 

Graduate Student – Employer Networking 

Tuesday, 10 January, 7:00-8:00pm 

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, 11 January 2006 

Invited Talk: 

Wednesday, 11 January, 8:30-9:20am
Michael S. Turner, University of Chicago 

The HST Survey of the Orion Nebula Cluster 

Wednesday, 11 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Massimo Robbert, robberto@stsci.edu, D. R. Soderblom, C. R. O'Dell, L. A. Hillenbrand, N. Panagia and S. V. W. Beckwith 

The HST Treasury Program aimed to survey the Orion Nebula Cluster, completed in May 2005, represents the single largest investment of HST time (104 orbits) ever dedicated to star formation. The survey has imaged ~1/6 of a square degree, nearly centered on the Trapezium stars, with ACS, WFPC2 and NIC3 in parallel. This cornerstone field has been mapped with unprecedented sensitivity (23-24 mag), dynamic range, spatial resolution, and spectral coverage (9 filters from U to H). The spectacular HST images provide the richest, most accurate and unbiased dataset of stellar photometry for pre-main-sequence objects ever made. Combined with optical and infrared spectroscopy from the ground and with the data taken by Chandra (COUP) and SPITZER, the survey allows to attack key questions on Star Formation: PMS evolution and the calibration of pre-main-sequence evolutionary tracks, the shape and variations of the initial mass function in different environments, the mass accretion rates vs. age and environment, disk evolution and dissipation in environments dominated by hard vs. soft-UV radiation, stellar multiplicity vs. disk fraction, planetary mass companions. The speakers, all part of the core science team, will present to the community the early scientific results of the program. 

Galactic Astronomy in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey 

Wednesday, 11 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by Michael A. Strauss, strauss@astro.princeton.edu 

The SDSS is entering a new operating phase, in which a substantial fraction of its observing time over the next three years is dedicated to an imaging and spectroscopic study of Galactic structure, in particular of the halo. Massive surveys, including the SDSS and 2MASS, are revolutionizing our understanding of the Milky Way; studies of the spatial distribution, kinematics, and metallicities of stars are yielding new insights into the merging and star formation history of our Galaxy. This subject is the major driver for several upcoming large missions, including GAIA and SIM. By January 2006, SDSS will have made available its Fourth Data Release, including over 6600 square degrees of imaging data and over 670,000 spectra, and the general community is already carrying out extensive analyses on our previous data releases. 

Confirmed Speakers 

Connie Rockosi (UC Santa Cruz) - The Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE)
Heidi Newberg (Rensselaer) - The shape of the Milky Way's Stellar Spheroid
Brian Yanny (Fermilab) - SEGUE and high-latitude structure in the Milky Way Halo
Tim Beers (Michigan State) - Low-metallicity stars in SEGUE spectroscopy
Sebastien Lepine (AMNH) - High proper motion stars in SDSS and the local neighborhood
Douglas Tucker (Fermilab) - SOCS -- The SEGUE Open Cluster Survey 

Contributed poster are welcome. 

Views of the Magellanic Clouds Across Wavelengths 

Wednesday, 11 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by R. Chris Smith, csmith@ctio.noao.edu, You-Hua Chu, John Dickel and Sean Points 

The interstellar medium (ISM) is no longer thought to be a quiescent distribution of gas, but rather a dynamic and complex interaction of the ambient gas and dust with stellar winds, HII regions, planetary nebulae (PNe), supernovae (SNe), supernova remnants (SNRs), superbubbles, and gigantic supershells. The relative proximity, known distances, and low extinction make the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds the ideal laboratories in which to study the ISM, its constituents, its energetics, and its interaction with the underlying stellar populations. Over the past few years, surveys at a variety of wavelengths have been undertaken and several completed which provide a major step forward in the information available to pursue these studies. These include the MC Photometric Survey (Zaritsky et al.), the HI surveys of the Magellanic Clouds (Stanmirovic et al.), continuum radio surveys (Dickel et al.), the Magellanic Cloud Emission-Line Survey (Smith et al.), large scale X-ray surveys with ROSAT (Chu et al., Snowden et al.). New facilities have also been brought to bear on the Magellanic Clouds, including recent surveys with Spitzer (e.g., Bolatto et al.). The proposed session will provide an overview of all of these resources, covering from radio to X-ray wavelengths, and the science that has been done and can be done with these datasets. This will not only highlight the work being done, but also encourage others interested in the study of the interstellar medium and interactions with stellar populations to take advantage of these resources for new and exciting science. 

One or more associated poster session will be scheduled. 

Invited Talk: 

Wednesday, 11 January, 11:40am-12:30pm
Carl E. Wieman, University of Colorado 

NSF Town Meeting 

Wednesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm 

JWST 

Wednesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm 

CSWA 

Wednesday, 11 January, 1:00-2:00pm 

The CSWA will be holding a session on the progress of women in astronomy and physics worldwide. Laura Kay (Barnard College) and Rachel Ivie (AIP) will report on the Second IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from May 23-26, 2005, as part of the World Year of Physics: WYP2005. This second conference was dual themed: (1) Women in Physics: Advancing Participation, and (2) Sharing Research Contributions.

In addition, Rachel Ivie (AIP) will present a summary of the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics report "Women in Physics and Astronomy, 2005" released in February 2005. Dr. Ivie was the author of the report, which concluded that women are not under-represented on physics and astronomy faculties, as is usually assumed.

There will be time for discussion after the presentations.

Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) 

Wednesday, 11 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Dana Backman, dbackman@mail.arc.nasa.gov 

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) is a 2.5-meter telescope installed in a Boeing 747-SP aircraft that is scheduled to have its first engineering test flights in 2006, to be followed by scientific commissioning of the observatory and science instruments and regular science operations. 

SOFIA will be the world’s premier far-infrared and sub-millimeter observatory for most of the next 20 years, complementing the Spitzer, Herschel and JWST facilities while spanning their lifetimes. SOFIA will be operated by Universities Space Research Association (USRA) for NASA with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as 20% partner acting through the German SOFIA Institute (DSI) at the University of Stuttgart. 

Topics and Speakers: 

1) Overview of SOFIA’s general capabilities and project status [Alexander Tielens, NASA-Ames SOFIA Program Office] 

2) Overview of the SOFIA Science Program [Eric Becklin, SOFIA/USRA] 

3) First-Light science instruments: capabilities and schedule [Sean Casey, SOFIA/USRA] 

4) Overview of Cycle 0 and Cycle 1 [Bill Vacca and Jackie Davidson, SOFIA/USRA] 

5) US General Investigator program: how to propose; how to plan [Bill Vacca and Goeran Sandell; SOFIA/USRA] 

Astronomy Visualization: The State of the Art 

Wednesday, 11 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Frank Summers, summers@stsci.edu and John Stoke, stoke@stsci.edu 

Scientific visualization is a fast developing field. The rapid developments in computer graphics, though done primarily for movies and video games, has enabled scientific graphics to achieve a level of polish never before seen. Astronomy, being the most visual of the sciences, has benefited more than any other from computer graphics. In addition, the current transition from traditional optical star ball based planetariums to full-dome digital theaters has increased the demand, supply, and quality of astronomical visualizations. 

This special session will bring together the best astronomy visualizations done for research, outreach, and public presentation. Speakers will be invited based on a juried selection of visualizations during the fall of 2005. Join us for a look at the coolest animations, details of how they are made, and the scientific stories that they tell. The goal is to foster communication and collaboration between astronomers and artists to increase the breadth and depth of stunning astronomical visuals available. 

A separate announcement will invite submission of astronomy visualizations for inclusion in this session. In addition, contributed papers on astronomy visualization are encouraged. 

Education and Public Outreach for NASA's Universe 

Wednesday, 11 January, 2:00-3:30pm
Organized by Sarah Silva, sarah@universe.sonoma.edu, Lynn Cominsky and Simon Steele 

This special session will feature a variety of successful E/PO programs, each of which models different strategies for outreach to students, teachers and the general public. The astronomical learning experiences of most people, students and public alike, are usually limited to the solar system -- and perhaps the constellations. All the projects featured in this session have found effective ways to engage audiences in the rich content involved in investigating the structure and evolution of the universe. Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) has become increasingly important for astronomers - both NASA and NSF now require that E/PO be addressed as part of the proposal process. Many astronomers, however, are not familiar with the wide range of activities that can be developed. Presenters will place a special focus on evaluation data, lessons learned, and advice for astronomers wading into the E/PO waters. 

HEAD Sessions 

Wednesday, 11 January 

Heineman Prize Lectures 

Wednesday, 11 January, 3:40-5:20pm
George Efstathiou, Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge
Simoni D. M. White, Max-Planck-Institut fuer Astrophysik 

Rossi Prize Lecture 

Wednesday, 11 January
The Supernova-Gamma Ray Burst Connection by Stan Woosley, University of California, Santa Cruz  

Society Banquet 

Wednesday, 11 January, Cost $55.00

The ticket price includes dinner and entertainment by The Capitol Steps. The Capitol Steps is a troupe of current and former Congressional staffers. They will perform musical satire based on events and personalities in the news, on Capitol Hill and in the Oval Office. Entertainment Only tickets are also being sold ($25).

Menu

French, Multi-Grain Rolls, and New York Flat Breads with Butter and Margarine

Wardman Salad
Mixed Greens Tossed with Fresh Raspberries, Goat Cheese and Walnuts, Sherry Vinaigrette

Chicken Artichoke
Filled with Artichoke Hearts, Spinach, Peppers and Parmesan Cheese. Served over Mushroom Risotto and Sautéed Spinach

Chocolate Ganache Torte
Two Layers of Rich Chocolate Cake soaked in Kahlua and filled with Ganache accompanied by a Raspberry Sauce

Freshly Brewed Gourmet Bean Premium Roast Blend Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, and a Selection of Taylors of Harrogate Teas

Thursday, 12 January 2006 

Warner Prize Lecture 

Thursday, 12 January, 8:30-9:20am
Christopher S. Reynolds, University of Maryland 

From Hot Jupiters to Hot Earths 

Thursday, 12 January, 2:30-4:00pm
Organized by Drake Deming, leo.d.deming@nasa.gov, Sara Seager, seager@dtm.ciw.edu and David Charbonneau, dcharbonneau@cfa.harvard.edu 

Over 150 planets are known around stars other than the sun. Many of these planets orbit quite close to their stars, where they have significant probability (~0.1) of transiting. Already, eight transiting planets are known, and both the number of transiting systems and the scientific yield of their study continue to increase. The transit geometry allows for numerous follow-up studies to characterize the planets. The Spitzer Space Telescope recently exploited the transit phenomenon to make the first detection of photons from extrasolar planets. Moreover, the radial velocity surveys continue to improve their detection sensitivities. Already, several close-in planets of Neptune mass are known, and a close-in massive terrestrial planet has been reported to orbit Gliese 876. The planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope will potentially extend the Spitzer detections of thermal emission down to transiting Neptune mass objects, and perhaps even to a transiting hot E! arth. This special session will focus on the science of close-in planets, especially transiting planets, describing the current and potential results from their study, and placing them in the broader context of planetary systems. Following a brief Introduction, the session will feature six concise review talks: 

Introduction (Drake Deming, NASA's GSFC)
Spitzer observations of transiting hot Jupiters (Lori Allen, Harvard CfA)
New transiting hot Jupiters from the N2K survey (Debra Fischer, San Francisco State Univ.)
Characterizing the atmospheres of hot Jupiters (Sara Seager, Carnegie DTM)
Evolution and global properties of hot Jupiters (Greg Laughlin, UC Santa Cruz)
Models of hot Earths and Super-Earths (Diana Valencia, Harvard)
Characterizing transiting extrasolar planets with JWST (Drake Deming, NASA's GSFC) 

A poster session will be organized to accompany the oral program of this session. 

Recent Discoveries in the Far Ultraviolet 

Thursday, 12 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by B-G Andersson, bg@pha.jhu.edu, George Sonneborn, H. Warren Moos, Jay Holberg, Ken Sembach and Mary Elizabeth Kaiser 

The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite has revealed a heretofore-unexplored universe of hot and cold plasma in stars, the interstellar and intergalactic media, and extragalactic objects. The FUSE spectral region contains line transitions from atomic and molecular species ranging from H2 to Fe XIX, spanning many orders of magnitude in excitation temperature and plasma conditions. The power of the available diagnostics in this spectral range is demonstrated by the scientific results from the mission: the D/H fraction in the local universe, clues to the origin of high velocity clouds, improved understanding of the dynamics of accretion and jets from young stars and the massive winds from hot stars, observations of the re-ionization of He+ at z¡Ö3, etc. While the results to date have shed new light on many questions in astrophysics, many of the FUSE results have in turn lead to new questions being asked. The continued excellent sensitivity of the instrument is leading observers to devise more ambitious observing programs, in terms of number of targets or length of exposure time. The continued importance of FUSE observations is reflected in the large over-subscription seen in the recent proposal cycles. Over 300 refereed papers have, to date, been published based on FUSE observations. However, besides the presentations of the Early Release Observations (ERO) at the 195th AAS meeting in Atlanta, January 2000, no dedicated AAS session has been held on FUSE science. In this special session, we wish to present some of the principal scientific results from the FUSE mission and highlight some of the forefront research problems arising from these results. The session will also serve to stress the ongoing availability and the capabilities of this FUV observatory to potential Guest Observers. We feel that this is a particularly appropriate time for a FUSE Special Session as the initial FUSE programs and results have now been vetted through the community, but at the same time, the mission still provides access to high-resolution FUV spectroscopy for further projects, and new observers. 

The session will consist of six invited talks (10+4 minute) reviewing and updating highlights of the main areas of FUSE science, an introduction and status presentation (8+2 minutes) about the state of the mission. There will also be an associated Poster Session for contributed papers. 

George Sonneborn - Session Introduction and FUSE status
Edward Guinan - The Sun in Time
Edward Jenkins - Abundances and Ionization in the ISM
Alex Fullerton - Hot Stars and Mass Loss
Todd Tripp - O VI and the IGM Baryon Content
Jerry Kriss - The He II Lyman Forest
Warren Moos - The Local D/H Ratio 

Instrumentation and Telescopes for Small College Observatories, Part II 

Thursday, 12 January, 10:00-11:30am
Organized by R. Lee Hawkins, lhawkins@brashear.phys.appstate.edu 

Small telescope-related papers tend to be widely scattered throughout the meeting. This session is an effort to begin to bring together small telescope users to share information. With the inception of the PREST grant program at NSF, which is aimed at small college observatories, this session is even more appropriate. 

Speakers 

R. Lee Hawkins - Introduction for Instrumentation and Telescopes for Small College Observatories Part II
Bryan Penprase - Remote Observing with the Pomona College 1 meter Telescope
Robert Boyle - Astronomy at Dickinson College
Thomas J Balonek - Monitoring Optical Variability of Quasars and Stars at a Small Campus Observatory
Frank Melsheimer - Modern Telescope Performance
Leslie F Brown - Equipment Choices at Connecticut College's Olin Observatory 

Posters for an associated poster session are welcome. 

Invited Talk: 

Thursday, 12 January, 11:40am-12:30pm
Tobias Owen, University of Hawaii