The Universe delivered to your doorstep
What is it?
We are a group of astronomers, astrophysicists, and cosmic enthusiasts
who believe that there are many who would like to share our
enthusiasm, but have not had the opportunity. The IYA/Las
Cumbres/CSMA speakers bureau is meant to provide opportunities,
especially during this
International Year of Astronomy (IYA).
.
We have a list of people who are experts in astronomy, cosmology,
space science, and even general relativity who are happy to visit
places where there is interest in astronomy (etc) but where there is
not much access to professional astronomers. They can give formal
talks (for the public or just for your people), meet with students and
faculty in classes, at pizza lunches, and so forth. The details are
flexible and arranged to suit each host/speaker pair.
Who is it?
The committee overseeing the program has members from the
American Astronomical Society ,
(including its
Committee on the Status of Minorities
in Astronomy (CSMA) ), and the
the American Physical Society, including its
Division of Astrophysics
, its
Forum on the History of Physics
,
and its
Topical Group on Gravitation and General Relativity
. Day-to-day operation is in the hands of staff and faculty of
the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Center for Gravitational
Wave Astronomy of the University of Texas at Brownsville, with management
and policy decisions made jointly with members of
the
Department of Physics & Astronomy of the University of California Irvine
and the CSMA.
What is the intended audience?
The primary goal of the speakers program is to make contact with
4-year colleges, especially ones with large minority enrollments,
where astronomy is not now well represented. But there are no well-
defined boundaries, and if you think that your group/institution
would benefit from a visit by one of us, please fill out the form.
What does it cost?
As with other questions about the program, the answer is flexible.
We hope your
group/institution can contribute something to the speaker's expenses,
but we have a generous donation from the private foundation that supports
the Las Cumbres Observatory and so can cover or help cover those
expenses.
What is the procedure?
At the end of this paragraph you will click to get a webform on which
you will indicate some details of your request. We will need to
know, among other things, what is the main interest of your group.
If you indicate your flexibity, your willingness to accept an
expert in a related topic, it will make it easier for us to find
someone for you.
We will look at your request in the next few days and then either
act as liason or put you and the potential visitor in direct contact.
After you fill out the web form, you should click on the "Submit Query" button
at the bottom of the form. The screen will then switch to a message telling you
that your submission is complete. A short time after that you will receive an email
message confirming that your request has been received.
To get the request web form
click here
To go to resources on Einstein, gravitational waves, black holes, etc.
click here
site maintenance:
rhp
04.09.11
