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February 2008   

SOCIETY NEWS
ASP President Jim Kaler Receives Award for Excellence

Support the Cause of Improving Science Literacy

Podcast Survey

New Assistant Managing Editor for the ASP Conference Series

EVENTS
The ASP 2008 Annual Meeting -- Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy: A Hands-on Symposium

MAKING A DIFFERENCE
ASP Education Staff and Programs at work:

• GLOBE at Night
• Moon Mission Workshop Prepares Partners for the Eclipse

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ASP apparel !

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Travel with the ASP

Join us in China for a celebration of one of the many long-duration total solar eclipses of Saros 136.
July 13-26, 2009

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astronomy tours

ASP President Jim Kaler Receives Award for Excellence

Jim Kaler, ASP President and a professor emeritus of astronomy at the University of Illinois, was recently awarded the American Astronomical Society 2008 Education Prize. The prize recognizes Kaler for his outstanding contributions to the education of the public, students and the next generation of professional astronomers.

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Support the Cause of Improving Science Literacy

The support received from the ASP's friends and benefactors is more important than ever before as we continue to promote science literacy through engagement in astronomy. Our cause is to create a science-literate society to be able to make enlightened decisions on questions of science and technology that will largely determine the future of our species on this planet. Your investment in the Society if making a difference!

You can learn more by about the ASP's programs and publications and how your gift supports the cause. Also, join us and partner with the ASP by becoming a member today.

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Podcast Survey

The Astronomical Society of Pacific in collaboration with Astronomy Cast, is conducting a survey to find out what podcasts students (age 13 through PhD) are listening to and watching. If you are a teacher, and you have students, could you please ask your students to fill out our survey at: http://www.starstryder.com/PodcastSurvey

In return for filling out this survey, all survey participants –- even those who have never listened to a podcast before (zero is a number) -– will receive a discount at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's AstroShop.

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New Assistant Managing Editor for the ASP Conference Series

The ASP Conference Series welcomes our new Assistant Managing Editor, Jonathan Barnes. Jonathan brings a diverse and beneficial background to the Conference Series and has ties to both the current and former managing editors. He earned his MS in Physics, with an emphasis in Astronomy and Instrumentation, from Brigham Young University in 2002—studying under Dr. Harold McNamara for his undergraduate degree and Dr. J. Ward Moody for his graduate work. Jonathan is currently on the faculty at Salt Lake Community College. In addition, in 2005 he co-founded an IT consulting and web marketing firm which is still growing and doing well. With his background in both IT and astrophysics, Jonathan will be a tremendous technical resource for the Conference Series as it continues to progress in a continually changing publishing environment. Jonathan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, graduated from high school in Roanoke, Virginia, and now resides in Sandy, Utah. We are pleased to have Jonathan join the ASP Conference Series.

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The ASP 2008 Annual Meeting -- Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy: A Hands-on Symposium

This summer, for the first time since our joint 1915 meeting in California, the ASP will be meeting with the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the main professional organization of research astronomers. Our "meeting-within-a-meeting" will focus on "Preparing for the International Year of Astronomy (2009)." The program will consist of hands-on workshops (over the weekend) and then a three-day symposium to assist educators, scientists, public information professionals, and everyone working in astronomy and space-science outreach to prepare for the year-long celebration of 400 years of astronomy since Galileo. You are invited to attend and participate in the workshops and symposium.

The meeting takes place May 31 - June 4, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. Visit the ASP Annual Meeting web page for additional information.

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GLOBE at Night

In cooperation with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the ASP provided light pollution toolkits and training to participants of Astronomy from the Ground Up and the Night Sky Network. Through an online workshop and guest teleconference, more than fifty museum and nature center educators and amateur astronomers were trained to become local leaders of the GLOBE at Night campaign. This citizen science project collects sky brightness data submitted from communities around the world in an effort to measure light pollution.

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Moon Mission Workshop Prepares Partners for the Eclipse

Thanks to the support from several benefactors and Lockheed Martin, the ASP held a workshop at our San Francisco office on February 13th. Bay Area Project ASTRO partners and educators from the community were trained on Family ASTRO's Moon Mission activities. The ASP developed a one page handy information sheet that includes specifics about the lunar eclipse on February 20 and how not to miss it. Thank you to all those who attended and for the support provided by our benefactors and corporate partner.

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