COMMUNICATING ASTRONOMY TO THE PUBLIC

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM

7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Registration
National Academies Keck Building
Main Lobby
(Continental Breakfast served from 7:30 until 8:30)
Poster Session I set-up in Room 1024

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Introductory Remarks
Robert Brown, Conference Chair
William Colglazier, Executive Officer, NRC
Conference Room (Keck 100)

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Plenary Session
Joe Taylor, National Research Council

9:30 a.m. - 9:40 a.m.
Charge to the Conference
Plan for the 3 days
Expected Outcomes
Virginia Trimble
Prof. of Physics & Astronomy Univ of California
Irvine and Visiting Prof. of Astronomy, Univ of Maryland
Conference Moderator/Facilitator

9:40 a.m. - 10:50 a.m.
Panel Discussion #1
Topic: Current State of Astronomy Communications: Resources and Demands
Moderator: Anne Kinney, Director, Astronomy and Physics Division
Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters
Panelists: Steve Maran, NASA Goddard & Press Officer AAS;
John Miller, Northwestern University; Michael Bennett, Astronomical Society of the Pacific;
Timothy Ferris, Author and professor emeritus, University of California, Berkeley

10:50 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.
Coffee Break & Poster Session I in Keck Room 1024

11:10 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Panel Discussion #2
Topic: Excitement, Entertainment, Hype? Whatever it Takes?
Moderator: Curt Suplee, National Science Foundation
Panelists: Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post national editor;
Bonnie Bracey, Computer Games and New Media; Catherine Asaro, SF Writer and Physicist;
Alexander Singer, Emmy-Award Winning Film Director

12:20 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Breakout Session Plan
Virginia Trimble, Meeting Facilitator

12:30 p.m - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch: Poster sessions available in the upper lobby area.

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions: Panel Topics One and Two

Conference Logistics: Attendees will be divided into groups.
Each group will have a discussion leader, a recorder, and a reporter.
The charge to the breakout groups will be to discuss the issues
raised in the panel sessions, set what they see as priorities,
and recommend methods for improving or resolving the topics raised
in the morning sessions.

Charge to Sessions: Each group should make recommendations
to the conference based on these questions. Explain mechanisms,
methods for follow-through, and necessary resources.

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Coffee Break -- Poster Session I continues

3:20 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
Afternoon Panel: Report of the Sessions
Moderator: Meeting facilitator
Following the breakout sessions, the conference will reconvene in a
plenary session. There the reporter from each group will come
to the head table and serve as the panelist for the end-of-day discussion.
They will present the priorities and recommendations from their group.

The meeting facilitator will keep a running report of the priorities
from each group to enable all participants to come to a consensus on
actions/recommendations.

4:40 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Recap, Action Items, Assignments

Narrative: Following the report of the breakout sessions, participants
will determine what action items and assignments emerge. Specific task
forces and activity sponsors will be identified, as will a method of follow
up and reporting to the participants.

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Reconvene and Review
Topic: Review activities from pervious day and outline session for the day.
Moderator: Meeting Facilitator

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Panel 3:
Topic: Astrophysics or Astrographics? Internal Visuals Track
Moderator: Ray Villard, STScI
Panelists: Zolt Lavey, STScI; Dana Berry, JPL; Carter Emmart,
American Museum of Natural History; Horace Mitchell, NASA Goddard

10:15 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
Coffee Break - Poster Session 1 Continues

10:35 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Panel 4:
Topic: What is it We Do That's of Interest to You? External Images and Resource Issues
Moderator: Martha Haynes, Cornell
Panelists: Lee Ann Hennig, Thomas Jefferson High School; Rick Fienberg,
Sky & Telescope; Ron Harvey, Jr., National Park Service; Aaron Price, AAVSO;;
Jerry Reynolds, NC Museum of Natural Sciences

11:50 - 12:00 noon
Afternoon Assignments
The moderator will divide the group again into breakout sessions and
review the questions and expected results.

12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch - Set-up for Poster Session II in Room 1024

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunchtime Presentation; Carter Emmart "The Atlas of the Universe"

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions: Panel Topics Three and Four

Conference Logistics: Attendees will be divided into groups.
Each group will have a discussion leader, a recorder, and a reporter.
The charge to the breakout groups will be to discuss the issues
raised in the panel sessions, set what they see as priorities,
and recommend methods for improving or resolving the
topics raised in the morning sessions.

Charge to Sessions: Each group should make recommendations
to the conference based on these questions. Explain mechanisms,
methods for follow-through, and necessary resources.

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Coffee Break & Poster Session II in Room 1024

3:20 p.m. - 4:40 p.m.
Afternoon Panel: Report of the Sessions
Moderator: Meeting facilitator
The reporter from each group will come up to the head table and
serve as the panelist for the end-of-day discussion. They will
present the priorities and recommendations from their group.

The meeting facilitator will keep a running report of the
priorities from each group to enable all participants to come
to a consensus on actions/recommendations.

4:40 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Recap, Action Items, Assignments

Narrative: Following the report of the breakout sessions,
participants will determine what action times and assignments
emerge. Specific task forces and activity sponsors will be
identified, as will a method of follow up and reporting to
the participants.

6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Reception and Dinner
Location: Atrium
Participants are invited to a reception and dinner
in the Atrium of the Keck building.

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast - Poster Session II Continues

8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Reconvene and Review
Topic: Review activities from previous day and outline session for the day.
Moderator: Meeting Facilitator

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Panel 5:
Topic: EPO as Part of Research Astronomy
Moderator: Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, Moderator
Panelists: Terry Mahoney, IAC; Paul Hertz, NASA; Edna DeVore, SETI Institute;
Bruce Lewenstein, Cornell

10:15 a.m. - 10:35 a.m.
Coffee Break - Poster Session II Continues

10:35 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Panel 6:
Topic: Successful Practices in Astronomy EPO
Moderator: Phil Plait, Sonoma State University
Panelists: Deborah Byrd, Earth and Sky; Neil Tyson, Hayden Planetarium;
Robert Roy Britt, Space.com; Dan Wertheimer, U.C. Berkeley (SETI@home)

11:50 - 12:00 noon
Afternoon Assignments
The moderator will divide the group again into breakout sessions and
review the questions and expected results.

12:00 noon -- 1:00 p.m.
Lunch and Poster Session II continues until 12:45 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions: Panel Topics Five and Six

Logistics: Attendees will be divided into groups.
Each group will have a discussion leader, a recorder, and a
reporter. The charge to the breakout groups will be to
discuss the issues raised in the panel sessions, set what
they see as priorities, and recommend methods for improving
or resolving the topics raised in the morning sessions.

Questions: What can we do to establish EPO as a more
integral part of research astronomy? What can be done
to change the current climate or to enable the EPO
professionals to work more effectively with research
scientists through it? Is there a recommendation or
set of actions that the committee can make to enable this?

Are there ways that we can apply the lessons learned
through best practices? There are many successful programs,
but are the gaps still remaining? Even with "best practices,"
are there gaps to fill and demands to be met? Should the
astronomical community take more action to communicate the
results of research?

Charge to Sessions: Each group should make recommendations to
the conference based on these questions. Explain mechanisms,
methods for follow-through, and necessary resources.

3:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m.
Coffee Break

3:20 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Afternoon Panel: Report of the Sessions and Meeting Recap
Moderator: Meeting facilitator

The reporter from each group will come up to the head table and
serve as the panelist for the end-of-day discussion. They will
present the priorities and recommendations from their group.
Additionally, the conference chair will work with the Panel
Moderators to synthesis what was accomplished at the meeting,
what are the next steps, and what would define success one year later.

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Post-conference trip to the NRAO observatory in Green Bank, W.Va.