Re: planned sessions
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From: <Tony.Wong_at_email.protected>
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:09:23 +1000
Warwick,
I agree with everything you said. Only comment is that attending the SKA
reference group meeting last Thursday in Sydney made me a little skeptical
that there will be a lot of progress on SKA to report at the ASA. It's fine
to have a combined Gemini/SKA session if that's what's been done before, but
the bias should definitely be on Gemini, where there are actual results to
report. In other words, I think the SOC should look skeptically on any
"visionary"/political talks - though they can't always be avoided, they
rarely tell us much new.
Tony
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 23:09:23 +1000
Warwick,
I agree with everything you said. Only comment is that attending the SKA
reference group meeting last Thursday in Sydney made me a little skeptical
that there will be a lot of progress on SKA to report at the ASA. It's fine
to have a combined Gemini/SKA session if that's what's been done before, but
the bias should definitely be on Gemini, where there are actual results to
report. In other words, I think the SOC should look skeptically on any
"visionary"/political talks - though they can't always be avoided, they
rarely tell us much new.
Tony
-- ================================================================== Tony Wong, ARC-CSIRO Linkage Postdoctoral Fellow CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility +61-2-9372-4399 School of Physics, University of New South Wales +61-2-9385-5470 E-mail: Tony.Wong_at_csiro.<!--nospam-->au FAX: +61-2-9372-4310 URL: http://www.atnf.csiro.au/people/twong ================================================================== > From: Warrick Lawson <w.lawson_at_adfa.<!--nospam-->edu.au> > Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 09:26:39 +1000 > To: <c.wright_at_adfa.<!--nospam-->edu.au>, <Tony.Wong_at_csiro.<!--nospam-->au>, <w.lawson_at_adfa.<!--nospam-->edu.au>, > <carterb_at_usq.<!--nospam-->edu.au>, <john.lattanzio_at_sci.<!--nospam-->monash.edu.au>, > <kate.brooks_at_csiro.<!--nospam-->au>, <melanie_at_hilbert.<!--nospam-->maths.utas.edu.au>, > <nickl_at_phm.<!--nospam-->gov.au>, <sdr_at_aaoepp.<!--nospam-->aao.gov.au>, <smaddison_at_swin.<!--nospam-->edu.au> > Subject: planned sessions > > hi everyone > > Thanks for your comments re the various targetted sessions under > consideration for ASA2006. I would have replied sooner if it were > not for teaching commitments. I'm slowly preparing an email for > distribution via John O'Bryne that will highlight to the community > our various proposals for targetted sessions and/or workshops, etc. > BTW, all of which I support. > > To briefly summarise what I see as the current situation, and if I've > simply restated what one or more of you have said, then it's because > I entirely agree with you! > > (i) there will be a Gemini/MNRF session, and indeed the ASA2006 will > subsume the Gemini/SKA MNRF 1-day workshop that is usually held about > 1 month before the ASA. Just in case anyone panics about the time > implications; at last years MNRF meeting there was only about 4 hours > of talks, and the rest of the day seemed to be spent wining and dining. > I should have gone ... Of those 4 hours, about 2 hours of talks were > on general matters such as facilities and science that I think would > of interest to the community, with the other 2 hours consisting of > specialised talks on software and instrumentation that (in the context > of the ASA) might be better diverted to posters or a splinter > session. Discussions on this matter, i.e. the highlighting of a > Gemini session, > were held some time ago with people such as Gary Da Costa and Lister > Staveley Smith, and there is wide-spread support for it. I would be > very surprised if we did not receive requests for at least 2 hours of > presentations based on Gemini research anyway, so I don't see any > problem with us pooling these talks together into a Gemini (and SKA) > session, or even two depending upon demand. There is also a political > element to this; I'm sure the ASA will be inviting ARC bureaucrats > along to this session. > > (ii) I'm fully behind the Education session, and support the notion > of permitting someone proposing a talk for the Edu session to also > propose a second science contribution. Such a position doesn't > indicate that a speaker in the Edu session will be automatically > allowed to give a science talk. That decision is entirely up to us > as the SOC. > > (iii) Garry Da Costa has indicated the best time for the PASA review > would be immediately before the formal AGM, and that it should take > the format of a 1-hour discussion lead probably by John. I don't have > a counterview on this; Gary's idea seems entirely reasonable to me. > Right now, I can't tell you the LOC's proposed date for the AGM but > I'll find out. > > (iv) Women in Astronomy session or workshop. At this early stage > it could be either. A formal session might well attract more of an > audience. A less-formal lunchtime workshop might be more effective > as a forum for discussion. > > What my email will indicate is the targetted sessions or workshops > we would like to plan. But what we actually do, and the length or > format of these sessions will ultimately depend on support from the > community. We obviously can't run any particular session if we > don't get a sufficient number of quality proposals for presentations. > > And on a last matter, (v) Mike Dopita will deliver the Harley Wood > Lecture. I'm currently negotiating for access to the Visions Theatre > at the National Museum of Australia, which is a superb venue (both > the Museum and the Theatre). I hope we will get this for free. Our > preferred date for the lecture is Tuesday July 4, as the LOC's > nominal date for the conference dinner is Wednesday July 5. These > dates might be reversed depending on availability of the venues. > > all the best > Warrick > > PS. If anyone hugely disagrees with anything I've written above, > I'm sure you'll let me know! > > -- > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > + Associate Professor Warrick Lawson + > + School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences + > + UNSW_at_ADFA phone: (02) 6268 8810 + > + Canberra ACT 2600 fax: (02) 6268 8786 + > + AUSTRALIA email: w.lawson_at_adfa.<!--nospam-->edu.au + > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Received on 2006-04-22 23:09:37