Category Archives: Organizations

The Barlow Bob and Chuck Higgins Astronomy Events (Festivals And Star Parties) Calendar For 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 2:59 am - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

I was very happy to find in my inbox last week an email from solar specialist and NEAF Solar Star Party head honcho Barlow Bob containing his (and Chuck Higgins) summarized list of 2013 Astronomy Club Star Parties and assorted events. True to form, I obtained the same list from CNYO’s and New Moon Telescope’s Ryan Goodson early this week after he forwarded it from Barlow Bob. Finally, not a few minutes ago, I received a third copy of the list from Chuck Higgins.

This triplicate (I await yet another copy from another email address) delivery is one of the great things about amateur astronomy – it is, despite the large number of events posted below, a small enough community where important information for fellow amateurs is still passed around from familiar heralds like recopied science letters in old Europe and Colonial America.

The summarized list links are provided courtesy of Barlow Bob and Chuck Higgins as of 18 March 2013 (and new events may be added). If it’s on this side of the Mississippi River and they’ve announced the event already, it’s likely on this list. A PDF of this calendar can be downloaded at: www.arunah.org/barlowbob_calendar_2013.pdf

Date

Event

Location
Feb 24 – Mar 2 2013 Winter Star Party Florida Keys, FL
Mar 7 – 10 Zombie Star Gaze Atlanta, GA
Apr 11 – 14 Delmarva Star Gaze Star Party Tuckahoe State Park, MD
May 2 – 5 South Jersey Spring Star Party Belleplain State Forest, NJ
Apr 12 – 13 Spring Stokes Star Party Stokes State Forest, NJ
Apr 18 – 19 Northeast Astronomical Imaging Conference 2013 Suffern, NY
Apr 20 – 21 NEAF 2013, NSSP NEAF Solar Star Party Suffern, NY
Jun 1 StarConn 2013 Wesleyan University, CT
Jun 6 – 9 Cherry Springs Star Party Cherry Springs Park, PA
Jul 10 – 13 Green Bank Star Quest Green Bank, WV
Jul 10 – 14 Mason Dixon Star Party York County, PA
Jul 12 – 13 The Conjunction 2013 Northfield, MA
Jul 24 – 27 ALCON 2013 Atlanta, GA
Aug 2 – 3 Maine State Star Party Edmunds, ME
Aug 2 – 4 AOS StarFest Savoy, MA
Aug 2 – 11 Rockland Summer Star Party Plainfield, MA
Aug 2 – 11 Savoy Star Party Savoy, MA
Aug 8 – 11 Stellafane 2013 Springfield, VT
Aug 30 – Sep 2 Arunah Hill Days Cummington, MA
Sep 6 – 8 Black Forest Star Party Cherry Springs Park, PA
Sep 6 – 8 Connecticut Star Party Ashford, CT
Sep 6 – 10 Almost Heaven Star Party Spruce Knob, WV
Sep 26 – 30 Acadia Night Sky Festival Bar Harbor, ME
Sep 29 – Oct 6 Peach State Star Gaze Sharon, GA
Oct 4 – Oct 6 Kopernik AstroFest 2013 Vestal, NY
Oct 28 – Nov 3 Chiefland Fall Star Party Chiefland Astro Village, FL

Posted in: Barlow Bob, Observing - Tagged: , ,

TACNY Listserve: SUNYIT Announcements Of Upcoming Events And Lectures

Posted on March 15, 2013 11:37 pm - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

From the TACNY listserve, two emails announcing science- and technology-related lectures in the coming two months (plenty of advanced notice). The first is sent from Marv Meissner, Associate Director of Professional Development at the SUNY Institute of Technology:

1. Planning for a Net Zero Energy Footprint – Energy Symposium – April 12, 2013 – Syracuse

One of the most important Energy Conferences in the Northeast! Opportunity to look at successful models of renewable energy both from other countries and the U.S. Learn what can be done for more sustainability nationally and locally. This year we will be looking at a future: Striving toward a net zero Energy Footprint.  For more information an to register go online to www.energy21symposium.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=3 Or Contact: Rhea Jezer: rjezer@gmail.com.

The second is an announcement from Holly Jones (MS, RHIA, CTR) also from the SUNYIT:

SUNYIT Provost’s Lecture Series

Dr. Andrea Dzuibek will present “‘Modern’ computational mathematical modeling in teaching and research” as a part of SUNYIT’s Provost’s Lecture Series from noon until 2 pm on 04/12/13.

Pre-registration a week prior to the free event is necessary. Please register at www.sunyit.edu/provost_lectures.

Please park in the visitor spaces in parking lot A or B. The event will be held in Donovan Hall Room G152.

Posted in: TACNY - Tagged: , , ,

First Announcement: NASA Climate Day At The MOST – 2 April 2013

Posted on March 12, 2013 4:55 pm - - 1 Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles!

I’m pleased to announce that The MOST is hosting a NASA-sponsored Climate Day on Tuesday, April 2nd. The combined indoor/outdoor (hopefully outdoor, if the skies hold) event includes demos and lectures on NASA’s Global View of Climate Change, understanding the differences between Weather & Climate, mini-Green House demonstrations, and Ocean Salinity.

Four notable presentations will also be made during the event, including:

Dave Eichorn: “Climate Impact” (6:30 – 7:15)

Anne Saltman, CNY Regional Planning and Development Board: “Regional Climate Impact – Responding To Climate Change in Central New York”

Todd Rodgers, National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project: “NEED & The SCSD Green Team”

Emily Alexander: “Nano And How It Relates To Climate Change – Reducing The Carbon Footprint Through Nanotechnology”

And, while everyone else considers our changing climate indoors, a few CNYO members will be hosting a solar observing session on the Creekwalk just North of The MOST (at the same location that the Syracuse Astronomical Society hosted the Venus Transit session on 6 June 2012). A google map of the proposed location (centered in the map between West Fayette and Walton) is provided below (The MOST is located just below the bottom of the map).


View Larger Map

There will be more information to follow (esp. for CNYO organization) as the event draws near, but we’ll be looking for a head count of available solar scopes (and solar scope operators). The first flyer from the MOST is reproduced below.

2013march12_climateday_V2

We hope you can join us!

Banner image at top: Snow Cover and Sea Surface Temperatures – With an albedo of up to 80 percent or more, snow-covered terrain reflects most of the earth’s incoming solar radiation back into space, cooling the lower atmosphere. When snow cover melts, the albedo drops suddenly to less than about 30 percent, allowing the ground to absorb more solar radiation, heating the earth’s surface and lower atmosphere. Credit: NASA. Read more at www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/earthandsun/climate_change.html.

Posted in: MOST - Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Ying Tri Region Science And Engineering Fair & Central New York Science And Engineering Fair Judging Opportunities

Posted on March 12, 2013 1:11 am - - Leave a Comment

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

Two requests for judges have come across my inbox from TACNY for the Ying Tri Region Science and Engineering Fair (TRSEF) this Sunday (March 17th) and the Central New York Science And Engineering Fair (PDF Link) next Sunday (March 24th). I am volunteering for both events and encourage others with any science inclination to see just how smart some of our CNY teenagers are.

1. Ying Tri Region Science and Engineering Fair – Sunday, March 17th

The Ying TRSEF has doubled in size this year, so we need over 120 judges. As a result, I’m personally inviting CNY Observers and Observing members, hoping each would like to inspire middle and high school students on March 17th up at OCC.

Judges train from 9:30-11:15, then interview the students and deliberate with their judge team until 3:00 latest. We provide both breakfast and lunch, and our students are absolutely marvelous!

Please encourage your members to judge; they register online, so it’s easy.

2013march11_judging

2. Central New York Science And Engineering Fair – Sunday, March 24th

The Central New York Science and Engineering Fair (CNYSEF), formerly known as the Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair, is in need of judges to evaluate students’ competition projects on Sunday, March 24, 2013, at the SRC Arena, which is located on the Onondaga Community College campus. Judges should arrive at the SRC at 8:00 a.m. The judging begins at 9:00 a.m. and the awards ceremony commences at 2:00 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and training for Judges will be provided on competition day. The CNYSEF is organized through the MOST, sponsored by Lockheed Martin, and is further supported by contributions from TACNY, NASA New York Space Grant, Time Warner Cable, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and several other local companies.

A bit about the CNYSEF:

Students from Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties will compete for designations as Honors, High Honors, and Highest Honors in two divisions: the Junior Fair for 4th-8th grade students, and the Senior Fair for 9th-12th grade students. Competitors are also awarded several unique Special Awards in addition to the categorial awards mentioned immediately prior. Judges do not need to be experts in science or engineering to listen as the students demonstrate how much they have learned and accomplished.

Those interested in serving as judges, please register online here. For more information, contact the CNYSEF Director, Peter W. Plumley, PhD, at CNYSEF@most.org.

The encouragement and interest shown by volunteer judges is an essential part of the students’ science fair experience. Help inspire our future generation of engineers and scientists.

Many, many thanks,
Diane & the CNYSEF Organizational Committee

Posted in: CNY Science, Education, TACNY - Tagged: , , , , , , ,

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique: “Look Up! Space Satellites and Space Junk”

Posted on March 10, 2013 3:28 pm - - 1 Comment

Saturday, March 16, 9:30-11:00am

Milton J Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, Syracuse NY

In the last decade, the number of objects in orbit has reached a point at which a chain reaction becomes inevitable.  The number of objects keeps growing as more and more collisions occur, resulting in more break-ups.  This talk will cover the potential impact of the growing number of objects in space, as well as some of the various types of space satellites and the orbits in which they reside.

2013march9_spacejunk_article

A representation of satellites and larger pieces of space debris around Earth.
From universetoday.com. Click on the image for a full article.

People interested in learning more about objects in space are invited to attend the free Junior Cafe presentation on Saturday, March 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (MOST) in Syracuse’s Armory Square. Walk-ins are welcome, but we ask that people RSVP by emailing jrcafe@tacny.org by March 13, 2013.

Presenter: Misty Blowers, PhD, is a Member of the TACNY Board of Directors, a Research Scientist at the United States Air Force, and an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University.  Dr. Blowers currently works at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, as a Research Scientist.  She has a multi-faceted background in both chemical engineering and computer science.  Dr. Blowers specializes in applying artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to help identify space objects close to the earth (like satellites and space debris).  She holds degrees from both the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and from Syracuse University. She will be joined by Jason Moore, Technical Lead for Advanced Visualization and Interactive Displays, Air Force Research Laboratory, Information Directive, Rome, New York.

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique

TACNY Junior Cafe Scientifique, a program for middle-school students founded in 2005, features discussions about topics in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in an informal atmosphere and seeks to encourage students to consider careers in these areas. Students must be accompanied by an adult and can explore the MOST at no cost after the event.

Technology Alliance of Central New York

Founded in 1903 as the Technology Club of Syracuse, the nonprofit Technology Alliance of Central New York’s mission is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology; and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

For more information about TACNY, visit www.tacny.org.

Posted in: TACNY - Tagged: , , ,