RAS E-CIRCULAR, 2005 May
========================
* RAS May Meetings
* Community input:
RAS Strategy Meeting
* Upcoming events
Norman Lockyer Lecture (U. Exeter, May 26)
JENAM 2005 (Liege, July 4-7)
RAS Picnic (Greenwich, July 31)
IAU S232 - Scientific requirements for Extremely Large Telescopes
(Cape Town, Nov 14-18)
"Test the Nation"
Isolated Neutron Stars (2006 April 24-28)
* RAS reminders:
Special offer for students newly joining the RAS
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
HAVE YOU VOTED?
Voting for elections to RAS Council close Friday. If you haven't
already voted, you can submit your paper by hand on the day.
NEW RAS WEB SITE, www.ras.org.uk
The new RAS web site, though still undergoing some "shake down", is up
and running. New functionality includes a searchable on-line members'
list (accessible to RAS members only).
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
RAS MEETINGS, FRIDAY MAY 13
(All in the Geological Society Lecture Theatre, Burlington House)
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=227#may
=============================================================================
10:30-13:30 Specialist Discussion Meeting:
The Origin and Distribution of Life in the Solar System
Astrobiology is a field of growing and interdisciplinary interest,
encompassing research into extremophiles, extreme environments,
searches for life on other planets, meteorites, new techniques for
finding life, and experiments both in the laboratory and in
space. The meeting will address current research in all these field.
14:00-15:30 185th Annual General Meeting
Please note: The AGM is only open to Fellows; non-Fellows intending
to attend the following A&G meeting are welcome to use the RAS
Library and Fellows' Room.
16:00-18:00 Monthly A&G Meeting
Talks will include:
Dr. Simon Mitton (St Edmund's College, Cambridge) -
"Conflict in the cosmos: Fred Hoyle's life in science."
Dr. Clare Parnell (St. Andrews) -
"The solar coronal heating problem: why has it not yet been
solved?"
(A review of past and present approaches to solving the enigma
of the Sun's hot corona.)
Dr. John Murray (OU) -
"Our best chance for life on Mars: an equatorial frozen sea."
Prof. Jerry Ostriker (Princeton & IoA) -
"Hot gas in galaxies and clusters."
This meeting is open to all, with free admission.
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
COMMUNITY INPUT
=============================================================================
RAS Strategy Meeting
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=1&id=112&Itemid=2
The RAS Council is planning an 'away day' in mid-July to focus on the
strategic issues facing the Society, and to plan the way ahead. If you
would like to contribute to corporate thinking please email the
Executive Secretary ([log in to unmask]) with your suggestions on the
following (or related) topics:
- How the RAS could improve the way it runs itself
- How can the RAS improve promotion of A&G (to its members, policy
makers and the wider community)
- How can the RAS improve (and afford to improve) the services it
provides its members (and thereby increase their number and its
reach)
More detailed listings are given on the web site.
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
UPCOMING EVENTS
=============================================================================
Norman Lockyer Lecture - University of Exeter, May 26
The Norman Lockyer lectures are on astronomical themes, intended for
the general public, and are sponsored by the RAS. The 2005 lecture
will be on 'Our Magnetic Sun', and will be given by former President of
the RAS, Professor Nigel Weiss, FRS (University of Cambridge). The
lecture will be between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm on Thursday 26th May, in
lecture theatre LT6, on the 6th floor of the Laver Building, in the
University of Exeter Main Campus. The lecture is free of charge, and
all are welcome.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
JENAM 2005 - 'Distant Worlds', Liege, July 4-7
http://www.astro.ulg.ac.be/JENAM/
Reminder of deadlines:
Abstract submission deadline (oral or poster): June 1th
Reduced registration fees: June 1th
Note that an important, open session/discussion on european policies
and initiatives will take place on Wednesday July, 6th.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAS Summer Picnic - Greenwich, 2005 July 31
www.raspicnic.tk [yes, .tk, not .uk]
The Annual RAS Summer Picnic, organized by Quentin Stanley, will be
held in Greenwich on the 31st July 2005. The website currently
carries the 2004 details, but we are working here for a new 2005 look
which will be posted soon - bookmark now!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
IAU S232 - Scientific requirements for Extremely Large Telescopes
Cape Town, Nov 14-18
http://www.saao.ac.za/IAUS232/
Registration opens 6 May
IAU,IUPAP grant applications close 30 June
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BBC's Test the Nation
www.talenttv.com
TalentTV, the production company behind the popular BBC1 show 'Test
the Nation', are currently in pre-production for the next test and
would like to get together a team of 'Rocket Scientists' to take part
in the show.
Anne Robinson and Phillip Schofield will host the show, which will be
broadcast live at the end of May. TalentTV cover all travel expenses
and "make sure everyone gets a nice meal and a couple of drinks."
If you're interested in taking part, or would like further
information, contact
Matt Grimwood <[log in to unmask]>
Tel: 020 7421 7835
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isolated Neutron Stars: From the Interior to the Surface
Burlington House, 2006 April 24-28
http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~sz/Conference_files/index.html
First announcement: the time is ripe for gathering together both
observers and theoreticians working in the field of netron stars. In
this RAS-sponsored meeting we hope to offer a stimulating environment
to review the current state of the art, to promote fruitful
collaborations, and to discuss future perspectives in the
post-XMM/Chandra era.
=============================================================================
=============================================================================
RAS REMINDERS:
=============================================================================
SPECIAL OFFER FOR STUDENTS JOINING THE RAS
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=754&Itemid=2
A reminder that full-time students may now apply to join the Society
with a first year's contribution of only £1.00.
[The small print: applicants must agree to pay by direct debit or by
continuous credit card payment. Subsequent years' fees are payable at
the normal rates. This concession is not retrospective to existing
students.]
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
|
