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RAS E-CIRCULAR, 2007 February
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* February RAS Meetings - BGA meeting, Presidential Address
* RAS National Astronomy Meeting 2007 - REGISTRATION OPEN
(Mar 12/31 deadlines)
* Webcasts of meetings and lectures
* Recent policy issues -
European policy on "open access" publications
RCUK Peer Review Consultation
"Big is Beautiful"
Parliamentary Science & Technology Committee: Space Policy Enquiry
* February Space & Astronomy Digest
* IoP Nuclear and Particle Physics Divisional Conference
* European Astrofest, April 9/10
* Sir Joseph Banks in Wales
Reminders:
* RAS Meetings, 2007/8: topics sought (for London and elsewhere)
* Burlington House
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FEBRUARY RAS MEETINGS - FEBRUARY 8/9
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=227#feb
February's two-day Specialist Discussion Meeting is BGA's annual
"New Advances in Geophysics" event, this year on the theme of:
"New Techniques and Discoveries in Marine Geophysics"
in the lecture theatre of the Geological Society; Thursday, Feb 8,
10:00-16:30, and Friday, Feb 9, 16:00-18:00
The Thursday science session will be followed by the 2007 Bullerwell
Lecture, on
"Climate-Driven Sea-Level Change"
(by Dr Glenn Milne, Durham); 16:45 on Feb 8.
The Bullerwell Lecture is free and open to all. RAS Fellows may
register for the main meeting at half the standard fee (waived for
students registered for full-time geophysics-related courses).
The RAS A&G meeting is free and open to all (Friday Feb 9, Geological
Society Lecture Theatre, 16:00-18:00). Presentations will include:
Prof. Eva Grebel (Basel) -
Near-field Cosmology with Local-Group Dwarf Galaxies
Prof. David Gubbins (Leeds) -
The Influence of the Lower Mantle on the Earth's Magnetic Field
followed by the 2007 Presidential Address:
Prof. Michael Rowan-Robinson (IC) -
Terahertz Surveys - the opening of the far infrared
and submillimetre windows
A drinks reception will follow.
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RAS NAM 2007
http://www.nam2007.uclan.ac.uk/
The 2007 RAS National Astronomy Meeting is being held at the
University of Central Lancashire, 2007 Apr 16-20 inclusive, and will
incorporate parallel meetings of the MIST and UK Solar Physics Groups.
Registration iss now open, with a deadline of March 31 (oral
contribution abstracts by the 12th March).
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MEETING WEBCASTS
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=926&Itemid=127
January's Speciliast Discussion meeting on
"LINKAGES BETWEEN THE SOLAR INTERIOR AND ATMOSPHERE"
is now available as a webcast and podcast.
Other meetings and lectures still available are:
2006 Jan: Life and Death of Star Clusters
2006 Feb: Titan Revealed - Latest findings from Cassini/Huygens measurements
2006 Oct: The Future of Computational and Theoretical Astrophysics in the UK
2006 Nov: Solar-System Exploration by Spacecraft and by Sample Analysis
2006 Nov: The 2006 Harold Jeffreys Lecture: Titan after the Cassini-Huygens Mission
2006 Dec: RAS 'Young Astronomers' meeting
2006 Dec: The 2006 Whitrow Lecture: Our Implausible Universe
Access requires a very simple registration process (solely for
monitoring purposes; we want to know how many people are viewing the
webcasts), and will not lead to any unsolicited emails etc.
Comments on the webcasts are welcome, and should be sent to Ron
Wiltshire ([log in to unmask]).
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RECENT POLICY MATTERS
1 - European policy on "open access" publications
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1122&Itemid=1
The European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) has recommended that the
European Commission should promote open access publication policies
for all their publicly funded research.
2 - RCUK Peer Review Consultation
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1125&Itemid=1
The RAS has emphasized its continued commitment to the peer review
process as an essential element in the allocation of grants by the
UK Research Councils, in response to the consultation being carried
out following a RCUK commissioned study to identify the potential
for improving the efficiency of the peer review process.
3 - "Big is Beautiful"
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1126&Itemid=1
Understanding the Universe requires large, pan-European research
facilities and large-scale computing facilities. Meanwhile the UK
government's investment in large scientific facilities is beginning
to reap rewards. Mike Bode, Professor of Astrophysics at Liverpool
John Moores University, has been charged with the vital task of
developing the new 'roadmap', which will act as the blue print for
the development of astronomy in Europe over the next 20 years.
4 - Parliamentary Science & Technology Committee: Space Policy Enquiry
http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/spacememosforwebupload.pdf
Written evidence from 80 contributors (including the RAS) is now
publicly available on-line.
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FEBRUARY SPACE & ASTRONOMY DIGEST
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1142&Itemid=2
Peter Bond's latest on-line summary of meetings & events of interest.
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THE IOP NUCLEAR AND PARTICLE PHYSICS DIVISIONAL CONFERENCE
University of Surrey, April 3-5
http://www.iop.org/Conferences/Forthcoming_Institute_Conferences/NPPD07/event_6535.html
Four Institute of Physics subject groups will be holding their annual
conferences jointly under the umbrella of the "Nuclear and Particle
Physics Divisional Conference" in 2007. Nuclear Physics, High Energy
Particle Physics, Gravitational Physics and the newly-formed
Astroparticle Physics Group (jointly sponsored by the RAS) will meet
together for the first
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EUROPEAN ASTROFEST, April 9/10
http://www.astronomynow.com/astrofest/
"The largest astronomy and space show of its kind in Europe."
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ROCKS, PLANTS AND ANTIQUITY: SIR JOSEPH BANKS IN WALES, 1763-73
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/template.cfm?name=DMEBHL
The Learned Societies of Burlington House are jointly promoting a
series of lectures covering various aspects of their subjects. The
first of these will be on 1 March 2007 (St David's Day), when Prof
David Morgan Evans FSA will speak.
17:30 for 18:00 in the Geological Society Lecture Theatre. Admission
by (free) ticket only, availablee from Ms J Phenton at the Society of
Antiquaries, tel 020 7479 7087 or e-mail [log in to unmask] (Note
that demand is expected to outstrip supply.)
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SPECIALIST DISCUSSION MEETINGS: TOPICS SOUGHT
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=236
For most months during the Oct-May meetings season, the RAS arranges
two Specialist Discussion meetings in central London. The Society
provides virtually all "Local Organizing Committee" functions,
including provision of the venue, advertising, and, potentially,
limited financial support for key speakers from overseas. It does,
however, rely on the Fellowship for proposals for appropriate themes
and to organize the scientific programme.
If you have a topic on which you'd like to hold a meeting in the
2007/8 season, please contact the secretary, Ian Howarth
([log in to unmask]) with a short title and 2-3 sentences outlining
the intended content and purpose of the meeting.
* Meetings are normally one-day events, but proposals for two-day
meetings will be considered.
* Meetings (of any length) outside London can also be considered; the
RAS often sponsors such meetings through its grants programme.
Please direct initial enquiries to Ian Howarth
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BURLINGTON HOUSE
The Society's Burlington House apartments remain closed until the end
of 2007, to allow major refurbishment works to take place. The office
has moved to Hallam Court [77 Hallam, Street, London W1W 5HB], as have
some library services (which are, however, severely restricted).
Post (which will be redirected) should continue to be sent to
Burlington House. Telephone, fax and email addresses are unchanged.
See
http://www.ras.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1123&Itemid=1
for recent images of the interior of th RAS premises.
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