Deadline Approaching for Astronomy Ambassadors Workshop
Richard Fienberg AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force
What: Free workshop for early career astronomers who want to do more effective public outreach.
When: Saturday & Sunday, 5 & 6 January 2019
Where: In conjunction with the 233rd AAS meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Application Deadline: 5 November 2018
The American Astronomical Society is sponsoring a free skill-building workshop — and an ongoing community of practice — to support early-career astronomers in doing effective outreach to schools, families, and the public. Working with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), the Pacific Science Center, and other outreach organizations, the AAS Astronomy Ambassadors program, now in its seventh year, offers two days of hands-on training, extensive resources, and pre-tested activities along with a like-minded group of peers.
If you are a graduate student, postdoc, new faculty, or advanced undergraduate committed to a career in the astronomical sciences, and if you’re interested in spending a fraction of your time helping laypeople become more scientifically literate, this is an invitation to sharpen your outreach skills and join the growing AAS Astronomy Ambassadors community.
The AAS Astronomy Ambassadors workshop will be held on the Saturday and Sunday before the start of the January 2019 AAS meeting in Seattle, Washington. Participants will spend two active days learning techniques, examining selected materials, and getting to know each other and an existing community of astronomers doing outreach. There will be sessions appropriate for those who have done outreach already and for those who are just beginners. No experience is required. We especially want to encourage participation by members of groups underrepresented in science.
Workshop costs are being underwritten by the AAS Board of Trustees, so registration (for the workshop only, not for the AAS meeting), materials, and two days’ lunches are free. If necessary, we can also reimburse you for up to two nights’ lodging if your attendance at the workshop requires you to travel to the meeting venue earlier than you otherwise would. Note that you must be a member of the AAS and must register for the 233rd meeting in order to participate in the workshop. Note too that significantly reduced membership fees are available to students and educators.
Applications are being accepted now and must be in no later than 5 November 2018. However, space is limited, and successful applicants are accepted on a rolling basis, so we urge you to get your application in before all the spaces are gone.
For more information about the workshop and a link to the online application, see the AAS 233 Astronomy Ambassadors Workshop page.