Wednesday, February 23, 2011

AJC: Reading Week Edition

Purpose of Posters:

-ambience - we should represent ourselves as a group of astronomers
-to educate - to the informed layperson let's give them the 5 big questions


-marshall asks paul/minions to propose hardward needed for a screen to hang outside PSE 321

-dr. john offers videos from pheonix mission

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Recap: 16 Feb 2011

Laura was our host for today's journal club.  Thanks to her for doing so!  Things we talked about were:

Data at risk.  Is all astronomical data at risk.  There is an international call for preserving that data.

Brasil is joining ESO, the first non-European member!  Read up on it here.

Talked a bit about TMT, worrying about money!  And there has been some discussion through Victoria/HIA about converting CFHT into a 10m class dedicated spectroscopic telescope.  A great idea....but is there money for that?

IceCube Neutrino observatory has begun operations! Check out their website!

thanks for hosting Laura!
Reading Week next week

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Recap: Feb 9 2011

What to do with the 3rd floor hallway?
-5 posters educational posters/4 spots for research - 9 spots total
-each prof/grad team take ownership of one educational

Big Questions to address: (with possible leading prof)
Exoplanets - paul
Cosmology - Dark Matter - Dark Energy - Big Bang - pat
end points of stellar evolution - norbert
large scale structure - marshall
active galactic nuclei/black holes - michael
life in the universe?...takers?
instrumentation?
why is the sky blue?
why is the sunset red?

-should include our OWN research in this.  not necessarily have textbook images.  include a York University credit in each poster i.e. graphics/images/stuff WE do

GOAL: have done for september 2011

Michael Bientenhotz still has the canadian images from IYA - to keep in mind - 1st floor maybe


-podcasts for different topics here - michael/paul worked on this
-can include youtube in this
-itunes for podcasting


Other Journal Club Topics: Led by Bahman


Largest black hole ever measured in M87.

E-merlin (radio telescope in UK) should increase resolution.  Here's an example of what it will be doing.

Most distant galaxy cluster measured using Spitzer, Chandra, HST, and Subaru.  z~5.3.

see you all next week!