Interested in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs)? Well, you’re definitely not alone. GRB astronomers from more than 25 countries will be in Huntsville, Alabama, this coming Monday through Thursday (October 20 to 23) for the Sixth Huntsville Gamma-Ray Burst Symposium. Special emphasis will be on early results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which launched June 11, 2008. The symposium will also cover Swift observations, GRB cosmology, magnetars, and other related GRB topics.
As part of the symposium, astrophysicist Neil Gehrels will give a public talk titled “Black Holes: from Einstein to Gamma-ray Bursts.” If you’re in the area, head to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center at 7:30 P.M. Monday, October 20 for the talk. And yes, the public talk is free.
If science and technology policy is more your thing, and you’re in the Minneapolis area October 20 and 21, check out the Innovation 2008 Conference. This gathering brings together scientists, educators, policy makers, students, business leaders, and the public to discuss solutions to major science and technology challenges facing the United States. Another goal of this conference is to broaden public appreciation of science. While most of the conference will discuss science other than astronomy, Lawrence Krauss, an astrophysicist at Arizona State University, will participate in a panel regarding the key role science plays in our nation’s success.
Do you know of any other neat events coming up that the Astronomy editors may not be aware of? Let us know.