As the wind picks up and the skies cloud over (at least here in Wisconsin), it can be hard to remember that nice, balmy weather will someday return. That’s why Russell Genet’s work is so important. As the facilitator of the Alt-Az Initiative and co-chair of its Hawaii conferences, he works not just to promote development of and scientific research on smaller telescopes, but to keep astronomy buffs warm in the cold months too. Mostly, though, it’s the former, with a focus on “matching instruments and scientific research programs.”
On New Year’s Eve 2008, the initiative’s first conference, “Galileo’s Legacy: A celebration of small telescopes and astronomical research four centuries later,” helped launch the International Year of Astronomy. For 5 days the Oahu, Hawaii, meeting paid tribute to Galileo, his telescope, and the hundreds who have followed in his footsteps by designing new telescopes and training them on the skies.
The subject was particularly well-suited for the Alt-Az Initiative because it promotes “the development of low-cost, lightweight, modest-aperture (2 meters or less) research telescopes.” In addition, Genet hopes these conferences particularly encourage undergraduate students to engage with the smaller scopes. This year two undergraduates attended and spoke at the meeting, and one of them, Jo Johnson, is the other co-chair of the conferences.
This year, Galileo’s Legacy provided attendees with more than 40 talks and workshops that Genet says were “relaxed and friendly, with lots of nitty gritty.”
One of the most popular events was Gemini Observatory Director Doug Simons’ workshop on technology transfers from large to small alt-az telescopes. After the conference ended, many of the participants visited Gemini itself in Hilo, Hawaii, for a special tour, where, Genet says, the discussions continued with “lots of details on control systems, lightweight mirrors, instruments, and science programs.”
Of course, it being Hawaii in the wintertime, I’m pretty sure science wasn’t the only attraction. The Makaha Resort hosted the conference. It features a golf course, swimming pool, and close proximity to Makaha Beach, home of the annual Big Board Surfing Contest. Despite this selection of recreation options, Genet says the resort’s veranda and pool were frequent sites for informal discussions and dialogue.
Working in this field, I like to think of myself as a bridge between the two different worlds of science and fun. These Hawaii conferences — the next one is February 2010, also at the Makaha Resort, will tackle many of the same issues — seem like a nifty way of bridging the divide, too.
So, what do you think? Is the combination of tropical paradise and telescope conference enough to entice you to go? Or are you a cold-weather lovin’ big-scope fan?
Photos credit: Richard Berry