A Symposium on Amateur-Professional Partnership in Astronomy Education and Research; Toronto, Canada, July 4-7, 1999

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AST 99-05808HavlenThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the Royal Astronomical Society ofCanada and the American Association of Variable Star Observers have jointly Organized a symposium to explore the extensive opportunities for cooperative programs in astronomy research and education. The symposium will make it possible for professional and amateur astronomers to meet and work together. The symposium will take place in Toronto, Canada, on July 5-7, 1999. This event will bring together representatives from amateur and professional groups to consider existing partnerships, highlight new areas for collaboration, and devise strategies to develop, expand, and enhance specific cooperative programs. There will be sessions on research collaborations that will focus on scientific motivations and how to exploit the rapidly evolving technologies available to amateurs. The education partnership sessions will emphasize the need for future actions, analyze successful programs, and encourage the development of new ones. The format of the symposium will optimize participant interaction through a combination of summary talks, panel discussions, small group discussions, and poster presentations. The major sessions will include: the history of amateur-professional partnerships; exemplary partnerships (in such areas of research as on variable stars, comets, the Sun, and other topics); research partnerships in developing areas (SETI, gamma-ray bursters, supernovae, etc.); discussions on how to form, facilitate, and fund partnerships; techniques for bringing astronomers into classrooms and participating in informal education projects; promoting research experiences for students; and making effective use of the media. Support for the participation of amateur astronomers and educators to attend the symposium will be provided.This award is funded by support from the Division of Astronomical Sciences and the Office of Interdisciplinary Activities in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.****