Fourth Annual CASCA Graduate Student Workshop

On May 11, 2002, the Fourth Annual CASCA Graduate Student Workshop was held in Penticton, British Columbia. The theme of the workshop was "Public Outreach and Education of Astronomy" and was organized by students from the University of Calgary. Approximately 60 people participated in the workshop, including a fairly significant number of "former" graduate students, which was a welcome inclusion. Interest in the workshop was far-ranging, as inquiries were received from distant regions such as Germany, Hawaii, and Colombia.

The day was split into four interactive sessions with a guest speaker leading each one. Two of these concentrated on education, while the other two focussed on public outreach. The first speaker was John Dickey, who illustrated the importance of being an effective teaching assistant. A popular part of the session saw John lead the students outside for some fresh Okanagan air while teaching the finer points of voice projection across classroom-sized areas. The next session was delivered by Let’s Talk Science, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting science to young people. Maria Boetzkes and Maggie Kilian led a very hands-on workshop related to bringing astrophysical concepts to a level that can be understood easily by grade school children.

Next, the workshop delegates got some more exercise by walking to Mykonos Restaurant, where they were treated to a very fulfilling and enjoyable lunch. The owners were kind enough to open their establishment for the exclusive use of the workshop participants, since they normally would not be open for Saturday lunch. Following lunch the Graduate Student Annual General Meeting was held, after which the workshop continued. Tim Slater gave an outstanding and energetic presentation on effective and interactive lecturing, providing many pointers to improve the style and content of astronomy lectures. Tim very eloquently demonstrated the many pitfalls into which a lecturer may fall, in a very entertaining manner. The final session was led by Ivan Semeniuk, a producer for the Discovery Channel. Ivan drew some amazing parallels between astronomers and television prodcuers, and gave several excellent examples of effective public outreach tools for scientists when dealing with the media. A sample interview from @discovery.ca, including some behind-the-scenes footage, was very enlightening and provoked a lot of discussion. Each guest speaker was presented with a bottle of Okanagan wine in appreciation of their contribution.

In addition to the group activity generated by the sessions, an additional exercise in the form of a trivia contest reinforced the collaborative nature of the workshop. The workshop was considered to be a total success, and graduate students are already looking forward to the next one. None of it would have been possible without the sponsorship and generosity of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics; CASCA and the CASCA Education Committee; and the University of Calgary’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, and Faculty of Graduate Studies.

Kevin Douglas
Principal Workshop Organizer