[AANC Contacts] Education Positions at ASP, UC Speaker Series, Dean Lectures & Dates

[Kenneth Frank]

Happy Winter Solstice All,

Lots of things on the event horizon!
Starting with:

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is announcing two interesting positions 
available in its education department:

1. Director of Education
The ASP is looking for a person with at least a masters degree in science or science 
education and experience in project management and education, to provide overall 
management of and help develop strategic directions for the broad range of the Society's 
educational programs. Duties include developing new initiatives, helping with conceiving 
and writing proposals, supervising staff and programs, and cultivating partnerships with 
other organizations.

2. Lead Formal Educator
The ASP is looking for a person with good knowledge of astronomy and experience in K-12 
education to work on a number of existing and developing programs in astronomy education. 
  Current duties include coordinating Project ASTRO, managing a web-based quarterly 
newsletter for teachers, conducting training programs for school districts interested in 
hands-on astronomy, and assisting with other initiatives in formal education.

More detailed information about each position and specific instructions for applying can 
be found at the Society's web site at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/about/career.html

More information about the education programs of the 120-year old international Society, 
headquartered in San Francisco, can be found at:
http://www.astrosociety.org/education.html

*****

This UC Berkeley Speaker series for the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Public Talks,
Hosted by the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department
pointed out by Michael Kran:
http://astro.berkeley.edu/~scroft/iya/

Welcome to the 20th Anniversary Benjamin Dean Lecture Series. This series will begin in 
January and will feature six Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences.
  All six of our speakers are Fellows of the California Academy of Sciences. They will be 
sharing their research with us under the stars of the new Morrison Planetarium, using the 
planetarium's technology to visualize their data.

Monday, 12 January
Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe
Alex Filippenko
University of California, Berkeley



February 2 - Asteroids, Evolution, and the Long-term Habitability of Earth
David Morrison, NASA Ames Research Center

March 16 - Sandra Faber, University of California, Santa Cruz/Lick Observatory

April 6 -Monday, 6 April
Habitable Worlds in the Universe: The Search Begins
Geoff Marcy, University of California, Berkeley

May 4 - Jill Tarter, SETI Institute

June 1 - David Des Marais, NASA Ames Research Center

Prices: Adults $10,  Seniors $8,  Academy Members $5
____________________________________
Benjamin Dean Lecture Series in Astronomy
Morrison Planetarium
California Academy of Sciences
55 Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-379-8000
deanseries at calacademy.org

*****

Other upcoming dates to remember:

•	Dec 21 @ 2:04am – Winter Solstice

•	Dec 23-30 – Saturn's rings are thinnest for the year

•	Dec 27 – New Moon

•	Dec 30-31 – Mercury and Jupiter are <1.5 deg apart

•	Jan 3 Quadrantid meteor shower peak.  Look east before dawn!

•	Jan 7 On this day, Galileo discovers Io, Europa and Callisto in 1610.

•	Jan 10 IYA Kick-Off Event: Phases of Venus, IYA2009 Featured Object for the month of 
January:
	http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/download-view.cfm?Doc_ID=300

•	Jan 13  Galileo discovers Ganymede also in 1610

Happy Holidays.