A hybrid American Astronomical Society workshop, Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 3/4, 2023
Organizers
- Brian Kloppenborg, American Association of Variable Star Observers, bkloppenborg@aavso.org
- Russell Genet, California Polytechnic State University, russmgenet@aol.com
- Rachel Freed, Institute for Student Astronomical Research, r.freed2010@gmail.com
Abstract
The era of big-data surveys by a few, large, well-funded, ground and space telescopes is upon us. Gaia, TESS, and the Vera Rubin Observatory immediately come to mind. What, in this new era, will be the role of the numerous small ground telescopes, as well as the growing number of small space telescopes? How, in the future, could these smaller telescopes best contribute to science? Small robotic ground telescopes, up to 1-meter in aperture, are now produced in quantity. Although small, general-purpose space telescopes are yet to be produced in quantity, this seems likely before the end of this decade. Many of the observational areas where small ground telescopes predominated in the past—such as variable star astronomy, transient event discovery, and asteroid tracking—will now be shared with the firehose of fully automated observations spewing forth from the large survey telescopes. This two-day AAS Albuquerque workshop will explore the capabilities, limitations, and gaps of both the large survey telescopes and the small ground and space telescopes. The workshop will also consider how these observational resources could best complement each other. Talks will be followed by working sessions to explore opportunities for cooperative research. The workshop is open to professional researchers, educators, students, and citizen scientists. If interested in attending either in-person or online, please contact any one of the organizers.
Sessions
- Session 1 3 June Saturday AM Modern All-Sky Surveys
- Session 2 3 June Saturday PM Complimentary Small Telescopes
- Session 3 4 June Sunday AM Photons to papers: the people that make it happen
- Session 4 4 June Sunday PM Bringing it All Together (working sessions)
Photos
Session 1 - Modern All Sky Surveys
| Time | Name | Talk Title |
| 9:00:00 | Brian Kloppenborg | Introduction and welcome |
| 9:15:00 | Ashish Mahabal | ZTF: From exciting transients to their populations |
| 9:30:00 | Michael Tucker | 10 Years of ASAS-SN |
| 9:45:00 | Elmé Breedt | The role of small telescopes in the follow-up of Gaia Alerts |
| 10:00:00 | Diana Dragomir | The critical role small ground-based telescopes play in the validation and confirmation of exoplanets discovered by the TESS mission |
| 10:15:00 | Break | N/A |
| 10:30:00 | Will Clarkson | Science with the Vera Rubin Observatory and 'small' telescopes |
| 10:45:00 | Hank Corbett | Low-cost access to the deep, high-cadence sky with the Argus Optical Array |
| 11:00:00 | Panel Discussion | |
| 11:30:00 | Lunch Break | N/A |
Session 2 - Complementary Small Telescopes
| Time | Name | Talk Title |
| 13:30:00 | Russ Genet | Robotic Telescopes and Observatories |
| 13:45:00 | Nikolaus Volgenau | LCO resources to aid astronomy in the big data era |
| 14:00:00 | Dan Reichart | The Skynet Robotic Telescope Network |
| 14:15:00 | Brian Kloppenborg | AAVSOnet: A volunteer managed robotic telescope network. |
| 14:30:00 | Michael Garcia | NASA Astrophysics CubeSat and SmallSat Telescopes |
| 14:45:00 | Aaron Tohuvavohu | A Future of Abundant Space Telescopes: Exploring Cooperative Economies of Scale |
| 15:00:00 | Break | N/A |
| 15:15:00 | Eric Blackhurst | Planewave Direct Drive Telescopes |
| 15:30:00 | Dan Gray | New Life for Old Telescopes |
| 15:45:00 | ||
| 16:00:00 | Bob Buchheim | Photometry, Spectroscopy & Backyard Astronomers |
| 16:15:00 | Panel Discussion | N/A |
| 16:30:00 | End of day |
Session 3 - Photons to Papers: the people that make it happen
| Time | Name | Talk Title |
| 9:00:00 | Dr. Rachel Freed | Preparing the next generation of scientific researchers |
| 9:15:00 | Pat Boyce | Engaging Citizen Scientists and Students in Astronomy Research Programs |
| 9:30:00 | JD Armstrong | Student research/education program in Hawaii |
| 9:45:00 | Daryl Janzen | Intro to astro Research Projects at the University of Saskatchewan |
| 10:00:00 | Michael Fitzgerald | Photon Ranch: Engaging middle years students in astronomy |
| 10:15:00 | Break | N/A |
| 10:30:00 | John Hoot | A collaborative Astronomy Research Workbench |
| 10:45:00 | Mark Harris | Speckle Interferometry bringing real science research to masses of students using Smaller Scopes |
| 11:00:00 | Roger Wholly | Astronomy Research at EAC / UV Ceti Example |
| 11:15:00 | Panel Discussion | |
| 11:45:00 | Lunch Break | N/A |
Session 4 - Working Session
| Time | Name | Talk Title |
| 13:30:00 | Brian Kloppenborg | Introduction and Objectives |
| 13:35:00 | Working Session 1 | Defining Collaborative Opportunities |
| 14:20:00 | Break | |
| 14:35:00 | Working Session 2 | Construction of a joint statement |
| 15:20:00 | Workshop Organizers | Closing Remarks |