The future of .Astronomy February 12, 2010
Posted by sarah in: dotastronomy, me , trackback
Planning the next .Astronomy
Carolina and I just got back from the UK, where we met up with the rest of the .Astronomy organisers to tie up some loose ends and discuss the future of our little workshop. With a few noted exceptions, participants as well as organisers seemed to enjoy the conference, and we’re keen to build on that success and put together another event in 2010. So that led us to some important questions: where, when, how and who?
In a short space of time we’ve converged on a loose plan for the next .Astronomy, and we’re confident that we can pull something together that will equal the Leiden workshop in spirit, fun and coolness. You heard it here: .Astronomy 3 is officially under way. If you have any ideas or suggestions, get in touch!
One of the things I’ve recently been pondering when it comes to the theme of ‘Science Online’, is that we spend a lot of time talking about science online but doing a lot less of it. I’d like to bring this to the fore at the next workshop. Discussing all the great opportunities the internet has to offer in science is fantastic, but I think we need to focus more clearly on specific methods and tools that will advance astronomy research, rather than just help us talk about it.
Don’t get me wrong, talking about science online has allowed me to meet some of the most interesting and fun people I’ve come across in my (admittedly short) career. But if we want to get an entire community to listen and build successful careers for ourselves, we need to be focusing on the research. The great thing about the internet is that outreach and education can follow as a natural byproduct of doing astronomy in the open.
I’m looking forward to being able to talk more concretely about the next workshop, we have a bit more work to do before being able to make a proper announcement. More soon!
Comments»
no comments yet - be the first?