NASA Scientists to Share Ideas at SETIcon Gathering

Date: 2010.08.14 | Category: Other | Response: 0

NASA Scientists to Share Ideas at SETIcon Gathering  

MEDIA ADVISORY: M10-67 Aug. 12, 2010

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – NASA scientists will join space experts, celebrities and science fiction writers to discuss science, entertainment and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the SETI Institute, Mountain View, Calif., at the SETIcon, Aug. 13-15, 2010 at The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara House, 5101 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, Calif.

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World-renowned astronomer Donald C. Backer dies at age 66

Date: 2010.07.30 | Category: Other | Response: 0

29 July 2010

BERKELEY — Don Backer, a professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a world leader in the field of radio astronomy, died on Sunday, July 25, after collapsing outside his home. He was 66.

Backer joined the UC Berkeley Astronomy Department in 1975; since 1989, he held a position both as a full professor in astronomy and as a researcher in the department’s Radio Astronomy Laboratory (RAL). He served as chair of the department from 1998-1999 and from 2002-2008, and as the RAL director from 2008 until his death.

An innovative and visionary scientist, instrumentalist and observer, Backer worked in many areas of astronomy and was involved in numerous ground-breaking projects over his 40-year career. His research focused on pulsars, high-energy astrophysics, the epoch of reionization and the exploration of these topics with the most imaginative and state-of-the art instrumentation.

Backer made seminal contributions to the study of pulsars. In the early 1980s, he and several collaborators discovered the first millisecond pulsar, a neutron star spinning close to its breakup speed. He also developed an important use for the millisecond pulsar as a probe of the gravitational wave background. Dozens of researchers around the world are in active pursuit of the discovery, characterization and use of millisecond pulsars, especially for detection of gravitational waves. Backer invented and developed digital systems for the detection and precise measurement of pulsars, and they have been adopted as standards in the field and are used at the major observatories worldwide.

Born in Plainfield, N.J., on Nov. 9, 1943, and raised in New Jersey, Backer went off to study at Cornell University, where he graduated with a B.S. in engineering physics in 1966. He then attended the University of Manchester, where he completed an M.Sc. in radio astronomy in 1968 before returning to Cornell for further graduate studies. He received his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1971.

His early career was ignited by the discovery of pulsars and the construction by Cornell of the world’s largest radio telescope, the Arecibo dish in Puerto Rico.

Among other honors during his long career, Backer was chosen for the prestigious Jansky Lectureship at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in 2003. In addition, he served on countless national and international committees in astronomy.

At UC Berkeley, Backer’s colleagues and former students said he will be remembered not only for his valuable research accomplishments, but also for his relentless energy, deep passion for science, and as someone who cared greatly for the people around him.

“And lucky for us, he was unflappable, capable and dependable on these quests, always prepared to start a fire with only a couple of sticks, to siphon gas with a small tube, to carry someone injured on his back to get medical assistance. We and everyone who knew him will miss his spirit, integrity and bedrock.”

In addition to his wife, Susan Backer of Berkeley, Backer is survived by his son, David of Rockville, Maryland: his mother, Lura Backer of Bredenton, Fla., and a niece, a nephew and a granddaughter. His father, Phillip Backer, died in 1998 and his brother, Ken Backer, in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Donald Backer Memorial Fund, to continue his legacy and to support the new frontiers of astronomy research and education. Checks can be made out to the UC Berkeley Foundation and mailed to Barbara Hoversten, Astronomy Department, MC3411, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450. A private memorial service is scheduled.

Full Text: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2010/07/29_backer.shtml

Please visit the memorial web site at http://donald-backer.forevermissed.com.

(http://www.usastronomy.com/)

USA Science Festival & Expo: October 10 to 24, 2010

Date: 2010.07.16 | Category: Other | Response: 0

The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, D.C. area in the Fall of 2010. Opening on 10/10/10 with a gala concert of amazing science songs performed by over 200 children and adults at the University of Maryland, the Festival promises to be the ultimate multi-cultural, multi-generational and multi-disciplinary celebration of science in the United States.

Expo Dates: October 23 & 24, 2010
The culmination of the USA Science & Engineering Festival will be a two-day Expo on the National Mall that will give over 500 science organizations from all over the United States the opportunity to present themselves with a hands-on, fun science activity to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. The list of exhibitors includes universities, colleges, high school science clubs, student organizations, research institutes, informal science outreach organizations, community organizations, professional science & engineering societies, life science and high tech companies, and many other types of science organizations. The Expo will also feature over 40 performances on three different stages. Read more at: USA Science Festival

Toothache Day

Date: 2010.06.30 | Category: February | Response: 0

When : Always February 9th

Toothache Day, one can only ask…. Why!?

There’s a lot of bizarre days. Many celebrate funny or silly or strange events. But, we wonder why someone would want to celebrate a toothache!? Unfortunately, we have yet to uncover a website or any written documentation about this day.

We suggest you participate in this day by learning or reviewing the cause of toothache and tooth decay. Pass this education along to your kids. If you have a toothache today, by all means call your dentist.

Global Astronomy Month (GAM 2010) – Trailer

Date: 2010.06.17 | Category: April, Global Astronomy Month | Response: 1

Rwanda Named Global Host of WED 2010

Date: 2010.06.05 | Category: June | Response: 0

World Environment Day 05 June

As millions around the globe celebrate World Environment Day, United Nations officials are warning that the incredible variety of life on Earth is in peril and urging everyone to speak out to protect biodiversity.
World Environment Day is the people’s day for environmental action. Under the theme ‘Many Species. One Planet. One Future’, this year’s event celebrated the incredible diversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

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Democracy Is … Stories of Survival and Hope

Date: 2010.06.02 | Category: September | Response: 0

Survival and hope are messages that run through this year’s Democracy Video Challenge finalists from the Western Hemisphere.

The U.S. State Department-sponsored contest, now in its second year, challenges videographers the world over to describe what “Democracy Is…” in three minutes or less. This year’s contest attracted more than 1,600 submissions from people representing 111 countries. Eighteen finalists have been chosen from six different regions. The three finalists representing the Western Hemisphere are Franklin Pham, Juan Pablo Patiño Arévalo and Nicole Dalesio.

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Democracy is only the beginning…”

Date: 2010.06.01 | Category: September | Response: 2