Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jan 17, 2012 22:28:23 GMT -6
The Chicago Astronomers and the Mayan Calendar Workshop
27 & 28 January 2012
27 & 28 January 2012
Calendar in the Sky connects the knowledge of the Maya to NASA science. The Maya weave astronomy, religion, politics, agriculture, architecture, engineering, and art together to form the rich tapestry of their culture. Maya calendars embody this interplay of science and culture. Calendar in the Sky presents articles and multimedia resources about Maya culture, modern science investigations carried out by NASA, and the science behind many of the year 2012 misconceptions.
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The Chicago Astronomers have the unique and special opportunity to attend a very interesting workshop regarding the 2012 "End Times"....in prepping for the most certain onslaught of questions and inquiries from our visitors, guests and fans - on the hoopla surrounding this long anticipated non-event. We have already been fielding the 2012 interest during our Chicago Astronomer Star Parties and Observation Sessions for some time now.
To better respond and answer questions intelligently, smartly and clearly, I have selected a few Chicago Astronomer members to attend this timely workshop. I had sent out a mass email on this to our active Chicago Astronomers and for those to contact me if interested. These responding individuals expressed interest and the ability in attending - but unfortunately, I had to narrow it down to four - from the instructions of the organizers of the event. There is a stand-by list, and if you would like to see if a space will open up, let me know and I'll add you to it.
Details of the event here:
Dear Educator,
We are pleased to inform you that your application has been approved to attend the “Calendar in the Sky” workshop for informal educators, to be held at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago on January 27-28, 2012. If you are not able to attend this workshop for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible. Below are some important details about the workshop:
LOGISTICAL INFORMATION
Date: Friday 1/27 – Saturday 1/28
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Location: Adler Planetarium
1300 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
Food: Lunch and snacks will be provided on both days
OTHER INFORMATION
- We are planning a “Share-a-thon” session during the workshop. The intent of this session is to give workshop participants a chance to share with each other activities and ideas that they have used in public programs that are related to workshop topics.
- Appropriate topics include: Maya culture (including cosmology, architecture, mythology, mathematics, etc.), naked-eye astronomy observations of the Sun/Moon/planets, solar flares/CMEs, asteroid and comet impacts, magnetic polar shift, planet hunting, and the transit of Venus. If you are unsure whether or not a topic is appropriate, please contact us.
- If you are planning on participating in the “Share-a-Thon”, please let us know. Plan to give a presentation that is no more than 5 minutes in length.
Calendar in the Sky Website:
- The Calendar in the Sky project has launched a website! Please visit www.calendarinthesky.org to check out some articles and resources related to Maya science, NASA science and 2012 science.
- We will be creating login accounts for all workshop participants to make use of the discussion forum feature on the website. Please take a moment to confirm your attendance at the workshop and we will create an account for you.
More information will be coming your way prior to the workshop. We look forward to seeing you.
Space Sciences Laboratory
University of California, Berkeley
7 Gauss Way, MC 7450
Berkeley, CA 94720-7450
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I am very excited about attending this workshop and sharing the data and resources learned here. As my bloodline has Azteca roots, this is especially of interest to me.
I will cover and document this as best I can with narratives and pics - reporting on the event and having a great time meeting participants and fellow Astronomers from all around...