This award will provide travel support for attendees and invited speakers for the ninth annual symposium of the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship (AAPF) program, to be held in Seattle, WA on January 8-9, 2011. The purpose of the AAPF program is to integrate research and educational activities at the postdoctoral level, to better prepare the fellows for a scientific career. The Annual Symposium provides a venue for fellows to discuss their research and teaching or outreach projects while increasing their exposure within the astronomy and astrophysics community. The symposium represents a key component of the AAPF program, acting as a mechanism to facilitate knowledge transfer from experiences the fellows have obtained in the course of their activities to a broad audience.
As with the previous symposia in this series, the AAPF symposium for 2011 will promote discussion among astronomers with very different interests and backgrounds. By creating a forum in which discussions can occur across the standard boundaries defined by subdiscipline, there is great opportunity for new insights and the ability to develop new interdisciplinary collaborations. The symposium will also provide a venue for discussing other issues that are important to young astronomers as they begin their careers. In addition, the symposium will (1) provide a forum for discussing the combination of research and teaching, (2) facilitate collaborations between AAPF fellows on both research and education, and (3) provide exposure for the fellows and the fellowship program within the astronomical community, given that the symposium is held in conjunction with the winter American Astronomical Society meeting.
The primary activity of this funding was a two day symposium. The AAPF symposium serves as an invaluable resource for early career scientists interested in engaging in effective research and education/public outreach to exchange and disseminate their (research and EPO) activities. The 2011 NSF AAPF Symposium was organized by John Wisniewski (UW) and Jeremiah Murphy (UW), with support from Dana Lehr (NSF), the AAS, and the University of Washington. Invited speakers to the symposium were Nobel winner John Mather (NASA), who gave the keynote science address, Keivan Stassun (Vanderbilt), who gave the keynote education address, and James Ulvestad (NSF), who provided insight into the current status of the NSF and gave closing remarks. The symposium was significantly enhanced by 3 panels discussions on the topics of 'Practical aspects of mentoring students', 'Applying and interviewing for jobs: the interviewer vs interviewee perspective', and 'Non-academic career paths'. Panel topics, panelists, and invited speakers were collectively brainstormed and voted on by AAPFs via the AAPF email list. Invited panelists to the symposium were Sheia Edwards Lange (UW), Eric Agol (UW), Keivan Stassun (UW), Suzanne Hawley (UW), Karen Bjorkman (U Toledo), John Johnson (Caltech), Marshall Perrin (STScI), Crystal Brogan (NRAO), and Nick Siegler (JPL). Additionally, 20 NSF AAPFs gave 15 minute talks about their research and/or education and public outreach activities. The symposium was open to AAS members, and attendance was tracked throughout the meeting by co-organizers Wisniewski and Murphy. Total attendance fluctuated between 25-48 people.
