The 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Arecibo Observatory is a landmark event for one of the nation?s storied and most significant federal scientific facilities. To mark the anniversary, SRI International (SRI) proposes a science symposium that will both celebrate and publicize the Observatory?s past accomplishments, current investigations, and importance to future exploration. Keynote speakers will review the Observatory?s 50 years of scientific, engineering, and educational accomplishments in Ionospheric and Atmospheric Science, Radio Astronomy, and Planetary Radar Astronomy. Presentations by active users will survey current research activities, and moderated forums will offer the opportunity to discuss strategies for the future scientific direction of the facility.
The symposium will facilitate the exchange of scientific findings, insights, and techniques across the interdisciplinary community that uses the unique observational resources of Arecibo Observatory. Such conversations are likely to stimulate ideas for expanded investigations and spark interest in novel explorations, resulting in increased and more diverse applications for the Observatory?s instruments.
The broader impact of the symposium flows from the educational and outreach missions of the Observatory, and the global economic and ethnic diversity provided by a U.S. federal facility located in Latin America. Extensive public press coverage of this event will communicate our scientific and educational activities to an extensive, diverse community. The symposium will present rich scientific content, provide a pivotal point in strategic planning for future achievement, and recognize and appreciate the scientists and engineers who developed and use this national treasure.
The 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the William E. Gordon Telescope at Arecibo Observatory was recognized with a two-day scientific symposium on October 28-19, 2013. The symposium was entitled "Fifty Years of Scientific Achievement and Future Directions at Arecibo Observatory," and the event was held at the auditorium of the Angel Ramos Foundation Visitor Center. Attendance was by invitation, and there were 120 attendees at the two-day symposium. The symposium agenda and a list of attendees appears on the Arecibo Observatory website, at www.naic.edu/fifty/index.shtml. Fifty-one papers were presented at the 50th Anniversary symposium, and ten of these were keynote addresses lasting 30 minutes each. Sixteen presentations on a broad range of Atmospheric Science topics and 24 presentations on a broad range of Radio Astronomy topics were interspersed throughout the meeting, along with five presentations describing engineering accomplishments and plans at the observatory. Six papers were presented on topics within Planetary Radar Science during the morning of the second day of the meeting. In addition, one keynote address on the public impact of science at Arecibo Observatory was presented at a group dinner on the first night of the symposium. Seven formal papers have been submitted for electronic posting on the Arecibo Observatory website; these papers may be found there. Approximately 25% of the symposium attendees were undergraduate or graduate students. The review of scientific accomplishments at Arecibo Observatory underscored the contributions that the observatory has made to a diverse collection of scientific and engineering disciplines, extending well beyond the telescope’s originally perceived purpose. Plans for future work, described at this symposium, promise to continue the Arecibo Observatory legacy of scientific excellence for generations to come.
