Contact information listed below

The clear, dark skies of the desert southwest surrounding Tucson have long been a magnet for the scientists and engineers who build large research telescopes. The exquisite night skies and numerous research organizations located in the region also provide a world-class environment for a significant portion of the growing international community of people who work in education and public outreach related to astronomy.

More than 300 creative astronomy educators from across the world will be gathering in Tucson at the 117th annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), Sept. 14 through 16, to share innovative ideas and discuss common challenges in the fields of astronomy, astrobiology, space science and Earth science education. ASP’s mission is increasing public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.

The meeting will, for the first time, spotlight current issues and problems facing education and public outreach (EPO) professionals. Titled “Building Community: The Emerging EPO Profession,” the meeting already has attracted a larger crowd than the ASP had initially planned. “Registration for this meeting has far exceeded our expectations. This speaks to the importance that all these groups attach to science education and outreach,” said Katy Garmany, immediate past-president of the ASP. Garmany is also a scientist in the educational outreach group at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, which operates Kitt Peak.

Those attending the conference include top professionals from NASA, the National Science Foundation, major universities, professional associations, science centers and museums. They are the people who bring the excitement of astronomy to non-astronomers on a regular basis, in settings ranging from Kitt Peak to K-12 classrooms.

Jon Miller of Northwestern University, an expert on public opinion toward science and the state of science literacy in the United States is one of several noted plenary speakers at the event.

Conference workshops range from “Why Don’t They Get It? I Did!” and “Reading, Writing, and Rings: The Synthesis of Science and Language” to “From Promise to Product: Developing Innovative Educational Activities for Today’s Audience.”

Conference attendees will also have an opportunity to tour the Steward Observatory Mirror Lab and take a behind-the-scenes tour of Kitt Peak National Observatory.

As it does every year, the ASP also will be presenting awards at its annual banquet, which this year includes several Tucson area astronomers. This year the Trumpler award for the best doctoral thesis by a young astronomer will be given to two University of Arizona graduates: Jennifer Scott (astronomy), now at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and Siming Liu (physics) now at Stanford University.

Dr. Tim Hunter is the 2005 recipient of the ASP Award for Amateur Achievement. A physician and active amateur astronomer, Hunter is a co-founder of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), headquartered in Tucson, which draws attention to growing loss of dark skies that are necessary for astronomy research.

Media contacts: Katy Garmany, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson; 520-318-8526 Lisa A. Tidwell, M.M.C.,Phoenix Mars Mission/ University of Arizona, Tucson; 520-626-1974 or (cell) 480-262-3826

To schedule an interview with one of the plenary speakers or an ASP official, call Katy Garmany at 520-318-8526.

For more information about the 117th annual ASP conference, go online to www.astrosociety.org/events/meeting.html

For more information on the plenary speakers: http://www.astrosociety.org/events/2005mtg/conference.html#3

More on ASP award winners: http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/05winnerspub.html