MAY 19 - 23, 2008

MONDAY, MAY 19

4:30 pm: CfA-Wide Reception in Honor of Dr. Margaret Geller. Charles Alcock will host a CfA-wide reception to celebrate Dr. Margaret Geller's Magellanic Premium Award. This award, which is given by the American Philosophical Society, recognizes major contributions in the fields of navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy. The Magellanic Premium is among the most prestigious honors for professional achievement. Since the Premium was established in 1786, it has been awarded on only 33 occasions. Phillips Auditorium.

THURSDAY, MAY 22

12:30 pm: Optical and Infrared Astronomy Division Lunch Talk. "Dust Production in Primordial Systems: The View From the Spitzer Space Telescope," Dr. Greg Sloan, Cornell University. Pratt Conference Room.

Abstract: The Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope has the sensitivity to survey the production of dust by evolved stars in metal-poor galaxies in the Local Group. These spectra reveal several important dependencies of dust production with metallicity, and one lack of dependency. The amount of dust produced by carbon stars has little or no relation to the initial metallicity of the star. This result constrasts with evolved oxygen-rich stars, where the amount of silicate dust and its molecular precursors decreases with metallicity. In metal-poor systems, more stars will evolve into carbon stars, and consequently, a higher fraction of the dust injected into the interstellar medium will be carbon rich.

4:00 pm: Colloquium. "Delusions of Space Enthusiasts," Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, American Museum of Natural History. (Anyone wishing to meet with the speaker should contact the host, Prof. Douglas Finkbeiner, ext. 4-8393.) Preceded by tea at 3:30 pm. Phillips Auditorium.

Abstract: A study and review of the persistent mismatch between the ambitions of academics and the realities that face America's future in space. Illustrated with first-hand experiences drawn from interactions with the public, the aerospace industry, NASA, and the White House.

FRIDAY, MAY 23

12:30 pm: Radio and Geoastronomy Division Lunch Talk. "Models of Starless Cores," Dr. Eric Keto, CfA. (Rescheduled from May 16.) Room M-340, 160 Concord Avenue.

Abstract: I will discuss the results of research on starless cores done in collaboration with Avery Broderick, Ramesh Narayan, and George Field of the Theory Division, and Charles Lada of RG, and Paola Caselli now at Leeds. Starless cores, a class of small dark clouds that includes Bok Globules and Lynds Nebulae, are significant in the interstellar medium as the future birthplaces of stars. Following the suggestion of Lada et al (2003) that the internal motions in some starless cores may be sound waves, we model oscillations in the cores the same way as we do oscillations in stars thus introducing the study of nepho(cloud)-seismology. We find that oscillations of clouds in stable equilibrium are able to reproduce spectral line profiles similar to those seen in clouds during the subsonic phase of contraction that leads to star formation. This complicates the interpretation of these spectral line observations. However, the two cases, stable and contracting, can still be distinguished by other observations. Models of the cores that include the radiative equilibrium of the gas and dust and the chemical evolution of CO indicate that the gas and dust temperatures, gas densities, and CO excitation temperatures are quite different in the two classes of cores. Observational examples of both cases are easily found. The starless cores are the simplest of all molecular clouds and relatively simple physics are able to explain the variety of observable properties exhibited by these stellar incubators.

SAO HUMAN RESOURCES NOTES

2008 Pre-Retirement Series for CSRS and FERS Employees

The Greater Boston Federal Executive Board has announced their 2008 Pre-Retirement Series. This year, for the first time, they will offer a 1-full day program for CSRS employees and 1-full day program for FERS employees, both featuring consultant Steve Marder and both will be held at the Volpe Center in Cambridge. The cost is $50 per person and registration is on a first come - first served basis.

The following links provide details and online registration.

Directions to the Volpe Center are available here.

Training Registration Instructions

Complete the newly simplified Request & Authorization for External Training/Tuition Reimbursement form, obtain the required department/division approvals and send the completed, signed form to the SAO Benefits Office in Human Resources, MS17. Approved participants will then be registered for this training by Procurement. Please note: if you register yourself for this training online, you will be required to provide payment via credit card and you may not receive reimbursement.

The new training form is a fillable Word document. If you should have any questions about completing this form or the enrollment process, please don't hesitate to contact Linda McDonald, ext. 6-7605 (e-mail: lmcdonald@cfa), or Anne LeBlanc, ext. 5-7371 (e-mail: aleblanc@cfa).

Job Vacancies

An online listing of all current SAO job openings is available. For more information, please call Human Resources, ext. 5-7371, or view your nearest bulletin board.