The rumors are true. The California Academy of Sciences will host an
Astronomy Visualization Workshop, 6-8 May 2009.

My apologies for the belated announcement. A website with
registration details will be available soon, but in the meantime, we
have made arrangements for a special rate at the Stanyan Park Hotel,
which is a short walk from the Academy through Golden Gate Park:
http://www.stanyanpark.com/

A rough schedule for the three days: Wednesday, 6 May, will be a full
day of talks with an evening reserved for special demonstrations in
the planetarium and 3D stereoscopic theater; Thursday, 7 May, will
offer up more talks culminating in a VIP lounge at the Academy's
weekly "NightLife" event (and you won't need to buy scalped tickets on
Craigslist); and Friday, 8 May, promises a shorter collection of talks
as well as a potential field trip. We are reaching out to several Bay
Area companies and institutions to enrich the workshop with some astro-
interested innovators.

As you may recall, we have timed the workshop with a concert of the
California Symphony on 3 and 5 May 2009, featuring list member Jose
Francisco Salgado's interpretation of "Astronomical Pictures at an
Exhibition," which has already shown at the IYA opening festivities in
Spain. We are arranging for transportation to the event, which takes
place about an hour east of San Francisco. To find out more about the
concert, check out the California Symphony website:
http://www.californiasymphony.org/events/programfour

Also, beginning 22 April, the Academy will also be hosting the "From
Earth to the Universe" exhibit organized by our friends at the Chandra
X-ray Center:
http://www.fromearthtotheuniverse.org/

Nearly a million people have visited the Academy since we reopened in
late September 2008, and more then 250,000 have already experienced
our debut planetarium show, "Fragile Planet." The Academy also boasts
a stereoscopic theater that makes use of Dolby's impressive 3D
technology, and our "Science in Action" exhibit features a two-by-two
power wall. For more information on the Academy and our LEED platinum
building, you can check out our website:
http://www.calacademy.org/

And for more on NightLife, take a look at our own page, or track us on
Facebook:
http://www.calacademy.org/events/nightlife/
http://tinyurl.com/nightlife-facebook

If you're dying to give a talk, or especially if you would like time
in the planetarium or 3D theater to show off some of your work, please
contact me as soon as possible and include "astro-viz" in the subject
to make my life a wee bit easier.

We hope you can join us in San Francisco in just a few short months!
I'll be sending an update to the list quite soon with registration
details and more information about the schedule.


Ryan Wyatt, Director
Morrison Planetarium and Science Visualization
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-379-5183