If anyone is interested:

---------------------------------------- Original Message
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Subject: Calif. & Hawaii Telescopes/Astronomical Conferences!
From: "Russ or Cheryl Genet" <galileoslegacy@...>
Date: Wed, May 7, 2008 3:14 pm
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President,
The Astronomy Connection (TAC)

Dear President,

It is my pleasure to invite you and members of your club to attend the Small
Telescope &
Astronomical Research (STAR) Conference, June 19 - 22, 2008, which will be held
in historic San
Luis Obispo on California’s scenic central coast. You are also invited to
attend Galileo’s
Legacy, December 31, 2008 - January 5, 2009, at the Makaha Resort, Waianae,
Hawaii. Please see
either www.STARConference.org or www.GalileosLegacy.org for details. You are
welcome to be a
panel discussion member, present a poster, or just attend and enjoy (and there
are still a few
speaker slots open). Attached is a flyer to assist you in bringing these
conference opportunities
to the attention of your club members.

These two conferences will not only explore the development of smaller
telescopes and their
instruments, but the many areas of scientific research by both amateur and
professional
astronomers where small telescopes excel. These conferences will also consider
how astronomical
research by undergraduate students—even high school students—provides,
simultaneously, a unique
scientific education, a career boost, and modest contributions to the
advancement of science,
making these conferences of particular interest to students and educators alike.
Conference
proceedings, included in the registration, will be published by the Collins
Foundation Press as
two affordable books available by way of advanced orders at reduced prices for
those unable to
attend the conferences.

All participants, including speakers, pay their own registration and other
costs, although funds
are being raised for several high school student scholarships. California’s
central coast
features pleasant weather in June, as does the leeward side of Oahu in January,
so I encourage you
to bring your family or friends for a vacation on or near the California or
Hawaii beaches.
Conference schedules are relaxed, with plenty of time off to spend with your
family (or talk
telescopes or astronomy with your colleagues). Guests are welcome at all the
conference social
events and evening talks. The California conference features a mid-conference
tour of the Central
California Coast and Hearst Castle, while the Hawaii conference features a
mid-conference day off
with an evening luau and a post conference tour of the Big Island and the
telescopes on Mauna Kea.

I would welcome a call from you to discuss your participation in the STAR
Conference or Galileo’s
Legacy. I hope to see you at the STAR Conference in California this coming
June, at Galileo’s
Legacy in Hawaii the following New Year’s Eve, or at both!

With warmest regards (and aloha),

Russ

Russell M. Genet, PhD
Research Scholar in Residence, California Polytechnic State UniversityAdjunct
Professor of
Astronomy, Cuesta CollegePhone (805) 438-3305, Fax (805)
438-3355russmgenet@...,
www.orionobservatory.org