[Sneap] Laboratory Astrophysics Sessions at June 1-5 AAS Meeting

[Daniel Wolf Savin]

Dear Colleague:

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) Working Group on Laboratory
Astrophysics (WGLA) would like to ask you to circulate the following
announcement to all your group members, colleagues, professional
societies, listservs, and any groups who you think would be interested
in this AAS Topical Session.  Apologies if you receive duplicate
emailings of the announcement, but we are trying to reach as many as
possible who are involved with the broad field of laboratory
astrophysics and its use.

Thank you for your help on this.

Respectfully,

The AAS WGLA (www.aas.org/labastro/lawg_charter.php)
Nancy Brickhouse (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)
John Cowan (University of Oklahoma)
Paul Drake (University of Michigan)
Steven Federman (University of Toledo)
Gary Ferland (University of Kentucky)
Adam Frank (University of Rochester)
Paul Goldsmith (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Wick Haxton (University of Washington)
Eric Herbst (Ohio State University)
Keith Olive (University of Minnesota)
Farid Salama (NASA/Ames)
Daniel Wolf Savin (Columbia University)

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FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

Bridging Laboratory and Astrophysics

A Topical Session at the 212th Meeting of the American Astronomical
Society (AAS; www.aas.org/meetings/aas212/) held between June 1-5, 2008,
in St. Louis, Missouri, and hosted by the AAS Working Group on
Laboratory Astrophysics (www.aas.org/labastro/lawg_charter.php)

Regular Abstract Submission Deadline:  12 March 2008, 9 PM EDT
Late Abstracts Submission Deadline: 30 April 2008, 9 PM EDT

This 3 day Topical Session will be devoted to the interplay between
astrophysics and laboratory astrophysics, the Rosetta Stone that enables
astronomers to interpret the cosmos.  Astronomy is primarily an
observational science detecting photons generated by atomic,
molecular/chemical, and solid state physics.  Our understanding of the
universe also relies on knowledge of the evolution of matter (nuclear
and particle physics) and of the dynamical processes shaping it (plasma
physics).  The quest to understand the cosmos rests firmly on scientific
knowledge in these six areas of physics.  These astrophysically
motivated studies, which are comprised of both laboratory experiments
and theoretical calculations, are collectively known as laboratory
astrophysics.  This Topical Session will consist of six sessions, each
devoted to one of the subareas of Laboratory Astrophysics.  Each session
will include a keynote talk focusing on major astrophysical discoveries
and the underlying role of laboratory astrophysics, one experimental
presentation, one on theoretical work, and a concluding astrophysics
talk presenting a hot topic and illustrating the important role of
laboratory astrophysics.  There will be a closing panel discussion.
There will also be an associated poster session on Laboratory
Astrophysics and all posters from all areas of Laboratory Astrophysics
will be up for the full 3 day duration of the Topical Session.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS LIST:

DAY ONE

ATOMS
Keynote: Joel N. Bregman (Univ. Michigan)
Experimental: Ara Chutjian (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Theoretical: Tom Gorczyca (Western Michigan Univ.)
Hot topic: Jennifer Johnson (Ohio State Univ.)

MOLECULES AND CHEMISTRY
Keynote: Ted Bergin (Univ. Michigan)
Experimental: Lucy Ziurys (Univ. Arizona)
Theoretical: Balakrishnan Naduvalath (Univ. Nevada - Las Vegas)
Hot topic: Ben McCall (Univ. Illinois - Urbana-Champaign)

DAY TWO

SOLIDS
Keynote: Xander Tielens (NASA Ames Research Center)
Experimental: Gianfranco Vidali (Syracuse Univ.)
Theoretical: Joe Weingartner (George Mason Univ.)
Hot topic: UJ Sofia (Whitman College)

PLASMA
Keynote: Richard Klein (Univ. California - Berkeley)
Experimental: Walter Gekelman (Univ. California - Las Angeles)
Theoretical: Hui Li (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Hot topic: Pat Hartigan (Rice Univ.)

DAY THREE

NUCLEAR
Keynote: Chris Sneden (Univ. Texas - Austin)
Experimental: Peter Parker (Yale Univ.)
Theoretical: George Fuller (Univ. California - San Diego)
Hot topic: Jennifer Sobeck (Univ. Texas - Austin)

PARTICLES
Keynote: Francis Halzen (Univ. Wisconsin - Madison)
Experimental: Richard Schnee (Syracuse Univ.)
Theory: Brian Fields (Univ. Illinois - Urbana-Champaign)