MHAA Indoor Program Descriptions for 2010
January 19 - Cathy Law - Star Struck! Awesome astronomy facts for young minds and the young at heart.
New Paltz resident, Cathy Law, got her masters in science teaching at Tufts University, her undergraduate degree was from Cornell in geology and biology. She has been teaching AP environmental science, astronomy, earth science and field biology for 10 years at New Paltz High School. She also teaches a Physical Geology lab at SUNY New Paltz.
Cathy's interests are in field biology, neuroscience, organic gardening, world travel, photography, Thai cooking, flower arranging, herbal healing, and dance.
She is a passionate science teacher, world traveler- 53 countries visited!, bicycle toured through 11 countries, avid reader, organic food chef, travel photographer. Ran the London marathon twice- best time 3:29, Ultimate frisbee team took 2nd best in USA 1982, mountain bike racer, wrote "World Fun", "Zippy Gourmet", "Vegetarian Thai Cooking".
top ...February 16th - Jonathan J. Dickau - "Energy spreads and is shared - How Entropy shapes the Universe."
Talk Description:
Entropy has gotten a bad rap, over the years, as the bringer of death and
disorder. But rather than blaming it for our messy desks, we should
acknowledge it as a shaper of the cosmos. Jonathan will explore the other
side of a story we think we know, explaining why we need to study how energy
is spread and shared - to understand how entropy shapes the universe.
Presenter Bio:
Jonathan Dickau is a local resident who has an avid interest in Cosmology
and the frontiers of Physics. He presented a topic relating to the subject
of this talk - at the 10th Frontiers of Fundamental Physics conference in
Perth, Australia - this past November. The previous September, he presented
a topic at the 2nd Crisis in Cosmology conference relating to his first talk
subject for the MHAA - Fractals in the Cosmos - on which he has published.
He was also a finalist in the recent Physics essay contest sponsored by the
Foundational Questions Institute.
March 16th - Bob Berman - TBAr
TBA
top ...April 20 - Tarun Biswas - "The Three-Body Problem: From Trojans to Quantum Fields"
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Biswas is an Associate Professor of Physics at SUNY New Paltz. He
enjoys challenging the orthodoxy about subjects including Black Holes and
the Big Bang. He has spoken to the MHAA several times on subjects such as
"The Marriage of Relativity and Quantum Physics", "Demystifying Quantum
Physics -- Maybe", and "Testing Theories of Gravity -- Newton, Einstein,Hawking".
May 18 - Paul Dellechiaie - TBA
TBA
top ...June 15 - Shoshanna Cole - "What Can We Learn from Mars Rovers?"
Speaker Bio: Shoshanna is a PhD graduate student at Cornell University and works
with the Mars Rover group.
July 20 - Louis J. Suarato - "Astronomy.FM Web Site"
Louis J. Suarato is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Curran
Investment Management. He is a member of the Albany Area Amateur
Astronomers and was the Development Director for Astronomy.FM. Louis also
the Board of Trustees for the Dudley Observatory (http://www.dudleyobservatory.org/)
and is involved in their DARK (Dudley Astrophotography Research (K)Nights) Program.
August 17 - Katie "Saavic" Ford - TBA
TBA
top ...Caroline Moore - Youngest supernova discoverer
TBA
top ...October 19 - Rob Teeter - "Amateur Telescope Making and Collimating Your Newtonian Telescope"
TBA
top ...November 16 - TBA
TBA
top ...December 14 – TBA
TBA
top ...Special Programs
January 9 – Third Annual Shopping Spree and Lunch Social
It's time to plan the MHAA Third Annual Shopping Spree and Lunch Social.
The 2010 event is scheduled for Saturday, January 9th, primary, or Saturday, January 16th backup. Members are encouraged to bring guests, that's the social part. It is always a fun event and a great opportunity to see each other in the daylight and get out of the house in the middle of winter as well. The lunch alone is worth the trip, that's the main reason my wife goes. The ride to High Point is up a steep grade on Interstate 84 (hence the name High Point) so the drive could get nasty if the weather were bad. If the weather isn't good we will just reschedule on the following Saturday. We will use the club Hotline to announce the event or postponement if necessary.
The itinerary:
Primary Date: Saturday, January 9
Backup Date: Saturday, January 16
10:30 AM - Meet at High Point Scientific in Montague NJ. Club members get a 3% discount on all purchases. The address and directions can be found at the High Point website www.highpointscientific.com.
Noon - The now hungry shoppers and guests will journey to the Dimmick Inn, about 5 minutes away in Milford PA. The Dimmick Inn has a wonderful lunch menu, they have a web site too www.dimmickinn.com.
Please notify me, Bill Walsh, by phone at (845) 635-2950 or by e-mail at bills_eyepiece@midhudsonastro.org. I need a count for the restaurant reservation.
Call the club Hotline on the day of the event at (845) 255-4719 for status and any changes.
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