KICP Workshops, 2003
 
2nd VERITAS Symposium on TeV Astrophysics of Extragalactic Sources
April 24 - 26, 2003 | Chicago, IL, USA
Picture: 2nd VERITAS Symposium on TeV Astrophysics of Extragalactic Sources
Website

Organizer: Simon P. Swordy

CfCP co-sponsors the 2nd VERITAS Symposium.
This symposium is aimed at the scientific issues raised by the observation of TeV gamma-ray emission from Active Galactic Nuclei. Although the main emphasis will be on emission from blazars, the symposium will also cover emission from other extragalactic sources, absorption in the intergalactic medium, the current observational status of Very High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy, and the status of major new instruments in space and on the ground.
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KICP Members: Simon P. Swordy
Scientific projects: Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System (VERITAS)

 
How Big is Our Universe?, Yerkes Summer Institute
August 2 - 8, 2003 | Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI
Picture: How Big is Our Universe?, Yerkes Summer Institute
How Big is Our Universe?
Website | Online Materials | Photo Gallery

Participants: 28 students; 17 instructors; 50 parents, siblings, and younger students

This year the Space Explorers tackled a core cosmological conundrum with the unifying theme of "How Big is Our Universe?" They explored this question in a variety of manners, from constructing model solar systems on the Yerkes grounds, to analyzing Sloan Digital Sky Survey data, which they used to build a distance ladder that stretched 6.5 billion light years. These interrelated activities helped to focus the students on the concept of determining astronomical sizes and distances.

A number of pre-institute preparation sessions were held to motivate the investigations, and more practically, to develop needed skills. Topics ranged from a basic introduction to the components of the universe, to small angle approximations, to using software to measure apparent size. Students were also given a course booklet that contained an overview of the week, detailed schedules, and instructions for the different laboratory activities.
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Related Links:
KICP Members: Matthew Hedman; Daniel E. Holz; Richard G. Kron; Mark Subbarao
KICP Students: Sarah M. Hansen; Jonathan Mitchell; Andrew Puckett

 
Cosmology with Sunyaev-Zeldovich Cluster Surveys
September 17 - 20, 2003 | Chicago, IL, USA
Picture: Cosmology with Sunyaev-Zeldovich Cluster Surveys
Website

Organizers: John E. Carlstrom, Andrey V. Kravtsov, Clement L. Pryke

Galaxy clusters promise to be excellent laboratories for precision cosmology. Calculations based on idealized models show that they can be used to probe the properties of the mysterious dark energy. The workshop will focus on the question of how real galaxy clusters, with all their non-idealities, can be used for precision cosmology.
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KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Andrey V. Kravtsov; Clement L. Pryke

 
"Origin of Structure in the Universe", Cosmology Short Course
September 26 - 28, 2003
Picture: Origin of Structure in the Universe, Cosmology Short Course
Origin of Structure in the Universe, 2003
Website

The Center for Cosmological Physics offers a pioneering short course for planetarium staff aimed at incorporating modern cosmology into public programming.

Forty-six (46) planetarians attended "Origin of Structure in the Universe." They came from as far away as Japan and from planetariums of all sizes (e.g., from inflatable domes to the Hayden Planetarium).

The course was a mixture of lectures, hands-on and computer laboratories, tours of research facilities, and question and answer/discussion sections. Participants were also provided with resources to use back at their home institutions. These resources included short movies and electronic versions of all lectures. A follow-up session, lead by CfCP Director Bruce Winstein, was held at the 2003 annual Great Lakes Planetarium Association (GLPA) meeting in Cleveland. As a subsidiary objective of the short course was to establish a collaborative network, the CfCP also continues to stay in touch with the participants via e-mail and the Internet.
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Related Links:
KICP Members: John E. Carlstrom; Sean M. Carroll; Juan I. Collar; Joshua A. Frieman; Wayne Hu; Andrey V. Kravtsov; Richard G. Kron; Randall H. Landsberg; Angela V. Olinto; Clement L. Pryke; Mark Subbarao; Simon P. Swordy; Michael S. Turner; Bruce D. Winstein

 
Ground-Based Supernova Surveys
November 14 - 16, 2003
Picture: Ground-Based Supernova Surveys
Website

Organizers: Joshua A. Frieman, Michael S. Turner, Richard Kessler

A number of `second generation' ground-based Supernova surveys are either recently underway or soon to begin, while other established surveys are continuing. These different surveys have a variety of complementary drivers. The aim of this workshop is to gather together 20-30 key people involved in on-going and planned surveys to assess their goals, discuss results if they're available, and at least raise the issue of strategy and coordination.
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Related Links:
KICP Members: Joshua A. Frieman; Richard Kessler; Michael S. Turner
Scientific projects: Nearby Supernova Factory (SNfactory)

 
Phase Changes, Yerkes Winter Institute
December 27 - 29, 2003 | Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI
Picture: Phase Changes, Yerkes Winter Institute
Phase Changes
Website | Online Materials | Photo Gallery

Participants: 28 students; 10 instructors; 35 parents, siblings, and younger students.

The Yerkes Winter Institute is three-day science immersion program held each year between Christmas and New Years during a break in the Chicago Public School academic year. The institute exposes inner city middle and high school students to research scientists and to the process of science. During the institute students cycle among three daytime laboratories, evening experiments, lectures, and observing (weather dependant). The institute culminates with presentations by the students to their parents and younger students about the institute laboratories.

The theme of the 2003 Winter Institute was Phase Changes, which was a natural extension of the weekly theme of temperature.
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Related Links:
KICP Members: Randall H. Landsberg; Thushara A. Perera; Savdeep S. Sethi
KICP Students: Sarah M. Hansen; Andrew Puckett