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SYMPOSIA
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•••As of February 1, 2002
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| Visualizing and Looking Beyond Earth |
Beyond the Boundaries of Galaxies
Sunday, February 17, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Mark Voit, Space Telescope Science Institute; Daniela Calzetti, Space Telescope Science Institute; Megan Donahue, Space Telescope Science Institute; Michael Hauser, Space Telescope Science Institute |
| Measurements of the light elements, such as deuterium and helium, which are produced in the first three minutes after the Big Bang, provide tight constraints on the total amount of ordinary matter, or baryons, in the Universe. Although baryons make up only a small fraction of the total matter in the universe, we still have not located most of the baryons in the present-day universe. The visible matter contained in galaxies today accounts only for about a third of the expected total; the remainder must lie beyond the boundaries of galaxies. This symposium focuses on the search for the invisible baryons and their relationship to the ubiquitious dark matter. It begins with a baryon census of the universe that shows that most of the baryons must be in intergalactic space. Next it examines the evidence for baryons at the fringes of galaxies. The presence of elements created in stars within clouds at large distances from galaxies implies that at least some of the baryons in intergalactic space were once in galaxies, and processes will be described by which galaxies can lose matter. Speakers will describe what X-ray observations are revealing about intergalactic gas and dark matter in clusters of galaxies and conclude with a look at prospects for locating the baryons using instruments on current space missions such as Chandra, Newton, the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and the Hubble Space Telescope. |
| 1 | Dark Matters | Mark Voit (Speaker), Space Telescope Science Institute |
| 2 | Accounting for Baryons | James Lowenthal (Speaker), University of Massachusetts |
| 3 | The Outer Reaches of Galaxies | Laura Danly (Speaker), University of Denver |
| 4 | Enrichment of Intergalatics Space | Timothy Heckman (Speaker), Johns Hopkins University |
| 5 | Hot Gas and Dark Matter Between Galaxies | Megan Donahue (Speaker), Space Telescope Science Institute |
| 6 | Searching for the Missing Baryons | Mark Voit (Speaker), Space Telescope Science Institute |
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Laboratory Astrophysics: Insights on Star and Planet Formation
Saturday, February 16, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. |
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| Martin Harwit, Cornell University; Barrett H. Ripin, Research Applied |
| The Universe contains roughly a hundred billion galaxies, each comprising about a hundred billion stars, many of which are now believed to harbor planets. Yet we have only the sketchiest ideas of how any of these stars or planets formed. Most of what we think we understand is built on phenomenological arguments-sequences of events based on collages of images of dusty, dark interstellar regions revealed by radio and infrared observations to be extremely cold and hence likely to collapse under their own gravitational pull. But once the interstellar clouds collapse, how do they form one or more central stars, possibly orbited by planets? The difficulties we face in going beyond phenomenological arguments and founding more informed views based on detailed physical and chemical processes, is that we frequently know too little about the condensation sequences of ices and particulates in interstellar space, necessary for radiating away heat to promote the collapse of protostellar and circumstellar clouds. Laboratory studies of condensation sequences have begun to elucidate these processes. Laboratory analyses of isotopic materials trapped in meteoritic matter further reveal the timing of events that took place billions of years ago, when the Sun was young and planets had not yet formed. Such studies of our own Solar System are beginning to shed light on star and planet formation as a widespread cosmic phenomenon. |
| 1 | Introduction | Martin Harwit (Speaker), Cornell University |
| 2 | Laboratory Studies of Interstellar Ices | Pascale Ehrenfreund (Speaker), Leiden University |
| 3 | Condensation Sequences of Crystalline and Amorphous Solids in Cooling Clouds | Joseph A. Nuth (Speaker), NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| 4 | The Early Solar System Revealed through Isotopic Studies of Meteorites | Gerald J. Wasserburg (Speaker), California Institute of Technology |
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Images of a Dynamic Earth
Monday, February 18, 2002 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. |
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| Thomas Jordan, University of Southern California; David Simpson, The IRIS Consortium |
| At all scales, Terra Firma is changing. Motions of the fluid core produce the dynamo that gives rise to the magnetic field. Convection in the mantle drives plate motions, resulting the relentless cycle that creates oceans, builds mountains, shapes landforms and concentrates the world's energy and mineral resources. Advances in imaging technology and science - sensors, recording systems, telemetry and analysis techniques - have made it possible to not only describe the shape and structure of the Earth's surface and interior in increasing detail, but also to monitor geological changes in real time. Satellite systems provide synoptic views of the shape, structure and deformation of the planet's surface. Regional and global networks of geophysical sensors monitor earthquakes, changes in the magnetic field and crustal deformation. The data from these networks image the structure of the Earth and map regions of tectonic activity. The speakers consider two of the fundamental issues facing Earth sciences - the nature of the geodynamo, and processes responsible for earthquakes and other geologic hazards. These examples will be presented in terms of the ways in which new imaging technologies can illuminate the underlying processes that link complex Earth systems. |
| 1 | Exploring Earth's Deep Interior with Seismic Waves | Rob Van der Hilst (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 2 | Computer Simulations: A Window to the Earth's Dynamic Interior | Gary A. Glatzmaier (Speaker), University of California-Santa Cruz |
| 3 | Imaging Surface Deformation of the Earth and Planets | Maria T. Zuber (Speaker), Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 4 | InSAR and Lidar Imaging: High-Tech Images of a Deforming Earth | Bernard Minster (Speaker), University of California-San Diego |
| 5 | The Dynamic Earth: Insights from Multiscale Seismic Imaging | Ann Meltzer (Speaker), Lehigh University |
| 6 | Earthquake Sequences and Earthquake Mechanics | Tom Jordan (Speaker), University of Souther California |
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The Search for Life Beyond the Solar System
Monday, February 18, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Charles Beichman, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Lee Anne Willson, Iowa State University; Martin Harwit, Cornell University |
| The last five years have seen a breakthrough in the centuries-long quest to find other solar systems with the discovery of more than 50 gas giant planets orbiting nearby stars. But what are the prospects for finding Earth-like planets, and ultimately evidence of life itself, in other solar systems? This symposium addresses the question of life beyond the solar system from the perspectives of astronomers interested in the formation and evolution of planetary systems, of atmospheric scientists interested in the interaction between a planet and its atmosphere, of biologists interested in the origin of life, and of a scientist/philosopher interested in the implications of finding life beyond Earth. A strong motivation for this symposium is the startling fact that we will soon have within our grasp the technology needed to find and characterize terrestrial planets around stars 10s to 100s of light years away. The philosophical question of Other Worlds has become susceptible to scientific investigation. |
| 1 | Introduction | Charles Beichman (Speaker), Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| 2 | New Molecular Perspective on the Origin and Evolution of Life on Earth | Norman Pace (Speaker), University of Colorado-Boulder |
| 3 | Spectral Markers of Life | Wesley A. Traub (Speaker), Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
| 4 | Indirect Observation of Giant Planets: Past, Present and Future | Debra Fischer (Speaker), University of California-Berkeley |
| 5 | The Shadow Knows: Using Transits to Study Planets of Distant Stars | Tim Brown (Speaker), NCAR |
| 6 | Direct Detection of Earth-Like Planets | Roger Angel (Speaker), University of Arizona |
| 7 | What Does It All Mean? | Edward O. Wilson (Speaker), Harvard University |
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Visualizing the Sea Floor: Mapping Submarine Landscapes
Monday, February 18, 2002 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Deborah R. Hutchinson, USGS-Woods Hole Field Center |
| This symposium describes recent advances in mapping/visualizing submarine landscapes (seascapes) and the resultant scientific discoveries and opportunities. During the last decade, improvements in the methods for mapping and visualizing the sea floor have made it possible to understand sea-floor physical and biological processes at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales. Among the numerous applications of these techniques are collapse of the offshore commercial and recreational fisheries, monitoring offshore disposal sites, identifying coastal beach replenishment sources, understanding both active and relict geologic processes, improving marine navigation, and assessing benthic ecosystems. Integrating marine geology, physical oceanography, and benthic biology is a positive outcome from these developments. This symposium brings together national leaders in mapping and visualization to discuss some of the developing applications and technologies that will lead us into the future. Much of the focus will be on the coastal ocean rather than the global ocean (especially around coastal New England), because of the scale of the problems and solutions that sea floor mapping addresses. |
| 1 | Canadian/US Mapping in the Gulf of Maine: Implications for Commercial Fisheries | Richard Pickrill (Speaker), Geological Survey of Canada |
| 2 | NOAA Mapping and Visualization for the Coastal United States | Sam DeBow (Speaker), NOAA/NOS |
| 3 | Offshore Geologic Mapping, Sea-Level Rise and Coastal Evolution | William C. Schwab (Speaker), USGS-Woods Hole Field Center |
| 4 | The Challenge of Technology: Improving Sea-Floor Mapping Methodologies | John Hughes-Clarke (Speaker), University of New Brunswick |
| 5 | New Directions in Sea-Floor Mapping and Visualization | Larry Mayer (Speaker), University of New Hampshire |
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Cosmology: Approaching the Fundamental Parameters
Sunday, February 17, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| Jan M. Vrtilek, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Martin Harwit, Cornell University |
| In addressing questions of origins, age, and destiny on the largest scale, cosmology has exerted an abiding fascination on its practitioners, on other scientists, and on numerous members of general public. We are fortunate to witness a time of remarkable progress in cosmology, progress so striking that researchers are beginning to talk about "precision cosmology" in a field that has in the past been severely limited by a lack of reliable data. Although we have achieved important advances along several avenues, detection and now precise characterization of the spatial anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background play a most significant role. The cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) that was first detected in 1965 is the oldest radiation we can observe in the universe and encodes much information on its early state and subsequent development. It is remarkably uniform over the sky, yet our present universe shows highly-developed structure; it has long been realized that the early stages of that structure should be reflected in nonuniformities in the CMBR, but these were not detected until 1992 in data from the Cosmic Background Explorer. This difficult detection of an extremely small effect initiated what is now a major endeavor, with several satellite-based in addition to numerous ground-based and balloon based programs. Especially when combined with the results from other techniques, CMBR measurements will determine several of the most fundamental parameters of the universe and strongly constrain our understanding of the possibilities for its future. |
| 1 | Motivations for Studying the Cosmic Microwave Background | Bruce Partridge (Speaker), Haverford College |
| 2 | The Cosmic Microwave Background: The View from Space | Gregory Tucker (Speaker), Brown University |
| 3 | Ground-Based Measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background | Suzanne Staggs (Speaker), Princeton University |
| 4 | Peering to the Edge of the Universe from a Balloon | Stephen Meyer (Speaker), University of Chicago |
| 5 | The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect: Constraining Cosmology with Matter's Shadows | Laura Grego (Speaker), Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics |
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The Challenges and Promise of Global Environmental Monitoring
Sunday, February 17, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| Krishna Ramanujan, Science Systems and Applications Inc., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center |
| The era of intensive study of the Earth from space has arrived, with terabytes of data being collected every day from a growing and more capable constellation of earth-observing spacecraft. But are scientists ready for this onslaught of data? This session takes a look at some of the major new scientific accomplishments of global environmental monitoring and the challenges that this new capability presents to the international scientific community. New spaceborne observations, coupled with data collected on the ground, are being used to tackle complex, multidisciplinary topics such as the flow of carbon through the atmosphere and biosphere and monitoring the health of tropical forests around the world. The data is also being used to address local issues such as land use and urban planning. The huge volume of data from these new earth-observing satellites and networks presents scientists with the challenge of turning this flood of information into scientific knowledge. With new global, long-term data sets available of earth processes, many scientific disciplines based on traditional field measurement methods are coming face-to-face with the space age. There is also an increasing need to train new Earth system scientists who can speak the languages of multiple disciplines and develop the technical tools to handle the flood and variety of data. |
| 1 | New Views of the Earth: Recent Results from Space-Based Remote Sensing | Jack A. Kaye (Speaker), NASA Office of Earth Science |
| 2 | Integrating Long-Term Climate Records: A Coherent Picture of Climate Change? | Thomas R. Karl (Speaker), National Climate Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
| 3 | Training the New Generation of Earth System Scientists | Mark R. Abbott (Speaker), Oregon State University |
| 4 | A Global Forest Observatory | David L. Skole (Speaker), Michigan State University |
| 5 | Sea Surface Temperature Analyses for Climate | Richard W. Reynolds (Speaker), NCDC/NESDIS/NOAA |
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Laboratory Astrophysics: Big Things Come in Little Packages
Saturday, February 16, 2002 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. |
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| Barrett H. Ripin, Research Applied; Martin Harwit, Cornell University |
| Many processes and physical parameters important in astrophysical objects and dynamics can now be accessed in the laboratory. Laboratory experiments in concert with computer simulations are playing an increasing role in providing data as well as the identification and understanding of dominant physics needed to understand astrophysical observations. Laser produced plasmas and fusion experiments can access a wide range of regimes of astrophysical importance, including the enormous energy densities characteristic of supernovas, jetting, and other objects, as well as exploring aspects of magnetic field dominated phenomena. Experiments not only provide relevant input data for codes, but also enable exploration of the basic physical processes thought important, provide a test bed to validate the physics underpinnings in simulation codes, and, in some cases, even directly scale complex astrophysical phenomena down to laboratory conditions. This symposium explores the utility of laboratory experiments to help elucidate astrophysical problems, illustrate this with current research, and point out future directions. |
| 1 | Making Space Happen in the Laboratory | Barrett H. Ripin (Speaker), Research Applied |
| 2 | Laboratory Astrophysics Using High-Power Lasers | Bruce Remington (Speaker), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory |
| 3 | Magnetic Reconnection in Space and Astrophysics | Russell Kulsrud (Speaker), Princeton University |
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Visualizing El Niņo and How It Influences Society
Saturday, February 16, 2002 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon |
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| David Halpern, Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| El Niņo and La Niņa have their origin in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The 3 - 7 year alternating pattern in equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature affects (i) the biological resources in the equatorial zone and in the coastal waters of North and South America, and (ii) the equatorial Pacific atmosphere, which creates weather variations throughout the world. The symposium will highlight new knowledge about the El Niņo phenomenon, including an El Niņo forecast for 2002, and how El Niņo influences society. |
| 1 | El Niņo: Fact and Fiction | Antonio J. Busalacchi (Speaker), University of Maryland |
| 2 | El Niņo and Society: An Historical Perspective | S. George H. Philander (Speaker), Princeton University |
| 3 | El Niņo and Public Health | Richard T. Barber (Speaker), Duke University |
| 4 | El Niņo and the U.S. Economy | David Changnon (Speaker), Northern Illinois University |
| 5 | El Niņo Forecasting | Stephen E. Zebiak (Speaker), International Research Institute for climate prediction |
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