[SQM] Fwd: IAU Special Session 17 on Light Pollution: abstract submissions requested

Tue Mar 13 22:32:00 UTC 2012

Dear Colleague in Dark Skies Protection,

Some of the members of the SOC for the Special Session, SpS17, on  
light pollution have been receiving emails from people having  
challenges in submitting abstracts for the IAU and some people have  
been unsuccessful at doing so.

I have found that you do not need to pay to submit an abstract (until  
the payment due date). March 17th is the abstract deadline but not the  
final payment deadline. However, you do need to register first. To do  
so, go to: http://www.astronomy2012.org/dct/page/65611

Once registered, a "duckling account" is created for you and you are  
able to sign in with your email address as the username and your  
password that you had previously created when registering. The  
duckling account provides you with a few options, one of which is  
submission of abstracts.

Submission of abstracts is straightforward and should not provide any  
challenges. Confirmation of your abstract submission will also be  
emailed to you (as the registration confirmation should have been).

When I registered for the XXVIII General Assembly, I received an email  
confirmation that had the following information that may apply to you:

If you are “IAU Member” or “Senior IAU Member”, please check  
the IAU membership webpage (http://www.iau.org/administration/membership/individual/ 
) to confirm that you are on the list. Send the IAU your payment of  
the applicable registration fees by 17th March, 2012 in order to  
qualify for the early registration rate. However, the ultimate  
registration and payment deadline is August 10 and is only 40 Euros or  
$53 US dollars more. For the early registration rate, though, the IAU  
asks that you go to the following link to pay:
http://www.astronomy2012.org/dct/page/65573

If you are not an IAU member, your information will be forwarded to  
the IAU Secretariat for clarification. Participation of non-members is  
by invitation from the IAU Secretariat. The IAU letter-of-invitation  
will be emailed to you as a pdf attachment and cc-ed to the LOC. The  
LOC will inform you when this process is completed and provide further  
information.

If you registered as “student”, a personalized letter signed by the  
head of your university or institutional department with a copy of a  
valid student card, should be sent by fax or e-mail to the General  
Assembly LOC. Your registration will be processed after this letter  
and the copy of the student card have been received.

Participants who are unable to use the on-line form should contact the  
General Assembly organizers for instructions on how to proceed. Please  
do not hesitate to contact the IAU XXVIII General Assembly staff for  
any further information you may need:
Tel: +86-10-64806326 　FAX: +86-10-64807730
Email: iauga at nao.cas.cn　Website: http://www.astronomy2012.org

In light of the fact that the deadline for submitting abstracts is  
March 17, if you are encountering difficulty in submitting an abstract  
to IAU (in particular for SpS17), even after hearing back from the IAU  
or perhaps not hearing back in a timely fashion, please do not  
hesitate to email Connie. Your organizing committee (SOC) offers 2  
solutions:
1) You may have a colleague who is going to the IAU, is able to submit  
successfully his/her own abstract, is willing to submit an abstract on  
your behalf and perhaps present it.
2) We, the SOC members, could submit your abstract on your behalf and  
perhaps present it if appropriate. We may need to add our name as last  
author, especially if you choose to present electronically and do not  
pay the registration fee.

Then finally, the issue of possibly presenting electronically (with at  
least an audio Skyping capability and a pdf or powerpoint  
presentation) is still being looked into. That would still require you  
to register and submit abstracts. The issue of payment may still  
apply, unless you go with solutions 1 or 2 above.

Thank you for your participation in the General Assembly and  
especially in the Special Session, SpS17, on light pollution . We look  
forward to welcoming you.

Sincerely,
Connie Walker (United States) (cwalker at noao.edu)
Beatriz Garcia (Argentina)
Richard Green (United States)
Xue Sui Jian (China Nanjing)
SOC Co-Chairs for IAU SpS17

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Constance Walker <cwalker at noao.edu>
> Date: February 26, 2012 11:15:46 PM GMT-07:00
> To: Constance Walker <cwalker at noao.edu>
> Cc: sqm at unihedron.com
> Subject: Re: IAU Special Session 17 on Light Pollution: abstract  
> submissions requested
>
> Dear Colleague in Dark Skies Protection,
>
> We have three items of good news:
> 1) The possibility of having Skype-like capabilities at the IAU  
> General Assembly (and at SpS17, in particular) is being researched.  
> With the possibility of electronic presentations, we are encouraging  
> you to submit an abstract to SpS17, even if you are unable to travel  
> to the conference.
> 2) If you intend to present electronically at SpS17, you may submit  
> an abstract without paying a registration fee.
> 3) The deadline for both registering for the IAU General Assembly  
> and submitting abstracts (in particular, to SpS17) has been extended  
> to March 17.
>
> Your involvement in SpS17 will undoubtedly further the efforts in  
> addressing light pollution issues.
>
> Best regards,
> Connie
>
> On Feb 21, 2012, at 3:49 PM, Constance Walker wrote:
>
>> Please consider submitting an abstract to give a presentation at  
>> Special Session 17 on Light Pollution at the Beijing International  
>> Astronomical Union General Assembly XXVIII. Abstracts are due  
>> February 29, 2012. Notifications to abstract submitters is May 1,  
>> 2012. The Special Session dates are August 29 -- 31, 2012. For a  
>> session schedule and more information about IAU Special Session 17  
>> on Light Pollution, see http://iau.iteda.org/.
>>
>> The issue of light pollution is a major concern of the  
>> International Astronomical Union; during the IAU General Assembly  
>> in the city of Rio de Janeiro in 2009, a resolution was unanimously  
>> adopted  (Resolution B5) to support the need to preserve the night  
>> sky and the right to see stars. With the increasing use of  
>> artificial light at night posing a growing threat to the visibility  
>> of the night sky, a Special Session at the upcoming General  
>> Assembly will highlight technical aspects of astronomical site  
>> protection and the educational aspects of increasing global  
>> awareness on issues concerning light pollution. The session topics  
>> will cover the following areas:
>>
>> 1. Media & Dark-Skies Images Worth a 1000 Words
>> 2. Public Outreach on Light Pollution by Amateur Astronomers
>> 3. Role of Planetaria & Science Centers in Outreach on Light  
>> Pollution
>> 4. Light-Pollution’s Effects on Wildlife & Health Issues
>> 5. Light-Pollution Education: The Role of the School to Change the  
>> Social Vision of this Global Problem
>> 6. Education through Global Star-Hunting & “Nights of Darkness”  
>> Campaigns
>> 7. Dark Skies Measurements for Education and Site Monitoring
>> 8. Dark Sky Places, Starlight Reserves and Astro-Tourism
>> 9. Light Pollution Legislation and Protecting Observatory Sites
>> 10. Progress and Action Plan for Implementing IAU 2009 Resolution B5
>> 11. Spectra of Artificial Blue-Rich Sources
>> 12. Observational Studies Most Impacted by Contamination Below 500nm
>> 13. Astronomical Input to Lighting Industry Development; Prospects  
>> for Success
>>
>> For more information about registration to the IAU General  
>> Assembly, see http://www.astronomy2012.org/dct/page/65611. For more  
>> information about abstract submission, see http://www.astronomy2012.org/dct/page/65615 
>> .
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Beatriz Garcia (Argentina)
>> Richard Green (United States)
>> Connie Walker (United States)
>> Xue Sui Jian (China Nanjing)
>> SOC Co-Chairs for IAU SpS17

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Constance E. Walker, Ph.D.
director, GLOBE at Night campaign (www.globeatnight.org)
member, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Board of Directors
member, International Dark-Sky Association Board of Directors
chair, International Dark-Sky Association Education Committee
chair, 2012 Global Astronomy Month's Dark Skies Awareness Program
co-chair, International Astronomical Union 2012 Special Session on  
light pollution
associate scientist & senior science education specialist, NOAO

National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO)
950 N. Cherry Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719 USA
520-318-8535
cwalker at noao.edu
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

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