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Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 22:52:34 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
From: Mike Simonsen <mikesimonsen
	k3E2qUmj013014


Silly me! I thought I could distance myself from the Ed. Comm and EPO. Now I am the coordinator of the Mentor Program, act as contributing editor to Eyepiece Views and have begun working on a directed observer program whose goal is to educate and recruit observers from the general astronomy ranks and the public at large. I’m already doing education and EPO!


And then my good friends are always willing to volunteer some more of me for a good cause because they know I can’t say no.

>Do we have someone (I'd like to encourage Mike Simonson here) to do visual variable star observing 101.<


>There was HUGE interest in creating an "Adopt a star" program  
where students "adopt" a potential variable and work to confirm or  
deny it's variablity and define it's light curve. People completing  
this would then get a patch.
(Person X) are doing to
system for looking for variations on
	  different time scales?
with this?<

The ‘observer awards programs’ have a slightly different bent to them. They are defined lists as projects unto themselves, much like the AL Messier and other lists they call “clubs”. The goals are to get otherwise uninterested amateurs to consider the challenge of VSO and to give newbies a list to start with and some inspiration and direction.

My plan is to do all this from home and to fund it through my own fund raising activities to pay for materials, HQ man hours related to web apps, and my travel to promote the program face to face to the largest astro clubs in the USA over a two year stint.

If the Ed Comm wants to adopt this as a model, or help in some way, or has some other better ideas, I’m open to all positive suggestions. This program has not been ‘officially approved’ until I can produce a detailed plan and financing.


About marketing vs. education…,that is a whole other discussion. And as Aaron is surely aware, I have some opinions on that for another email.

Prepare for download….


Mike Simonsen

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C. E. Scovil Observatory
http://home.mindspring.com/~mikesimonsen/
AAVSO Chart Team
charts
CVnet Administrator
http://cvnet.aavso.org

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