h=Received:Message-ID:Date:From:Reply-To:To:Subject:Mime-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding:X-Mailer:X-ELNK-Trace:X-Originating-IP; by smtpauth04.mail.atl.earthlink.net with asmtp (Exim 4.34) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2006 23:28:52 -0400 (GMT-04:00) From: Mike Simonsen Education is defined as: > get into variable stars > without overlapping with work already being done by others > (but building on the > work of others and collaborating with others in encouraged) I see now. That's not the definition of education I was thinking of. I thought it meant more formal education, but I see the emphasis is more on getting more people involved in the AAVSO. I'd call that marketing, but its a matter of semantics so I won't belabor the point. :) My responsibility for the futures session Council will be engaged in before the spring meeting is marketing and fund raising. So this is an issue close to my heart. Probably why Arne tasked me with it in the first place. The simple unadulterated truth is the AAVSO cannot continue to operate indefinitely on its endowments and grant money. For a long time we have been in the enviable position of having enough money in investments and yearly grants to support operations, but this is not the case for the future, especially if we want to grow the AAVSO and its role in astronomy and scientific research. While supplying observational data to scientists, educators and amateurs is a worthy and admirable activity, it doesn’t impact the general public at large. Providing educational activities, teacher seminars and educational products can be more readily demonstrated to affect the general public, and thus garner interest and financial support for the organization. Mike Simonsen ********************************* C. E. Scovil Observatory http://home.mindspring.com/~mikesimonsen/ AAVSO Chart Team charts CVnet Administrator http://cvnet.aavso.org ********************************** _______________________________________________