2022 < Main < TWiki

---+ Past Events from 2022

<img src="%ATTACHURLPATH%/caltech_timeline_2022.png" alt="caltech_timeline_2022.png" width="320" height="240" />
<img src="%ATTACHURLPATH%/caltech_histogram_2022.png" alt="caltech_histogram_2022.png" width="320" height="240" />

For photos of all past events, see [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/143414768@N07/albums][our Flickr Page]].  
For lecture recordings, see [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpslw1KdoUvnCKi0swsb23w/videos][our YouTube Page]].<br>

To learn more about each event this year (including abstracts, titles, etc.), click on the event links below.

---++++ Friday, January 14, 7-9PM

[[20220114][Lecture and Stargazing - How to Rip Apart a Star]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Samantha Wu<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2)*: Nitika Yadlapalli, Ryan Rubenzahl<br />
*Attendees*: 70<br>
Solid presentation on some complicated topics.  Good discussion in Q&A.<br>
Streamed to YouTube, Facebook, and now Twitter.  It's hard to track the twitter viewership,<br>
but I still think it's worth doing.<br>

---++++ Monday, January 24, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220124][Astronomy on Tap Online]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Amy Mainzer, Dmitry Duev<br />
*Attendees*: 100<br>
Great presentations and lively interaction throughout.<br>
Changed up the format based on speaker feedback, and added comments/questions throughout<br>
the presentations from the host and other speaker to make it more conversational.<br>
This seemed to work pretty well, more analogous to a podcast interview but with slides.<br>
We may include this format again in the future.<br>

---++++ Friday, February 4, 7-9PM

[[20220204][Lecture and Stargazing - Mapping the Universe with Atoms and Molecules that Shine]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Guochao (Jason) Sun<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2)*: Sarah Blunt, Gina Panopoulou<br />
*Attendees*: 60<br>
We tried a new way of handling audience questions, by using mentimeter to have the audience<br>
submit questions.  This also allows them to upvote the ones they think are the most interesting.<br>
There seemed to be pretty positive feedback on this method, particularly during the Q&A, but<br>
there was some concern that during the lecture it was too much switching between pages.<br>

---++++ Friday, February 18, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220218][Astronomy on Tap Online, Mandarin]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Yuguang Chen, Xinnan Du<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Miao Li, Linhao Ma<br />
*Attendees*: 7000<br>
We switched to doing this event on Friday night (Saturday morning in China), and it seemed to get<br>
the same number of attendees as past events.  It sounded like the event went better than any<br>
of the previous Mandarin AoTs, so I think the format is getting smoother.<br>

---++++ Friday+Saturday+Sunday, February 25-27, 2022

[[20220225][Death Valley Dark Sky Festival]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Dillon Dong, Kathryn Plant, Nitika Yadlapalli, Emily Silich, Dee Dunne, Tina Seager, Ryan Rubenzahl, Mia de los Reyes, Janosz Dewberry, Sofia Gallego<br>
*Attendees*: 3400<br>
A lot of planning went into this, but it was overall a success.  Our contribution was organizing and staffing<br>
a 3-hour star party on Saturday night (with 6 telescopes) alongside a few DVNP rangers and scopes.<br>
We also did science demos from 10AM-4PM on Saturday and Sunday including "Build a Comet" using<br>
dry ice and other ingredients, "Marshmallow Ignition" using a concave parabolic mirror, and solar observing<br>
with an H-alpha narrowband telescope.  In addition, Cameron gave two talks on galaxy evolution in the<br>
auditorium.  Positive feedback overall on all fronts.<br>

---++++ Monday, February 28, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220221][Astronomy on Tap Online]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Ron Tso, Ylva Götberg<br />
*Attendees*: 60<br>
Some good presentations and discussion during the trivia!<br>

---++++ Friday, March 4, 7-9PM

[[20220304][Lecture and Stargazing - Massive Binary Stars in Technicolor]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Margaret Lazzarini<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2)*: Kyle Kremer, Ilaria Caiazzo<br />
*Attendees*: 60<br>
Solid presentation and one of the best Q&A panels we've had thus far.  <br>
Really lively and well-balanced discussion amongst the four of us.  Fun!<br>
Only 60 live viewers but 700 views in two days.<br>

---++++ Monday, March 7, 7:30-9:30PM

Stargazing for State Street and Caltech @ The Langham<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Stephanie Deppe, Nik Prusinski, Jason Wang, Michael Zhang<br>
*Attendees*: 50<br>
Moderate cloudy conditions throughout the session meant that we had to be<br>
choosy about our targets.  We had two eVscopes (Cameron and Jason) and<br>
one 10" Dob.  The Dob primarily looked at the Moon and the two eVscopes<br>
cycles between visible objects including Bode's Galaxy and Candy Wrapper Nebula.<br>
The garden terrace in the back of The Langham has a pretty good view of the sky<br>
but portions of the Northern Horizon were blocked.  It was sort of a pain getting<br>
to the back patio, but we ended up using the entrance via the security gate<br>
whose code is #20.  The attendees were all finance people visiting for some<br>
Caltech event.  Definitely different from our normal crowds.<br>

---++++ Wednesday, March 9, 7:30-9:30PM

Stargazing for State Street and Caltech @ The Langham<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Stephanie Deppe, Nik Prusinski, Dee Dunne<br>
*Attendees*: 40<br>
Event started out very cloudy, but things partially cleared after 15 minutes.<br>
We had pretty good views for about an hour and then it got socked in again.<br>
Despite the clouds, we were able to discuss how telescopes work, how stars<br>
age and die, and aspects of our individual research projects (galaxy evolution, <br>
astrophysical transients, etc.) with the attendees.  Went pretty well overall.<br>

---++++ Monday, March 14, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220314][Astronomy on Tap Online]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Amy Hoffman, Max Goldberg<br />
*Attendees*: 60<br>
Great presentations and conversational responses during the pub trivia.<br>
Thanks, team!<br>

---++++ Friday, April 8, 7-9PM

[[20220408][Lecture and Stargazing - Black Holes and Gravitational Waves: Was Einstein Right?]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Saul Teukolsky<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2)*: <br />
*Attendees*: 150<br>
One of the best talks we have had.  Great talk by Saul and good Q&A afterwards.<br>
Really high viewership on this one.  Lots of interest in GR, GWs, and Einstein.<br>

---++++ Monday, April 25, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220425][Astronomy on Tap Online]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Ethan Siegel, Sam Ponnada<br />
*Attendees*: 90<br>

---++++ Wednesday, April 27, 7:00-9:00PM

[[20220427][Cosmos in Concert @ The Colburn School]]<br />
*Organizer*: Kyle Kremer<br />
*Attendees*: 200<br>

---++++ Friday, May 13, 7-9PM

[[20220513][Lecture and Stargazing - Neutron Stars: Where Extreme Gravity Meets Extreme Matter]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Katerina Chatziioannou<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (4)*: Dillon Dong, Isabel Sands, Gina Panopoulou, Stephanie Deppe<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Andreas Faisst<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4+)*: Max Goldberg, Nikolaus Prusinski, Anirudh Tammewar, Marziye Jafariyazani<br>
*Attendees*: 40 online + 20 in person = 60<br>
So much to say about this one.  This one really took it out of me and made me not want to do these anymore.<br>
Katerina really wanted to do this one in-person, and I finally got clearance from Fiona to host these events<br>
on campus if we checked vaccine status at the door and made everyone wear masks.  So we did it.<br>
But it wasn't very successful and was plagued with problems.  First of all, Joe Jordan, the assistant director<br>
of the athletics department arbitrarily changed their policy and now kick us off the athletic fields at 9:30PM,<br>
despite us being allowed to stay until 10PM for the last 6 years.  He did not give a justification for this change.<br>
This is particularly problematic when the sun sets at 7:45 and when we don't even start to observe until 8:45.<br>
Despite advertising this event as much as any other, we only had about 20 people attend in-person, and only<br>
40 live viewers at the peak, which is a bummer since we had about 10 volunteers for the event.<br>
Despite some A/V testing beforehand, the sound being broadcast to YouTube was a bit echoey, <br>
since it was just a webcam microphone that was picking up the ambient microphone connected to the <br>
sound system.  People were *really* complaining online about the admittedly non-ideal sound setup, <br>
with some pretty nasty comments actually.  Very frustrating.  That said, we did get ~2500 views within the first <br>
24h on YouTube, which is a record for us, I think.  It just remains challenging to broadcast in a hybrid fashion,<br>
where it is difficult to prioritize both the in-person and virtual experience simultaneously.  A USB Mixer was <br>
suggested for being able to dual broadcast sound to multiple outputs.<br>

---++++ Monday, May 23, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220523][Astronomy on Tap Online]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Mike Wong, Cameron Hummels<br />
*Attendees*: 100<br>
Pretty big turnout for a popular topic.  Perhaps do more like this in the future.<br>

---++++ Friday, June 3, 7-9PM

[[20220603][Lecture and Stargazing - Planetquake: what vibrations can tell us about the interiors of gas giant planets]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Janosz Dewberry<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (4)*: Mia de los Reyes, Nicholas Rui<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Andreas Faisst<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4+)*: Michael Zhang, Reinier Janssen<br>
*Attendees*: 70<br>
50 online + 20 in person = 70.  This event went better than last month's.  We had about the same number of in-person attendees, <br>
but they were more engaged and stuck around for more of the panel q&a.  I also was able to get a <br>
USB Mixer purchased and integrated into the Hameetman sound system with the help of Becca Rose<br>
at Academic Media Technologies and Michael Zhang.  The sound on the live-stream is *much* better than<br>
last month, so that's a success.  I think we'll build from here through consistency.<br>

---++++ Saturday, June 11

[[20220611][City of Astronomy: AstroFest]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Andreas Faisst, Adolfo Carvalho, Kaustav Das, Michael Zhang, Dee Dunne, Viraj Karambelkar<br>
*Attendees*: 400<br>
This went pretty well overall!  We were one of about 10 Pasadena institutions hosting booths to promote<br>
science to the community in the space in front of the Pasadena Convention Hall. We had two tables, <br>
one with our "build a comet" demo, and the other with the "marshmallow ignition" demo.  We also had a<br>
couple of solar telescopes set up: 6" dob with sun funnel, and coronado solar H-alpha telescope.<br>
Everyone was really engaged and excited to participate.  Lots of foot traffic at our booth.<br>

---++++ Monday, June 13, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220613][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Frank Summers, Katie Bouman<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (2+)*: Andy Boyle, Andreas Faisst, Ilaria Caiazzo, Nicholas Rui, Rebecca Larson<br>
*Attendees*: 175<br>
Our first in-person Astro on Tap event in two years and it was a success.  I bought a bunch of new <br>
equipment for this to ensure all the technological stuff worked OK, including some HDMI cables, <br>
an HDMI splitter, a portable PA system with wireless microphone, but it all turned out OK.  We hosted<br>
at the Dog Haus Biergarten, to ensure it was outside and had minimal issues with covid.  This event <br>
was part of our City of Astronomy activities, which also coincided with the AAS meeting 240 that was<br>
in town.  Additionally, I brought my eVscope2 to operate and provide views of the heavens, and it <br>
actually worked really well with good views of the Whirlpool Galaxy and the M3 globular cluster.<br>
Many of the attendees were astronomers from the AAS meeting, but we still got a good crew of <br>
members of the public.<br>

---++++ Wednesday, June 15, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220615][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Jessie Christiansen, Emily Rice<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (2+)*: Jason Wang, Dee Dunne, Tony Rodriguez, Rebecca Larson<br>
*Attendees*: 190<br>
Similar to Monday's event, but this one went a little bit smoother.  We also had live music, thanks to<br>
Jason Achilles and his drummer, Forrest.  Not as long of a line for food/drinks as on Monday, thanks<br>
to the bar increasing staffing.  The outdoor space is pretty nice and great for these sorts of events.<br>
For next time, we should get a Caltech Astro table cloth and portable folding table for our merch<br>
in the back.  We should also print out posters and put them up in the bar and around campus.<br>
We should request free drinks for the volunteers, since Cameron paid for the volunteers out of<br>
pocket, and the bar made a lot of money on these events.<br>

---++++ Saturday, June 17, 11:00AM-12:30PM

[[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w][Recording of BBC's Infinite Monkey Cage Podcast]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br>
*Attendees*: 100<br>
We were contacted by BBC 4 to help them record a famous podcast on the topic of exoplanets<br>
featuring Professor Brian Cox, Sean Carroll, Jessie Christiansen, Tiffany Kataria, and comedians<br>
Robin Ince and Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame).  The recording took place in Hameetman Auditorium<br>
and we hosted a live audience of about 100 attendees to watch the 90-minute live recording.  <br>
The panel discussed exoplanets and the science surrounding them, and overall it went very well.<br>
The recording is expected to go on the air in November, 2022.<br>

---++++ Wednesday, June 22, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220622][Astronomy on Tap @ Mountain Rambler]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Katherine de Kleer, Vikram Ravi <br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: <br>
*Attendees*: 125<br>
Great event back in person in Bishop!  Lots of enthusiastic turnout at a small-town bar.<br>
People were super into the presentations and the Q&A and the pub trivia.<br>
We will definitely continue this series.<br>

---++++ Friday, July 8, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220708][Astronomy on Tap Online, Mandarin]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Yuguang Chen, Xinnan Du<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Dongzi Li, Guochao Sun<br />
*Attendees*: 190<br>
Original and interesting presentations.  Strong, charismatic hosting.<br>

---++++ Monday, July 11, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220711][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Joseph Lazio, Ashley Baker<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Andy Boyle, Mia de los Reyes, Janosz Dewberry, Emily Silich<br>
*Attendees*: 180<br>
Great event!  I was concerned that we'd lose a lot of attendees what with the AAS not being in town this time, <br>
but we still had a great turnout. Both talks were good and the live music by Jason Achilles is a really nice addition.<br>
I didn't get the merch sales going today because I couldn't find the iPad for online sales and was running late.<br>
We also had the eVscope2 set up again, which a lot of people liked.<br>


---++++ Monday, July 11 - Friday, July 15
Planet Finder Academy<br>
Andrew Howard's Keck Planet Finder Academy for local high school students 9-5PM every day this week.<br>
*Volunteers*: Cameron Hummels, Andy Boyle, Kaustav Das, Dee Dunne, Max Goldberg, Alessandro Signorini<br>
*Attendees*: 30

---++++ Friday, July 15, 8-10PM

[[20220722][Lecture and Stargazing - The Dynamic Lives of Black Holes, Neutron Stars, and White Dwarfs in Globular Clusters]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Kyle Kremer<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (3)*: Kaustav Das, Dee Dunne, Yuhan Yao<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Max Goldberg<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4)*: Nik Prusinski, Ivey Davis, Emily Silich<br>
*Attendees*: 130<br>
Marked improvement in attendance and a great event overall.  50 online attendees, and 80 in person!<br>
The Planet Finder Academy program that Andrew Howard is leading with high school students from Pasadena<br>
mostly attended this event with their families, but it seems like we're gaining traction in locals realizing we're<br>
having events in person again.  Lively discussion and one of the best lectures we've had.<br>
Sound system was down, so I had to use the speakers I recently purchased for outreach, but they did well,<br>
and worked with the USB mixer for sending the sound directly to the Zoom broadcast.<br>

---++++ Friday, August 5, 8-10PM

[[20220805][Lecture and Stargazing - What is the James Webb Space Telescope?]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Tony Rodriguez<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (3)*: Reinier Janssen, Niyati Dasai<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Michael Zhang<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4)*: Albert Wandui, Emily Silich, Andy Boyle<br>
*Attendees*: 135<br>
Marked improvement in attendance and a great event overall.  50 online attendees, and 85 in person!<br>
Lots of interest from people in the James Webb Space Telescope.  Good talk by Tony, and lots of active<br>
Q&A after.<br>

---++++ Monday, August 15, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220815][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Apurva Oza, Jennifer Burt<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (2+)*: Sam Ponnada, Dee Dunne, Emily Silich<br>
*Attendees*: 170<br>
Some technical difficulties with getting the AV setup to connect to the HDMI cable.<br>
Need to use a different USB-C dongle.  Also, I forgot the stands that support the PA system<br>
so it wasn't as loud as it should have been because it was on that crummy table.<br>
Request from Arjun to use a different table that isn't all wonky.  Also request that he put out<br>
a sign on the nearest table to keep it clear of people starting at 7PM.<br>
Despite the difficulties, the event went pretty well and there was a good turnout.<br>
Quiz was too hard though.<br> 

---++++ Monday, August 22, 5:00-7:00PM

[[20220725][Astronomy on Tap Online, Spanish]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Tony Rodriguez, Sofia Gallego<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Sara Coutiño de León, Rodrigo Leiva<br />
*Attendees*: 40<br>
Event was an improvement over previous spanish events with more engagement.<br>
Tony and Sofia did a great job hosting, and our speakers had solid presentations.<br>
Maybe we're starting to build some momentum!<br>

---++++ Friday, September 23-24

[[20220924][Sequoia NP Dark Sky Festival]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Sam Wu, Nils Deppe, Stephanie Deppe, Max Goldberg<br>
*Attendees*: 250<br>
Great talks by Sam, Nils, and Cameron with attendance of ~40 at each (the capacity of the room!).<br>
Then a wonderful Q&A consisting of all 5 of us just prior to the keynote of the program, with <br>
130 participants.  Very positive feedback from our audience and from the organizers, Katie Wightman,<br>
and Daniel Huecker, Sequoia Conservancy.  Looking forward to doing this again next year!<br>

---++++ Monday, September 26, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20220926][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Ivey Davis, Max Goldberg<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Andy Boyle, Adolfo Carvalho<br>
*Attendees*: 90<br>
Event went well with no real hiccups.  The A/V setup went OK, the telescope operated well,<br>
and people got to see Jupiter at opposition.  Both speakers did a great job.  Surprisingly, <br>
we only had about half our usual turnout, but I'm not sure why.  Also, one of the bartenders<br>
kept trying to prevent us from getting our standard of a few free drinks for our speakers and<br>
volunteers.  I'll have to follow up with the owner about this, as we get very little in terms of <br>
compensation for bringing a large number of people to their bar on an off night.  But other than<br>
that, it was successful!<br>

---++++ Friday, September 30, 8-10PM

[[20220930][Lecture and Stargazing - The Mystery of Cosmic Rays]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Kathryn Plant<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (3)*: Dillon Dong, Qicheng Zhang<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Andreas Faisst<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4)*: Kyle Kremer, Adolfo Carvalho, Kaustav Das<br>
*Attendees*: 140<br>
60 online attendees and 80 in person.  We're slowly rebuilding our in-person attendance at these<br>
events again.  Kathryn gave a great talk and we built a cloud chamber for viewing cosmic rays and<br>
other invisible radiation, which was super cool.  We put it in the lobby so people could look at it<br>
before/after the presentation.  We had a few hiccups with volunteers bailing at the last minute, so <br>
we were a bit shorthanded with the telescopes, but we still had views of the Moon, Jupiter, and Saturn.<br>

---++++ Monday, October 17, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20221017][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Abigail Polin, Spiros Michalakis<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Emily Silich, Samantha Rose, Adolfo Carvalho<br>
*Attendees*: 110<br>
Smooth event overall.  Good talks and lots of support.<br>

---++++ Thursday+Friday+Saturday, October 20, 2022

California Dark Sky Festival<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Dee Dunne, Adolfo Carvolho, Qicheng Zhang<br>
*Attendees*: 250<br>
A small group of us volunteered as educators for the California Dark Sky Festival.<br>
Cameron gave a public science talk each night, whereas the other volunteers set up<br>
and operated some solar science demos, including solar observing with the H-alpha scope,<br>
igniting marshmallows with the parabolic mirror, and using the sun funnel to show views<br>
of the Sun.  In addition, all four had an "astrophysicist Q&A" for an hour on Friday with ~50<br>
attendees.  A major wind storm hit on Saturday, canceling some of the events planned, but<br>
there was still a talk and astrophysicist Q&A at the end of the night when the wind had diminished.<br>
An adventure!<br>

---++++ Friday, October 28, 7-9PM

[[20221028][Lecture and Stargazing - Finding Earth 2.0]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Dimitri Mawet<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (3)*: Dee Dunne, Nicholas Rui<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Sam Rose<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4)*: Qicheng Zhang, Michael Pajkos<br>
*Attendees*: 70<br>
Lower turnout than usual for no obvious reason.  Great presentation, and active Q&A discussion!<br>

---++++ Friday, November 11, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20221111][Astronomy on Tap Online, Mandarin]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Yuguang Chen, Xinnan Du<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Xin Wang, Siyi Xu<br />
*Attendees*: 90<br>
3000+ total views, 90 simultaneous views. Xin was cearly very busy since he just moved,<br>
and just recycled some old slides that were a bit technical. Siyi was superb.<br>

---++++ Monday, November 14, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20221107][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Stephanie Deppe, Nils Deppe<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Sarah Blunt, Isabel Sands, Nicholas Rui<br>
*Attendees*: 120<br>
First cold weather for one of our outdoor events.  Probably in the 50s.  Still had a great turnout,<br>
but need to figure out a solution for cold weather.  Only one TV screen tonight, but everything else<br>
went OK.  Great talks and music, but a little too loud for people to converse.<br>

---++++ Friday, November 18, 6:30-9:00PM
[[SidewalkAstronomy][Sidewalk Astronomy]]<br />
*Coordinator*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Viraj Karambelkar, Kaustav Das, Kyle Finner, Andreas Faisst, Max Goldberg<br>
*Attendees*: 200<br>
Great night!  As soon as we started setting up the telescopes, we had people trying to look<br>
through them.  The sandwich board signs really helped give us legitimacy, so no one was<br>
concerned we were just randos on the street.  Everyone was super positive--even the neighboring<br>
valet, parking enforcement, and the girls selling candy on the street.  eVscope2 had a lot of problems<br>
with the street lights and off-axis lighting coming in the tube.  Despite attempting many targets<br>
(most blocked by trees/buildings), we only got to see M29 star cluster and then Mars.  Better to <br>
just leave home, I think.  "Business cards" and mini-flyers were very popular.  I anticipate a good<br>
turnout to Iryna's talk in two weeks.  Suggestions at improvement: put a QR code on the signs to<br>
direct people to our website easily. Targets were Saturn and Jupiter, mostly, but Mars at the end.<br>

---++++ Friday, December 2, 7-9PM

[[20221202][Lecture and Stargazing - The Invisible Atmospheres of Galaxies]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Iryna Butsky<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (3+)*: Kaustav Das, Sam Ponnada<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (4)*: Qicheng Zhang<br>
*Attendees*: 90 = 40 in person + 50 online<br>
Rainy / cloudy weather suppressed turnout, but event generally went well overall.  Qicheng<br>
set up telescope in Cahill lobby and demonstrated how telescopes work to visitors.  Some<br>
problems with the AV equipment with the projector giving everything a yellow tint and one<br>
of the handheld microphones cutting in and out.  Lapel microphones worked but some static.<br>

---++++ Saturday, December 3, 5-9PM

[[https://gavrt.lewiscenter.org/documents/Noche-de-las-Estrellas.pdf][Noche de las Estrellas]]<br />
*Speakers / Volunteers*: Sofia Gallego, Tony Rodriguez<br>
*Attendees*: 200<br>
Event featured a series of short presentations in English and Spanish, along with ~20 educational<br>
booths from different organizations highlighting astronomy, physics, and space science<br>
primarily for families and children ages 5-15.  Rainy weather prevented much observation<br>
and suppressed turnout.<br>

---++++ Friday, December 9, 6:00-8:30PM

[[SidewalkAstronomy][Sidewalk Astronomy]] (no telescope experience necessary)<br />
*Coordinator*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Qicheng Zhang, Sam Ponnada, Max Goldberg, Andy Boyle<br>
*Attendees*: 200<br>
Great night with lots of enthusiastic participants.  Stuck with Saturn and Jupiter for most of the <br>
time but then when Saturn set, we switched to Mars.  Actor Jason Segel walked by on a date<br>
and took a look at Saturn, which was cool.  No photo though.  We'll try to get to Highland Park<br>
and York Ave in the new year.<br>

---++++ Monday, December 12, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20221212][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Michael Pajkos, Julie Inglis<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*:  Adolfo Carvalho, Emily Silich, Sam Rose, Dee Dunne<br>
*Attendees*: 90<br>
Event went really well despite temperatures in the low 40s and no heat lamps.  Great enthusiastic<br>
turnout.  Jason only played a record of his music instead of a live show, but it was OK.  Telescope<br>
acted up due to clouds.  Michael gave a talk with some active learning techniques that seemed to go<br>
pretty well.  We may have to try that again soon.<br>

Link back to [[https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/twiki_outreach/bin/view/Main/WebHome][home page]].
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png	caltech_histogram_2022.png	r1	manage	44.2 K	2023-01-03 - 01:12	OutreachAdmin
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This topic: Main > WebHome > PastEvents > 2022
Topic revision: r44 - 2023-10-04 - OutreachAdmin