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Instructions for Organizers

The primary responsibilities for organizers are organizing the schedule of events and then executing them throughout the year. Below is a rough list of all the steps necessary to pull this off each six months. Typically, events are scheduled in six month blocks for lecture events, Astronomy on Tap, sidewalk astronomy, and science train. I like to start the process of making the schedule about 2 months prior to the beginning of the next six-month period.

Scheduling Lecture/Stargazing

  • Identify dates for the schedule
    • Dates are usually one Friday a month and out of phase with the Astronomy on Tap schedule.
    • I like to plan lectures close to first quarter moon so we always have a good observing target.
    • Avoid national holidays (and campus holidays) because people are less likely to attend before a long 3-4 day weekend.
    • Avoid being too close to Thanksgiving or Christmas.
    • Investigate if there are any special astronomical events for this six-month block (e.g. transit, eclipse, NASA launch, etc.). Consider coinciding or avoiding if appropriate.
    • Check if Hameetman Auditorium is available for the lectures using the scheduling page.)
    • Check with Athletics Department (e.g., Joe Jordan jjordan@caltech.edu) if north field is available for stargazing (it almost always is).
    • Once set, send schedule to Gita Patel gp@astro.caltech.edu to officially reserve Hameetman Auditorium
  • Identify potential speakers
    • One speaker per night
    • Select 2 faculty, 2 postdocs, and 2 grad students from members of Caltech Astro, GPS, and sometimes IPAC.
    • Select to have gender parity for each category of speaker. This ensures a diverse group representing the Institute.
    • Because there aren't a lot of female faculty in Caltech Astro/GPS, you may have to select a staff scientist or even a postdoc. Do what you can.
    • Select speakers based on your knowledge of their speaking ability, their interest in public education, and their enthusiasm for their subject
    • Try not to get all speakers who work on the same subject.
    • We have far too many people wanting to give talks than we have openings, so no repeats
  • Invite your list of speakers for the available dates
    • Give them the available dates and a quick rundown of the series.
    • Give them links to the Lecture / Stargazing and Lecturer pages for reference.
    • Provide them with links to our Flickr page so they get a feel for the event from photos.
    • Ask speakers if they can specify all dates that will work for them
    • This can be a bit tricky getting all the dates filled, especially getting professors to commit
    • Ask for them to pick a date at minimum and then promise to follow up for a title/abstract in the following weeks.
    • Asking them in person usually gets a faster (and better) response than asking over email.
  • Get titles/abstracts from speakers
    • Again send them the Lecturer page to help guide their choice of topic
    • Help iterate on topics / titles that you think the audience would like
    • Sometimes speakers try to get too clever with their titles or use ones appropriate for a colloquium; keep it simple and short
    • Request an abstract for the topic--typically 3-5 sentences for a broad audience.
  • Create a schedule poster for the season of events
    • I use keynote to create the posters. I have templates.
    • This is usually pretty straightforward just changing text and finding an appropriate background image.
  • Send schedule to key Caltech players
    • Send a copy to Joe Jordan jjordan@caltech.edu at the athletic center to make sure he knows the dates you'll be using the North Field
    • Send a copy to Caltech Security Supervisors security.supervisor@caltech.edu requesting that they open the doors for the 2h period surrounding the event
    • Print out a color copy of the schedule and pin it up in the Cahill Lobby at the beginning of the term.
    • Post a copy on the outreach website: http://outreach.astro.caltech.edu/lectures
  • Create a poster for each event (weeks/months prior to event)
    • I use keynote to create the posters. I have templates.
    • This is usually pretty straightforward just changing text and finding an appropriate background image.
    • Export to PDF and jpg, keeping both under 500k filesize
  • Advertise the event poster (weeks/months prior to event)
  • Advertise on the AAS live-stream website: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I93v-KdhqzmqhI0dTYnbpD5I9LKyYgYqGx4uyL5DbuE/edit#gid=950245354
  • Schedule the A/V equipment in Hameetman to record each lecture event
    • You'll need permissions from Caltech Astro Helpdesk (Patrick or Anu) to be able to post here.
    • Go to Echo 360 Home.
    • Log in as a scheduler. If you're already logged in, you can change to "scheduler" by clicking your picture icon in the upper right, and then under "instructor" you can click the "change" button to swap to "scheduler". This may only work with Safari or Firefox as your browser. If this is not an option, contact Patrick Shopbell or help@astro.caltech.edu.
    • Once logged in as a "scheduler", click the Astro Outreach - Recording link, and click the button on the right side (square button, the left of the four) of that entry (View scheduled captures).
    • This brings up the past recordings. Now click the "new capture" button in the upper right.
    • Follow the template that past events have with the appropriate values for "SPEAKER: TITLE_OF_TALK" as the title.
    • Make sure to specify the campus/building/room that is recording and click the "Live" link.
    • Finally, assure the video records for 3 hours (starting 15 minutes before lecture start), just to make sure we get all of it. Do not click "add section", just "save."
  • Create an event on the upcoming events page of the wiki.
    • You can use events from the past events as a template.
  • Get volunteers for the event
    • Volunteers usually sign up at the semi-annual volunteer meeting
    • Emailing the outreach-volunteers list about opportunities to sign up
    • If still missing people, walk around the department and talk to people directly.

Scheduling Astronomy on Tap Events

  • Identify dates for the schedule
    • Dates are usually one Monday a month and out of phase with the Lecture/Stargazing schedule.
    • Avoid holidays because people are less likely to attend after a long 3-4 day weekend.
    • Avoid being too close to Thanksgiving or Christmas.
    • Check with Gabe, the manager at Der Wolf that these dates are OK: 323.719.7227
  • Identify potential speakers
    • Two speakers per night
    • Astronomy on Tap speakers can come from Caltech, IPAC, Carnegie, JPL, UCLA, Planetary Society, TMT, GMT, Griffith, etc.
    • Try to get speakers from many different institutions representing LA, not just your institution.
    • Select speakers based on your knowledge of their speaking ability, their interest in public education, and their enthusiasm for their subject
    • Try not to get all speakers who work on the same subject.
    • Try to get gender parity on each night, or if not possible, then at least gender parity across six months
    • We have far too many people wanting to give talks than we have openings, so no repeats
  • Invite your list of speakers for the available dates
    • Give them links to the Astronomy on Tap and Astro on Tap Speaker pages
    • Provide them with links to our Flickr page so they get a feel for the event from photos
    • Ask speakers if they can specify all dates that will work for them
    • This can be a bit tricky getting all the dates filled and assuring topics on one evening do not conflict
    • Try to get gender parity for each night
  • Get topics from speakers
    • Again send them the AoTSpeaker page to help guide their choice of topic
    • Help iterate on topics / titles that you think the audience would like
    • Sometimes speakers try to get too clever with their titles or use ones appropriate for a colloquium; keep it simple and short
  • Create a schedule poster for the season of events
    • I use Affinity Designer to create the posters. I have templates, but this can be a somewhat time-consuming process.
    • Can also be done potentially using keynote.
    • Export to PDF and jpg, keeping both under 500k filesize
  • Send schedule to key Caltech players
    • Print out a few color copies of the schedule and deliver them to Der Wolf at the beginning of the term.
    • Optionally, print out a 17"x22" version of the printer on the poster printed on the 2nd floor of Cahill and deliver to Der Wolf for their poster case.
    • Post a copy on the outreach website: http://outreach.astro.caltech.edu/aot
  • Create a poster for each event (weeks/months prior to event)
    • I use Affinity Designer to create the posters. I have templates, but this can be a somewhat time-consuming process.
    • Can also be done potentially using keynote.
    • Export to PDF and jpg, keeping both under 500k filesize
  • Advertise the poster for the event (weeks/months prior to event)
    • Print out 5 color copies of the poster and deliver them to Der Wolf at least two weeks in advance of the event
    • Post a copy on the outreach website: http://outreach.astro.caltech.edu
    • Create a Facebook event each Astro on Tap.
    • Create an Astronomy on Tap event on the main astronomy on tap website.
      • Login to here
      • Use past events as a template.
      • On right side, check the "events" and "news" boxes.
      • On the right side, click "set featured image" and upload the poster.
      • Update the Events page with a line: "Monday, MONTH DATE: AoT LA (Los Angeles, CA)" with link.
      • Update the Location page with the new event.
  • Create an event on the upcoming events page of the wiki.
    • You can use events from the past events as a template.
  • Get volunteers for the event
    • Volunteers usually sign up at the semi-annual volunteer meeting
    • Emailing the outreach-volunteers list about opportunities to sign up
    • If still missing people, walk around the department and talk to people directly.

Scheduling other events: Science Train, Sidewalk Stargazing, and special events

  • Investigate if there are any special astronomical events for this six-month block (e.g. transit, eclipse, NASA launch, etc.) If it's going to get covered by the news, people will want us to hold an event.
  • We are regularly invited to help out at events including star parties, science fairs, etc.
  • When requested, weight how much time it will take, and if it will be worth it based on travel, audience, etc.

Scheduling Semi-Annual Volunteer Meeting

The volunteer meeting is necessary to bring everyone up to speed on what happened last term and the plans for the coming season. It's a good way to introduce new members of the department to what we do, and way to talk about what ways we can improve on past efforts. These usually happen in mid-January and the first few weeks of school in the fall.

  • Good to get the volunteer meeting before the season starts. I like to do this in January after students are back, or June when students are still around.
  • Talk to some grads to assure that the time you'll hold the meeting doesn't conflict with their classes. I like to plan for a Thursday afternoon at 3 or 4PM because people are inclined to come at the end of the day.
  • Book space in the room where you'll hold the outreach meeting. In the past, we have used Cahill 370 (the interaction room), so check the availability and on the scheduling page. If open, contact JoAnn Boyd joann@caltech.edu to schedule it.
  • Send out an announcement email to outreach-volunteers@astro.caltech.edu and alternatively additionally to cahill-announce@astro.caltech.edu letting people know of the meeting and linking this wiki for more info. Make sure you send it out about a week in advance and send out a reminder email the day of the event.
  • Order cupcakes or some sort of food item to help entice people to come. I usually get 4 dozen mini cupcakes from Dots cupcakes on Arroyo, which costs about $100.
  • Print out the upcoming events part of the wiki so people can sign up for various roles if they want.
  • Hold the actual meeting and give a brief overview of what we do in outreach and hand around the signup sheet. Then open things up to discussion on ways we could improve our events based on the last six months of successes and failures.
  • After the meeting, enter in all of the volunteer signups to the wiki, and email the outreach-volunteer list with the assigned roles so people know what they're signed up for.

Responsibilities throughout the year

  • Keep an eye on the upcoming events to be ready when an event is scheduled.
  • Make sure events happen. For each upcoming event:
    • Before the event
      • Send a reminder email to all of the volunteers 4-7 days prior to the event reminding them of their responsibilities.
      • Give them whatever supplies, swag, and fliers they might need to pull off the event
      • Try to get someone present (maybe you) to take photographs of the event for our website
    • Afterwards, update the wiki and website
    • Post the photos taken at the event
      • Upload them to our flickr page
        • Upload photographs and create a new album for them following the format from previous albums.
        • Name the event: YYYYMMDD - Astronomy on Tap: SPEAKER1 & SPEAKER2 --or-- YYYYMMDD - Lecture & Stargazing: SPEAKER
        • Add in the description the speaker(s) and talk title(s) and include the abstract if available.
        • Arrange the photos in chronological order (oldest first)
        • Include the poster image in the album.
      • Post these to our social media accounts
    • Post the video of the lecture to our YouTube channel
      • Download the video feeds from the Echo360 page.
      • Splice them together to make a single stream. Use video for start/end and slides for middle.
      • Splice with the poster image to fadeout at start.
      • Post this to social media.
  • Maintain the outreach wiki to assure it's up to date with volunteers, new events, and past events.
  • Plan what targets will be observed on telescopes for observing events.
  • Periodically post things on social media (Facebook & Twitter) regarding upcoming astronomical events and news
  • Maintain the observing equipment:
    • Regularly re-collimate the telescopes
    • Sort the eyepieces
    • Replace batteries in telrads
    • Upgrade anything that has broken
  • Respond to messages to the outreach-admin@astro.caltech.edu email address and YouTube page.
  • When invited to come provide events to the public (science fairs, telescopes, etc.), organize such events with other volunteers.

Things Needed for New Organizers

If you're just starting out, you'll need permissions, templates, and supplies from the previous organizer

Link back to home page.

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Topic revision: r18 - 2023-07-14 - OutreachAdmin
 
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