2017 Annual February BOV Meeting

Friday, February 24-Saturday, February 25, 2017
Austin, Texas

How to Register:

  1. Click this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-2017-astronomy-program-board-of-visitors-meeting-tickets-28230056860
  2. Click the green "TICKETS" button
  3. Select the number of each type of ticket to be purchased: 1) Both days, 2) Friday only, or 3) Saturday only *Group registration is available for this meeting.

Important Registration Information:

  1. Ticket Pricing Structure:
    1. Early Bird registration rates closed December 15, 2016
    2. Regular registration rates available through January 31, 2017
    3. Late registration rates available through February 15, 2017
  2. No refunds available after 4pm January 10, 2017
  3. Hotel Reservations: can be made using this link
    https://aws.passkey.com/event/14285280/owner/71879/landing through January 24, 2017

Annual February Board of Visitors Meeting

Friday, February 24-Saturday, February 25, 2017
Austin, Texas

How to Register:

  1. Click this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-2017-astronomy-program-board-of-visitors-meeting-tickets-28230056860
  2. Click the green "TICKETS" button
  3. Select the number of each type of ticket to be purchased: 1) Both days, 2) Friday only, or 3) Saturday only *Group registration is available for this meeting.

Important Registration Information:

  1. Ticket Pricing Structure:
    1. Early Bird registration rates closed December 15, 2016
    2. Regular registration rates available through January 31, 2017
    3. Late registration rates available through February 15, 2017
  2. No refunds available after 4pm January 10, 2017
  3. Hotel Reservations: can be made using this link
    https://aws.passkey.com/event/14285280/owner/71879/landing through January 24, 2017

Schedule of Events:

Friday, February 24, 2017
AT&T Conference Center, Various Locations
1900 University Avenue
Austin, Texas 78705

3:30-4:15pmScience Discussion Groups 1 & 2

SDG 1: Judit Ries "Earth in the Crosshairs" in PDR 2
SDG 2: Craig Wheeler "The Technological Future of Humanity" in PDR 4

PDR 2 and PDR 4 (Hotel Side)
4:15-4:30pmCoffee Break
4:30-5:15pmScience Discussion Groups 3 & 4

SDG 3: Caitlin Casey "Massive Beasts: the Lifecycle of Galaxy Clusters" in PDR 2
SDG 4: Fritz Benedict "Robots in Space - The Exploration of our Solar System" in PDR 4

PDR 2 and PDR 4 (Hotel Side)
6:30-7:30pmReception for BOV and Invited Guests

Ballrooms AB (Conference Side)
7:30-9:30pmDinner with Keynote Speaker: Lisa Randall "Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs"

Ballroom C (Conference Side)
Saturday, February 25, 2017

Peter O'Donnell Building (POB)
201 E 24th Street
Austin, Texas 78712

7:30-8:30amRegistration and Breakfast
8:45-9:00amWelcome and Donor Recognitions
9:00-9:45amBoard of Visitors Meeting
9:45-10:15amCoffee Break
10:15-11:00amGuest Speaker(s), Astronomy Department Chair, and McDonald Observatory Director
11:00am-12:00pmScience Talks:
Faculty: Michael Boylan-Kolchin "Near-field Cosmology: Big Science from Small Galaxies"
Postdoc: Brendan Bowler "The Pathway to Imaging Earth’s Twin"
Graduate Student: Wenbin Lu "Stories from supermassive black holes tearing apart stars at the heart of galaxies"
12:00-1:15pmLunch
1:30-2:30pmGreat Lecture:
Dan Jaffe "GMTNIRS and the Great Exoplanet Adventure"
2:30-3:30pmScience Discussion Group:
Mike Endl "The discovery of Proxima b and how we will use the GMT to search for life on this alien world"