An Awesome Workshop , Kudos Dr. Vishnu!!
This workshop on Careers in Planetary Sciences was conducted on the 19th of September 2010 at the VET auditorium in Bangalore. The focus of the workshop was on Careers in the field of Planetary Sciences and how amateurs could contribute in the Scientific sense . Dr. Vishnu Reddy,the chief speaker,was remarkable in the way he helped us understand the various things involved .His talks are inspirational to say the least !
In his first session Dr. Reddy gave us a very good overview of “Planetary Sciences”. He touched upon the the various techniques involved in the field and helped us understand Professional-Grade Astronomy. Through his talks Dr. Vishnu also gave us an idea about , What it takes to Work for NASA , How to Become a Professional , What Education to pursue etc.
For amateurs like me, he talked about scientific contributions that amateurs could make. He also covered How amateurs could effectively help in building a great database which could serve as a platform for Pro-Am collaborations.
Although the Workshop was based on Careers in Planetary Sciences , we did get a Bonus Talk on extra solar planets. by Mr. Naveen (V.P. Of BAS) It was something that gave us lot of info on the topic. A very interesting topic and not many people seem to address it . It was a pleasant surprise , very informative !
The best part of the workshop was the last session. It was a Q&A session , but not one of those run-of-the-mill sessions where the speaker addresses questions from the dais , but a very open and informal discussion wherein all of us gathered around the speaker and discussed various things related to the field in the good old Gurukul fashion. This is something that must be encouraged in all talks, it really gives you the opportunity to mingle and know more, especially if it is informal.
I must say it was a pleasure to interact with Dr. Vishnu and I really look forward to my next meet with him. The workshop did leave me with the thought “Hey ! Why not Become an Astronomer”. Thanks to BAS and all its Volunteers for making this happen,Thanks to The Rajarammana Children's Science Club for all its support and guidance. A very big thank you to Dr. Vishnu for helping us explore the Universe in a better way though the eyes of a Professional.
Supported by: Rajarammana Children's Science club
Volunteers: Amar, Gautham, Ravi, Pramod, Pavan, Vishwakeerthi, Naveen L.N., Vivek