Caltech Astronomy & Astrophysics
September 12-13, 2016: Keck/JWST Workshop (Caltech)
September 14, 2016: Jura Symposium (UCLA)
September 15-16, 2016: Keck Science Meeting (Caltech)
About the Keck Science Meeting
Caltech and the W.M. Keck Observatory are pleased to announce the 2016 Keck Science Meeting, which will take place on the Caltech campus on Thursday-Friday, September 15-16. The meeting will bring together Keck users from Caltech, the University of California, NASA, the University of Hawaii, Yale University, Swinburne University, ANU, Australian Keck Users via the AAL, Subaru Observatory, and Gemini Observatory. The primary focus of the meeting will be to share exciting science results made possible by Keck Observatory.
This year's meeting will feature a special session that focuses on the future of instrumentation at the two Keck telescopes. New instruments poised to be available include KCWI and NIRES. Potential future instrument include SHREK and KAPA. Thursday morning's session will highlight these upcoming capabilities and others, especially focusing on the science they will enable.
The meeting will also include a strategic planning session hosted by Chief Scientist Anne Kinney. On Friday afternoon, she will review the Observatory's five-year plan. The chairs of the Science Steering Committee will also review some of the ideas for future directions offered by Keck users through white paper submissions.
The meeting will be streamed live online, and the recordings will be available immediately.
Keck and JWST
The Keck Science Meeting will be preceded by a workshop focused on preparing the Keck community for Early Release Science (ERS) proposals for the James Webb Space Telescope. The workshop, aimed to prepare the Keck user community for submitting proposals to the ERS program, will take place September 12-13 on the Caltech campus, with one day of talks and one day of breakout sessions for proposing teams. On Thursday morning, September 15, Anne Kinney will lead a one-hour discussion reflecting on the workshop. Participants may register for the JWST workshop along with the Keck Science Meeting.
Mike Jura Symposium at UCLA
The UCLA Physics & Astronomy department will host a symposium celebrating the life of Professor Mike Jura on Wednesday, September 14. Details are available on the symposium web page.
KSM2016 Science Organizing Committee
• Chas Beichman (NASA)
• Mansi Kasliwal (Caltech)
• Anne Kinney (WMKO)
• Evan Kirby (Caltech)
• Jessica Lu (UH)
• Dimitri Mawet (Caltech)
• Brian Siana (UCR)
• Andy Skemer (UCSC)
KSM2016 Local Organizing Committee
• Bronagh Glaser
• Mansi Kasliwal
• Evan Kirby
• Leslie Kissner
• Dimitri Mawet
• Judy McClain
Meeting information
Caltech is located in Pasadena, California. There are numerous lodging options, from budget to upscale.
Caltech's home page maintains a useful set of directions and maps for reaching campus by car or public transit.
Parking is available in the garage behind the Cahill Center for Astronomy & Astrophysics. The address of the garage is 1248 California Ave., Pasadena, CA 91125. A daily parking permit costs $6 and is available at kiosks in the garage. The Caltech parking website has more information.
Breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days of the meeting. For dinners, Pasadena has a lively restaurant scene. Lake Ave. is walking distance from campus and features many nice restaurants. Old Town Pasadena is 2 miles from the Cahill building and has world-class eateries. See Yelp for recommendations.