1 R. D. Gehrz Sofia Science Steering Committee, NASA ARC, Moffet Field, CA, September 29, 2009 Recent Activities of the SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF):

1 Sofia Science Steering Committee, NASA ARC, Moffet Field, CA, September 29, 2009 R. D. Gehrz

Recent Activities of the SOFIA Community Task

Force (SCTF): Outreach to the Science Community

R. D. Gehrz

Lead, SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF)Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota


Outline

• The SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF)

• Mission and Activities of the SCTF

• SOFIA Speaker’s Bureau

• SOFIA Workshops

• Upgrading the Science Case for SOFIA – Guest Speakers

• Summary


Description of the SOFIA Community Task Force

The SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF) is a group of astronomers charged with providing outreach to the community of researchers and with collecting ideas about potential observing programs to help the SOFIA Science Center develop its program. These outreach activities are intended to inform and engage the community about the observing opportunities provided by the observatory.


The SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF) – Members*B-G Andersson: USRA SOFIA

Dana Backman: SOFIA/SETI Institute

David Black: Lunar and Planetary Institute

Eric Becklin: USRA SOFIA, University of California Los Angeles:

Ed Erickson: SOFIA

Bob Gehrz (Leader): University of Minnesota

Matt Greenhouse: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Paul Hertz: NASA Headquarters

Bob Joseph: University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy

Dan Lester: University of Texas

Margaret Meixner: Space Telescope Science Institute

Pamela Marcum: NASA Ames Research Center

Tom Roellig: NASA Ames Research Center

Gran Sandell: SOFIA

SI PI’s/designated representatives

Numerous USRA/NASA Project Personnel

* Outside members denoted in red type


Charge to the SCTF

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) Community Task Force (SCTF) is charged with:

• Informing and engaging the astronomical community in planning for the SOFIA General Observer (GO) science program

• Contributing to a long-range science plan that will realize the potential of SOFIA as a premier observatory and as a platform for developing forefront technology


SCTF Telecons

• The SCTF holds weekly hour-long SCTF telecons

• An agenda is developed for each telecon and communicated several days before hand

• A summary and a list of resulting action items is distributed after each telecon

• Action items are tracked by the leader between telecons


The SOFIA Speakers Bureau

• We maintain and update a library of SOFIA presentations, publications, and visual materials at: http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/speakers/index.html

• We arrange for SOFIA presentations at major science meetings and technology venues world-wide to reach audiences of potential users and collaborators

• A recent emphasis has been to develop a list of universities and scientific institutions that should receive SOFIA talks

• Programmatic slides, animations, and a list of FAQ&A have been added


Recent SOFIA SCTF Publications

• "The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)." R. D. Gehrz and E. E. Becklin, Proceedings of the SPIE 7012, 70121R- 70121R-15 (2008).

• “A New Window on the Cosmos: The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).” R.D. Gehrz, E.E. Becklin, I. de Pater, D.F. Lester, T.L. Roellig, and C.E. Woodward, Advances in Space Research, 44, 413 (2009).

• “Infrared and submillimeter spectroscopic studies of stellar evolution with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA),” R. D. Gehrz, E. E. Becklin, and T. L. Roellig, “Proc. of the XXVII General Assembly of the IAU,” in Press (2010)

• “SOFIA: Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy,” E. E. Becklin and R. D. Gehrz, in "Submillimeter Astrophysics and Technology: A Symposium in Honor of Thomas G. Phillips,” editors: D. Lis, J. Vaillancourt, J. Zmuidzinas, N. Scoville, and P.Goldsmith, ASP Conference Series, in press (2010)

• “SOFIA: On the Pathway toward Habitable Worlds” R. D. Gehrz et al., Proceeding of Barcelona meeting on “Pathways toward Habitable Planets” (2010)

• Caltech Workshop Whitepaper “The 20/20 Vision of SOFIA: Scientific and Technical Opportunities in the next 20 years” and AAS Workshop Whitepaper “Early Science Opportunities with SOFIA” at: http://www.sofia.usra.edu/Science/workshops/index.html


Partial List of Major Meeting Venues for SOFIA Speakers Bureau Presentations during June – November 2009

• June 22-26, 2009, Columbus, OH "International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy" - two invited talks by R. D. Gehrz

• August 3-14, 2009, IAU General Assembly Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Invited talk by R. D. Gehrz in Special Session on "IR and Sub-mm Spectroscopy,” SOFIA Booth run by Darlene Mendoza

• August 10-14, 2009, San Diego, CA: "SPIE Optics and Photonics" – invited talk by E. E. Becklin

• September 14-18, 2009, Barcelona, Spain, International Scientific Conference on “Pathways Toward Habitable Planets” -invited talk by R. D. Gehrz

• October 4-9, 2009, San Juan, Puerto Rico: 41st Annual Meeting of the AAS DPS, – D. Backman will attend with the SOFIA booth.

• November 3-6 2009, Garching, Germany: ESO-MPE-MPA-USM workshop on "The study of circumstellar disks and the formation of planetary systems" - G. Sandell to attend


Upcoming Major Meeting Venues for SOFIASpeakers Bureau Presentations During 2010

• April 7-10, 2010, Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida, "From Stars to Galaxies - Connecting our understanding of star and galaxy formation" - J. de Buizer to attend and investigate SOFIA participation.

• July 18-25, 2010 Bremen, Germany: 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly - R. D. Gehrz will give an invited talk

• June 27 – July 2, 2010 SPIE Photonics in San Diego: Deadline for abstracts if December 14, 2009

• September, 13-17, 2010, Townsville, Australia, "Great Barriers in High Mass Star Formation," invited talk by J. de Buizer


Priority One Universities and Scientific Institutions that Should Receive SOFIA Talks


Priority two SCTF Speakers Bureau List


SOFIA AAS Workshops

• Third “SOFIA Community Task Force Workshop and SOFIA

Tour” held at the 213th AAS Meeting in Long Beach, CA on

January 4, 2009. Chaired by R. Gehrz

• Fourth “SOFIA Community Task Force Workshop and SOFIA Tour” held at the 214th AAS Meeting in Pasadena, CA on June 7, 2009. Chaired by R. D. Gehrz

• The fifth “SOFIA Community Task Force Workshop” will be held at the 215th AAS Meeting in Washington, DC on Monday night, January 4, 2010. It is being organized by R. D. Gehrz and T. L. Roellig. Suggestions from the SSSC for the format are welcome


Topical Presentations at SCTF TeleconsRecent and pending guest speaker presentations:

• January 21, 2009: Chris Walker, “Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO)

• February 18, 2009: Jim Elliot et al., “Occultations with SOFIA”

• May 6, 2009: Mark Swain, “Observing Exoplanet Transits”

• July 22, 2009: Scott Sandford, “Astrochemistry with SOFIA

• August 9, 2009: Tom Green, “JWST MIRI and Observations of Exoplanets”

• October 14, 2009: Mike Werner and Tom Soifer, “SOFIA and the Spitzer Legacy”

• October 21, 2009: Terry Herter, “The FORECAST Science Program”

• December 16, 2009: Doug Whittet, “Interstellar Dust”

• TBD: Mark Clampin, “Exoplanet Observations with JWST”

• TBD: Lucy Ziuirys, “Observing Molecular lines with SOFIA”

• TBD: Rolf Geusten, “The GREAT Science Program”

• TBD: Alan Tokunaga, “IRTF SOFIA Synergy”

Presentation slides can be viewed and downloaded at:

http://homepages.spa.umn.edu/~gehrz/SOFIA_Community_Task_Force/Presentations_to_the_SCTF/


Summary

• Publications

• SOFIA talks and papers are being presented through the SOFIA Speakers Bureau at space science venues world-wide to publicize the SOFIA Project

• SOFIA talks are being arranged through the SOFIA Speakers Bureau at important Universities and Scientific Institutions

• January 2010 AAS Workshop is being organized

• Topical science presentations to the SCTF by guest speakers

SCTF activities to raise SOFIA’s scientific visibility:

Documents

1 R. D. Gehrz Sofia Science Steering Committee, NASA ARC, Moffet Field, CA, September 29, 2009 Recent Activities of the SOFIA Community Task Force (SCTF):