July 31-August 4, 2010
University of Colorado at Boulder

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific invites you to: "Cosmos in the Classroom 2010: A Hands-on Symposium on Teaching Introductory Astronomy" together with "Making Connections In Education and Public Outreach", the 122nd Annual Meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, July 31 - August 4, 2010, at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Please save the date and plan to put funding in your 2010 budget for a double hands-on meeting for everyone involved in astronomy and space science education!

We will gather for three productive days (August 2-4) in one of the most pleasant cities in the U.S. to consider how we can do a better job with the introductory astronomy course and learn from some of the outstanding astronomy professors and instructors in the country. Much of the symposium will be in the format of small-group sessions, where we will practice effective techniques for reaching students. Participants will include community and small college instructors, university professors, graduate students and postdocs just about to teach their first solo course, advanced high school teachers, and anyone who may be facing a group of non-science majors in the future.

At the same time, everyone working in EPO is invited to a meeting (August 2-4) to consider how best to share the results of their work and improve their practice, to make connections with each other across science disciplines and with the Astro 101 instructors also in attendance. We will arrange focus groups with instructors and EPO professionals at all levels on what kinds of information and what kinds of materials are most useful in the classroom, and how Astro 101 and EPO professionals can collaborate to their mutual benefit. A set of weekend workshops (July 31-August 1) for educators will precede the meeting.

More information about specific meeting programs and formats and ways to propose sessions and papers will be available in late 2009. We have arranged for both dormitory and hotel housing, so that the meeting is accessible for a variety of budgets.

We also invite organizations wishing to support either or both aspects of the meeting to become co-sponsors. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available, including making scholarship funds available to potential participants from under-funded institutions who could otherwise not attend. If you would like to become a co-sponsor, please contact the ASP at: 2010meeting {at} astrosociety.org for more information.

Sign up to receive more information about the meeting as it becomes available.