NSF Headquarters

Visited NSF Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia to discuss employment in science issues. I gave my presentation on not only employment issues but also challenges to scientists developing their knowledge and skills, which are absolutely essential to success as an astronomer, physicist, or any other scientist. Success does not come in a vacuum, but requires fostering a supportive learning environment. For a scientist, gaining new knowledge and skills are a process that can never end.

I talked with an aide of NSF Director Arlen Bement, who will brief the Director.

The NSF is housed in quite an imposing and impressive facility on Wilson and Stuart streets. Stuart Street is one street over from Taylor street. I should feel at home.

Saw the Washington mall and some of the tourist sites on the way from Arlington to where I am staying, which has an address variously called Landover or Upper Marlboro.

Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University

Today I was at Johns Hopkins University. I presented my talk privately since the public schedule was full. My talk went well again. I also heard from some astronomers here about their work. I went by the Space Telescope Science Institute across the street from the astronomy dept; I have an appointment with a STScI staff member for later.

One astronomer took me to a talk given by the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Interesting that he had been a professor of history. He also grew up in the U.S. His talk was fascinating. I hope that Israel is as determined to have peace as he portrays.

The campus is beautiful. The leaves are starting to change color (more than the "just beginning" I said in my last Baltimore post). The East feels more "woodsy" than the West, and this campus is very comfortable.

I am to visit Washington DC tomorrow: NSF and NASA.

Another productive day!

Ohio to Maryland

I had a great visit with several astronomers at the Ohio State University in Columbus yesterday. I debated my observing falling planets idea. Perhaps the energy from tidal migration would only heat up the bulk volume of the star, and in that case, the energy from the tidal migration of even the largest planets would not noticably brighten the star. The total energy of the star is too great. But I still maintain that it is still important to consider whether a signficant part of the energy is deposited in shallow layers. It would be ironic if true, but I wonder if having higher Q values could mean that more of the tidal dissipation would occur in a more shallow layer and thus more of the energy could come out as a luminosity increase.

But perhaps I should focus on after the planet starts to be destroyed. Whether destroyed by Roche lobe overflow or by the planet entering the star's photosphere, that energy will come from at or above the star's surface.

I had a good drive from from Columbus to Baltimore. The leaves have just started changing in Eastern Ohio and Western Maryland, as well as the the nearby areas of West Virginia and Pennsylvania). It was a very pretty drive today. The leaves have only barely started changing in eastern MD near DC and Baltimore.

I look forward to talking with astronomers at Johns Hopkins tomorrow. I will talk with one astronomer working with Pan-STARRS, which is interesting to me for how it will survey stars and so could learn about exoplanets.

Driving the long stretch

I had good visits of the Astronomy Departments at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces and the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. I am between Memphis and Nashville, on my way to Columbus, OH to visit astronomers at Ohio State University.

At UT Austin, they had a conference between the astronomy and planetary people with some very interesting talks on exoplanets. They were kind to invite me to their conference dinner so I had a good chance to tell people about my falling planets, and my role in making the discovery paper determination of the parameters of TrES-3, the first observations of mutual events of Uranus, and setting up the LCOGT global telescope network.

Driving from Austin TX to Columbus OH is a long stretch! There is some distance in the middle of the US between the bigger astronomy departments. It was to place this stretch on a weekend that determined the day of the week of my visits. It has been a long trip already and I am not halfway there. I do miss Emily a lot. I really hope something direct comes out of my efforts, but meeting so many more people face-to-face is very valuable!

Arizona: First Talk of My Speaking Tour!

Talk went well in Tucson today! I greatly appreciate the kind hospitality of the faculty and staff at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory.

Richard Greenberg, a co-author with Brian Jackson and Rory Barnes of the paper that inspired me, attended. It was good to meet him. There were also some other good people around the department. Professor Jill Bechtold was very kind to arrange the venue for me. I appreciate the audience for coming with good questions. Met several exoplanet astronomers.

I have a good flier to give out showing my talk and the projects I did at LCOGT: TrES 3, Uranus satellite work, the first astronomer doing the first LCOGT telescope work. Thanks to Emily's input on the flier. She is a great designer. Emily is helping me make a graphic to add to my fliers.

Tomorrow I am going to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.

Setting out on bold trip to claim my role in science

I leave tomorrow. I am glad to be bold, but it's scary. I am doing a national speaking tour to promote myself continuing in astronomy. My talks are ready. Not as ready as I would like -- my "observing falling planets' luminosity" paper is not published yet, with some parts still needing work. But I am going to go. An astronomer unemployed for two years must have professional contact. To do the things that it means to be a scientist: Gather data and analyze it. to go visit colleagues to understand the subject, to write up the results, and to speak in public talks about what we find. I endeavor to recreate all these pieces of a scientist's life. But of course nothing replaces not having one's salary and not having the things that I and those close to me miss out on. It does not work to job hunt in astronomy after being kept off my publication record. I will go in part to look people in the eye and tell them that these papers, the planet TrES 3 and the rest, are my work as well. I am saying I choose to continue and finish my contributions, and expect them to be recognized.

So off I go to speak on exoplanets! To speak on my purpose for being in astronomy. To connect with astronomers and the public. To improve my scientific knowledge and skills. To not allow job hunting to interfere with my progress. To be public for being the first astronomer for LCOGT and the planets, Uranian satellite mutual event, and transient science. To be a public face for exploring exoplanets!

Taking on the Challenge

Getting ready for my Across the Nation Speaking Tour to regain my career in Astronomy. Having to enter a whole new subfield is a nearly impossible task. I was forced to leave observational astronomy, so now I am forced to become a theorist from home without pay. At least I have a great topic.

I am going on my speaking tour for another important reason: to return to the role of a professional astronomer. That means meeting with colleagues and speaking about what I am doing. It means staying engaged with other astronomers. It means speaking to the public. It means going to different institutions and setting up collaborations. Seeing what astronomers elsewhere are doing.

I am also going to claim my work. To regain my history for 2007 and 2008. To look people in the eye and say I was a part of the first published results for TrES 3. I had everything ready that that was to be my observation, as were the Uranus satellite observations. I did the first LCOGT Uranus satellite observations, in preparation for being a part of the first observation of Uranus satellite mutual events. I did the first LCOGT photometry, and I expected to share in the transit and satellite observations, and to expand from there with the LCOGT astronomers that came after me. I am working to get credit for these papers when I job hunt. The falling planets paper comes first, but I will follow that paper with one on my contribution to ideal handling of color differences between target and reference stars using ideal weighting obtained by SVD fitting of the extinction curve. By putting my name on zero papers, LCOGT shows Rosing's lack of any ethics. I expect to be included in the credit for my work, and to look people in the eye and tell them this was my work.

The most difficult thing is to explain my situation. No affiliation and no credit on the work I did at Las Cumbres. Rosing's goal (if nothing else) was clearly to have LCOGT have no record of me. Completely hide me away as having been that organization's astronomer. The allegations were to completely devalue me. To fabricate me doing four wrong things to make me run away without claiming a part in the science done by LCOGT or being a part of its history. Rosing's goal from the first attack was to make me completely go away. I had no value as a person. It is true LCOGT offered to put my name on one transit timings paper but I wouldn't be allowed to participate in writing it. I said to include me in the work on the paper and then put my name, but they refused. I find the offer to use my name but not let me participate as an author to be another ethical violation. So it is important to claim my work.