NASA Lunar Science Forum 2013 Will Be Virtual Conference
Due to the recent government restrictions on travel, The NASA Lunar Science Institute will broadcast the annual NASA Lunar Science Forum (LSF) as a virtual conference the week of July 15-19, 2013. The conference will be broadcast between the hours of 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. PDT, Monday-Friday, to accommodate a wide spread in time zones.
The scientific program will feature sessions on in-depth scientific results from the recent and pending missions, including: the Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL), Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS), and Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) missions. This year’s conference will have unique features enabled by virtual technology that will be described in later notices, along with features of the LSF the community has appreciated in the past: the annual Shoemaker Award Lecture (winner to be announced at the meeting), the NASA Townhall, a virtual poster session, a virtual LunarGradCon (for graduate students).
Presentations will be delivered using a combination of Adobe Connect and a telecom line for participation. Adobe Connect can host 500 combined domestic and international logins to the presentations. Any number of individuals can gather at their home institutions and connect as a group, but the total number of individual connections cannot exceed 500. Sidebar rooms for small group or individual discussions will be available throughout the conference.
These might be used in a number of ways, including individual or small group chat rooms to provide clarity to questions someone might have about what was just said in the ongoing presentation. Focus groups will have dedicated virtual rooms and times for discussions. Please send ideas for additional creative ways to use the virtual format to Brad Bailey (brad.bailey@nasa.gov).
Abstracts will be accepted February 25 through midnight PDT April 26, 2013. For more information about the format, abstract submission and logistics, please visit http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/LSF2013/
The NLSI will transition to the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) later in 2013, making it likely that the content for the forum will expand in future years. Please guarantee that this year’s Lunar Science Forum is packed with lunar highlights by submitting your abstract soon. We look forward to another exciting meeting focusing on science Of, On and From the Moon!
