2013 Sagan Exoplanet Summer Workshop Imaging Planets and Disks Cancelled

Dear Colleagues,

It is with regret that the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) announces the cancellation of this year’s Sagan Summer Workshop (July 29-Aug 2, 2013) on the topic of “Imaging Planets and Disks”. Like numerous other scientific conferences this year, the Sagan Workshop is a victim of the Federal budget sequestration. This meeting would have been the 14th in a series of workshops bringing young scientists, mostly graduate students and postdocs, together with the world’s experts to explore the wide variety of techniques used to search for and characterize exoplanets. Our planned agenda would have explored the experimental technique of coronagraphy in considerable theoretical and practical detail, presented current observational results, and looked to future opportunities with JWST and other space missions. We look forward to holding the Workshop next summer.

On behalf of the Science Organizing Committee for this year’s workshop, I want to thank all those scientists who were willing take time from their busy schedules to help train the next generation of researchers by agreeing to either speak at the workshop or to lead one of the hands-on sessions.
For those people who have already registered for the conference we will be contacting you directly to arrange a refund for the registration fee. Please feel free to contact the workshop organizers with any specific questions.

Charles Beichman, NExScI Executive Director
Dawn Gelino, Sagan Program Lead Scientist
Carolyn Brinkworth, Workshop Coordinator