The RTSRE conference series focuses on building a sustainable community around the educational, technical and student research uses of robotic telescopes, from small through to large aperture and from radio through to gamma-ray and involving both observed and archival data. It aims to be a meeting place for astronomers, teachers, educators, outreach practitioners, researchers, and observatory and telescope network developers and managers, in a continuing effort to share and combine resources, develop and enhance education and research programs, and foster global conversations and collaborations. It facilitates the storage of knowledge in the field through its journal, RTSRE Proceedings and an astronomical journal, Astronomy, Theory, Observations and Methods.
When
21 - 23 JUNE
2022
2022
RTSRE 2022 CONFERENCE
Santa Barbara, California
About the conference
A conference to provide a global picture of the role scientific research, technical engineering and astronomy education play in student research and education.
RTSRE 2022 conference
The City, the Ocean, and the Sky
Santa Barbara, California, 90 miles up the coast from Los Angeles is a coastal city of just under 90,000 people experiencing a warm Mediterranean climate. The 4000 foot Santa Ynez Mountains provides a stunning backdrop to the City which hugs the Pacific Ocean on the central coast of California. The conference itself will be held within the main Downtown / State Street precinct, one of the most walkable city areas in California with numerous high-quality winery and dining areas within a short walk of the conference.
RTSRE 2022 CHEATSHEET
Some important information that could change your conference experience!
WORKSHOPS RTSRE 2022
A rich variety of topics representing the developments made in the last two and a half years.
RTSRE 2022 PROGRAM
Welcome to RTSRE
08:50 - 09:00
RTSRE is opened with a welcome by Las Cumbres Observatory Director, Lisa Storrie-Lombardi
What’s in Kate Meredith’s Suitcase?
09:10 - 09:35
In honor of the 2019 airline debacle that resulted in Kate unpacking her rather damaged suitcase of accessible tools and toys on stage at the last in-person RTSRE conference in Melbourne Australia, Kate will introduce her organization’s latest efforts to produce accessible hands-on materials. Teaching astronomy to students with sensory disabilities is the primary motivator […]
Workshop – LCO (Las Cumbres Observatory)
09:45 - 10:30
Las Cumbres Observatory is a twenty-five telescope network (2 x 2m, 13 x 1m, 10 x 0.4m) based at seven sites around the globe. The telescopes are largely homogenous with similar cameras, spectrographs, filter sets and setups within each size class. It is a purely robotic global network in the sense that a centralised scheduling […]
Katie Ciurleo – Photon Ranch
11:15 - 11:30
Pat Boyce – BARO and BASRO: Experiences in building and operating your own observatory
11:30 - 11:45
BRIEF (aka Boyce-Astro) has two remote robotic remote observatories for student research. Five cameras are available any night for students to operate for time-series photometry (e.g. exoplanets), speckle interferometry, astrophotography and virtual star parties. We will summarize their capabilities, limitations, and our experiences in bringing these systems online for student operation and research.
Dan Reichart – Robotic Telescope Labs for Survey-Level Undergraduates
11:45 - 12:00
For the past 14 years, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has been developing a unique, survey-level astronomy curriculum, primarily for undergraduate students, with the goal of significantly boosting STEM enrolments on a national scale, as well as boosting students’ technical and research skills. Called “Our Place In Space!”, or OPIS!, this curriculum […]
Tuesday – Lunch
12:00 - 13:45
Santa Barbara is well known for it’s excellent food and beverages in the downtown area! Please follow the provided guide to the local area and try something new and/or excellent.
Workshop – DIY Planet Search
13:45 - 14:45
DIY Planet Search is a project of the Center for Astrophysics at Harvard & Smithsonian that allows members of the general public to get involved in the hunt for exoplanets. Participants control telescopes in the CfA’s MicroObservatory Robotic Telescope Network through their web browsers, using them to locate potential exoplanets without having to travel to […]
Workshop – Remotely Operated Telescopes and Asynchronous Learning
15:00 - 16:00
If there is a positive side to the pandemic, it could be the intense focus on online and asynchronous learning. Although it is clear that student achievement and mental health suffered as a result of isolation, students with disabilities and those from rural communities report that this time had many benefits, some of which can […]
Workshop – Skynet Labs for Survey-Level Undergraduates: OPIS! and MWU!
16:30 - 17:45
Our Place In Space! (OPIS!) is a Skynet-based laboratory curriculum for undergraduates in small to very large, introductory survey courses – and works equally well online as in person. OPIS! consists of eight, and soon nine, labs in which students use the same research instrumentation as professionals to collect their own data. They then use […]
Our Nearest Solar Neighbors: the Alpha Centauri System and its Orbital Ephemerae
08:30-08:40
The Alpha Centauri system includes at least three gravitationally bound stars that are remarkably difficult to observe and measure, despite being the closest star system to the Solar System. We observed the A, B, and C stars through the 0.4m telescopes in the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO) global network, also employing Our Solar Siblings (OSS) […]
Confirmation of an Ultra-Short Period Hot Jupiter with a Near Grazing Transit (TOI-2341.01)
08:50-09:00
This paper reports on ground-based observations of the candidate exoplanet TOI-2341.01, initially observed by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The analysis of data provides evidence that TOI-2341.01 is a Jupiter-sized gas giant with a radius of 79475km ± 4013km (RJup 1.112 ± RJup 0.056), orbiting the host star TOI-2341 at a distance of 0.0118 […]
A follow-up study of 485 bright RR Lyrae variables
09:00-09:10
We examine the designations of all G < 12.5 stars classified as RR Lyrae variables in the WISE catalog of periodic variable stars. A three-pronged approach was used, involving literature review, publicly available photometric data, and ground-based follow-up observations for recently discovered objects whose classification remained inconclusive. More than 80 targets were selected for follow-up […]
Investigating Periodic Variable Star Classification in Large Data Sets
09:10-09:20
Recent studies indicate that current algorithmic approaches to large-scale stellar classification are prone to widespread systematic error. We investigate techniques used by the WISE Catalog of Periodic Variable Stars to classify periodic variables. Using our own classifications of the 485 brightest stars categorized as “RR Lyrae” by the WISE Catalog, we compare the speed and […]
A Tool for Period-Luminosity-Metallicity-Extinction Analysis of RR Lyrae Variables
09:20-09:30
RR Lyrae variable stars are historically important cosmic distance indicators which can be used to independently confirm distances derived from Gaia parallax measurements. Theoretical multiband period-luminosity-metallicity (PLM) relationships for RR Lyrae variables have recently been published, which should be verified by comparison to large empirical data sets that can be collected most efficiently using robotic […]
Analysis of exoplanet HIP 65 A b
09:30-09:40
Exoplanet HIP 65 A b is a gas giant of 3 Jupiter masses which orbits every 0.98 days close to its host star, near the Roche Lobe limit within a binary system. The pair of stars within this system is most likely gravitationally bound, but HIP 65 A b orbits only the primary star. Images […]
Investigation of the Variable Star CH Cam in the Nebula NGC 150
09:50 - 10:00
Adela Horsting, Trent Mosher, Carolina Noviello, Aisha Randhawa
A Search for Transit Timing Variations in the Exoplanet HAT-P-36 b: Analyzing Eight New Data Sets
10:20 - 10:30
In 2016, Esseck and Weinberg hypothesized that the Hot Jupiter HAT-P-36 b is experiencing rapid orbital decay and that, consequently, we would be able to detect slight Transit Timing Variations in the near future. I sought to verify this claim by using the Harvard and Smithsonian MicroObservatory and EXOPlanet Transit Interpretation Code to image and […]
Workshop – Double Stars: a simple but powerful student research topic
11:10 - 12:00
Double Stars seem simple on the surface. These are two (or more) stars visibly orbiting around each other over a fairly long period of time. Their positions relative to each other (the position angle and the angular distance) change slowly over time, such that these motions can be tracked over the decades and centuries that […]
Preethi Krishnamoorthy – Project PANOPTES: A student-led worldwide network of robotic telescopes to discover exoplanets
12:00-12:15
PANOPTES helps students and citizen scientists build and operate a worldwide network of low-cost robotic telescopes that survey the night sky for transiting exoplanets. The PANOPTES units consist of medium telephoto lenses on entry-level DSLRs that provide a widefield coverage of the sky. The network of PANOPTES units allows for a continuous survey of the […]
Joshua Liberman – Achieving Precision Photometry of T Tauri Stars With the PANOPTES Observatory Network
12:15 - 12:30
T Tauri stars are known to exhibit variability at all wavelengths. Starspots, cool magnetic field regions on the star’s surface, contribute to this variability and lead to incorrect predictions in stellar evolution models. While many studies on starspot activity have been conducted at a single wavelength range, few surveys have monitored variation in multiple bands […]
Wednesday – Lunch
12:30 - 14:15
Santa Barbara is well known for it’s excellent food and beverages in the downtown area! Please follow the provided guide to the local area and try something new and/or excellent.
Workshop – Research Opportunities with the PANOPTES observatory network
14:15 - 15:15
Project PANOPTES (Panoptic Astronomical Networked Observatories for a Public Transiting Exoplanets Survey) uses a network of small robotic wide field imaging cameras to map the night sky. While its primary goal is the detection of transiting exoplanets, a number of other sources can be observed with unprecedented cadence and coverage, such as variable stars, asteroids, […]
Heidi White – PASEA : Inspiring Future STEM Leaders in Africa
15:45 - 16:00
PASEA (the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers) is a biannual experiential short course in astronomy for African university students, designed and taught by a team of astronomers and science educators from Africa and across the globe. PASEA’s vision is to build a critical mass of astronomers in Africa and exchange ideas about teaching across continents. […]
Enrique Gómez – Letting the Universe Erupt into your Classroom
16:00 - 16:15
The introduction of the robotic telescopes into the classroom offers the opportunity for students to engage with introductory astronomy content in new ways. One such way is when an optical transient event such as a nova, supernova or cataclysmic variable eruption occurs in the middle of the term. In a class using robotic telescopes, students […]
Denise Stephens – Using Robotic Telescopes to Train Undergraduate Students in Observation Planning and Data Reduction
16:15 - 16:30
Early experience in astronomical research is fundamentally important to the education of undergraduate students and their preparation for graduate school. Learning how to use robotic telescopes to obtain photometric data, and then reducing and analyzing that data is one way to introduce young students to basic data reduction. Meaningful projects that make use of differential […]
Daryl Janzen – Setting up and using a robotic telescope for university education
16:30 - 16:45
Following the RTSRE conference in 2018, I worked with Skynet Robotic Telescope Network director Dan Reichart and his team to set up a robotic telescope at the University of Saskatchewan. It took the better part of two years to get all the pieces in place, and we finally set up the telescope in April 2020, […]
Workshop – Skynet’s Cluster HR Diagram Tool
17:00 - 18:00
This workshop will introduce the first of the Skynet Robotic Telescope Network’s second-semester STEAM education labs from the upcoming Multi-Wavelength Universe! curriculum. In the lab, students will collect multiband images of open and globular star clusters with Skynet telescopes, then use Skynet’s web-based, open access tools to align and stack images, run calibrated photometry, and […]
Edward Gomez – Global Sky Partners Introduction
08:30-08:45
Global Sky Partners – Presentations
08:45 - 09:50
Presentations from the range of Global Sky Partners, highlighting their many exciting projects!
Thursday – Morning Tea
09:50 - 10:20
Gerri Bernard – From Clubs to the Classroom: Integrating Observational Astronomy into the Science Curriculum
11:15 - 11:30
In high school settings, observational astronomy is often relegated to after school clubs and extension programs for highly motivated and interested students. In an effort to bring the awe and wonder of gorgeous astrophotography to all of our students, Brisbane Girls Grammar School has integrated observatory work into our Junior Science curriculum. This presentation will […]
Erika Wright – YouthAstroNet – Strengthening STEM Identity and STEM Career interest through Astronomy Programming with Middle Schoolers
11:30-11:45
Astronomy programming in both classroom and informal settings has the potential to impact the STEM career interest and STEM identity of middle school aged students. The Youth Astronomy Network, or YouthAstroNet, is an online learning community featuring robotic telescopes, web-based image visualization and analysis tools, and complementary instructional materials that allows students to pursue astronomy […]
Thursday – Lunch
12:00-13:45
Santa Barbara is well known for it’s excellent food and beverages in the downtown area! Please follow the provided guide to the local area and try something new and/or excellent.
Workshop – Exoplanet Watch
13:45 - 14:45
Due to the efforts by numerous ground-based surveys and NASA’s Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), there will be hundreds, if not thousands, of transiting exoplanets ideal for atmospheric characterization via spectroscopy with large platforms such as James Webb Space Telescope and ARIEL. However their next predicted mid-transit time could become so increasingly uncertain […]
Elizabeth Villanueva – Gee-Whiz Modeling Astronomy [Remote Talk]
15:00 - 15:15
Gee-Whiz Astronomy Modeling is an international, interscholastic group started by UC Berkeley astrophysicist Carlton Pennypacker, a founding member of the Global Hands of Universe (G-HOU), who in 2020 together with teachers and school-level students from the United States United States, New Zealand, a middle eastern nation, and Chile decide to form an online research group […]
Edward Gomez – Make better educational resources
15:15 - 15:30
Saeed Salimpour – Astronomy for Education and Strange New Worlds [Remote Talk]
15:30 - 15:45
This talk will look at the idea of astronomy for education from two perspectives. The first is an international perspective in the context of International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Education whose objective is to enable and support teachers, and educators from around the world to take advantage of the potential offered by Astronomy […]
Carl Pennypacker – Successful Global Hands-On Universe/Galileo Teacher Training Zoom-enabled Remote Teacher Workshops for Uganda Teachers
15:45 - 16:00
Members from the Global Hands-On Universe (GHOU) Association, the Galileo Teacher Training Program (GTTP) and the National Curriculum Development Centre (NCDC) planned a series of face-to-face and online workshops, to take place during the summer of 2020, for high school physics teachers living in and around Kampala, Uganda. This professional development was intended to support […]
Rachel Freed – Self-efficacy, community and identity in student-focused research programs
16:30 - 16:45
Remote telescope access has recently grown to be a large part of many formal and informal science education experiences globally. Through the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Sky Partners program and the Skynet Telescope Network education programs, thousands of students have easy access to research-grade telescopes. Through the use of these telescopes students gain a sense […]
David McKinnon – Promising results for robotic telescope education from a large-scale NSF and DOD study [Remote Talk]
16:45 - 17:00
Our group has developed instruments to measure the self-efficacy and attitudes of participating students in two large federally funded grants. A repeated- measures research design is being used to determine the extent to which the interventions in ASTRO-101 type courses covary with change in efficacy, attitude and performance. This session will present the instruments, their […]
Workshop – MWU! Pulsar Activity
17:00 - 18:00
Following the success of the Our Place In Space! (OPIS!) Skynet-based laboratory curriculum for undergraduates, a consortium of educators, led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have started development of a new laboratory curriculum initiative, the Multi-Wavelength Universe – MWU! This new curriculum includes a series of optical and radio astronomy activities […]
Register your Virtual Attendance
If for a myriad of reasons you are unable to grace us with your physical presence, you can register to join virtually from the comfort of your comfort-zone, wherever that may be!
VENUE LOCATION
The 2022 RTSRE conference will be hosted at the Carrillo Recreation Center. The Center has a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces of various sizes for us to run workshops, talks and facilitate quality interactions. It is also one block from State Street in Downtown Santa Barbara
RTSRE HOTSPOTS
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION 2022
REGISTRATIONS 2022
The registrations for the 2022 RTSRE Conference in Santa Barbara California are now open!