|
The General Assembly - it's not just Committee meetings it's also a time to network with old friends and some new acquaintances, pick up a few photography techniques, win a prize or two, party and sing along, eat well and often, drink occasionally, gather in a few observing tips, pickup a few odds and ends for the telescope, see what's new in the stores, get the low-down on some distant observing sites, and learn something interesting and insanely scientific about this pastime of ours.
General Assembly activities begin with the National Rep BBQ - a place to get to know the people who will help guide the RASC over the next year through the National Council. This is a low-key informal affair, held at the Centre's observatory or at a member's house. Our Glenlea Observatory could be a bit of a challenge - Winnipeg is expected to be inundated this spring, and while it's mostly gone by late June, the aftermath can be pretty ugly in a place that has been under water for six weeks (we take out the telescope).
Day 2 is National Council Meeting day, with motions and discussion about Society affairs. After dinner, the Manitoba Museum hosts a Wine and Cheese icebreaker.You can roam the displays, climb aboard the Nonsuch (a full-size replica of the ship that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668 to start the Hudson Bay Company), explore a re-built Prairie town, or try your knowledge on the displays in the Science Gallery. The inane Wine and Cheese is a time for music, contests, and astronomy shenanigans - a great way to meet and mingle. You may come home with some very nice prizes. And of course we have a very big birthday to celebrate - the Winnipeg Centre's first century. Not to mention the fireworks on Canada's birth day too.
On day 3, we get serious - our paper sessions, the backbone of the GA, continue through the day, with keynote speakers and presentations by Society members. This is where the gee-whiz stuff comes in - and the great ideas that go home with you to try out with your own equipment. In the breaks, posters will entice you to stop and study and photos will keep you gawking. When presentations are done, a barbeque at Degrees, the student-owned restaurant at the University, will fill you up, just in time for Dr. Christine Wilson and the Northcott Lecture. This presentation is open to the public, and you may find yourself the subject of questions about this mysterious "astronomy" thing.
On day 4, the General Assembly. The Assembly is the reason for the trip to Winnipeg. It's a place for all of us to learn what the Executive and Council have been doing, and perhaps offer a suggestion or two.
Of course, every evening at the Hospitality room will be hopping - and what happens in the Hospitality room, stays there. You wouldn't want the world to know you sing that badly.
The GA is a time for renewal - of the Society, the Centre, and your enthusiasm for astronomy. Be here on Canada Day.
|
