4
Workshops, Symposia, Meetings of Experts,
and Other Special Projects
In 2010, the Space Studies Board convened one workshop and was forming an organizing committee for a workshop on the effects of solar variability on Earth’s climate that is expected to take place in the Summer of 2011.
The importance of conveying an understanding and appreciation for the “grand questions” of space science and exploration that motivate the majority of NASA’s programs, such as, How is the universe evolving? Are we alone? Will the Earth remain a hospitable home for humanity in the future? What could the future hold for humans in space?, was the topic of a workshop held on November 8-10 at the National Academies’ Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center in Irvine, California. The workshop, organized by an ad hoc planning committee and held under the auspices of the Space Studies Board, involved prominent space scientists and communications professionals and attracted an audience of more than 160. A report on the discussions that took place will be released in 2011. Workshop details can be found on the SSB Web site at http://sites.nationalacademies.org/SSB/index.htm, along with videos of each session.
Planning Committee Membership1
Charles F. Kennel, University of California, San Diego (chair)
Linda Billings, George Washington University
Margaret Finarelli, George Mason University
Lennard A. Fisk, University of Michigan
Molly K. Macauley, Resources for the Future
Edward C. Stone, California Institute of Technology
A. Thomas Young, Lockheed Martin Corporation (retired)
Workshop Rapporteur
Marcia Smith, Space and Technology Policy Group, LLC
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1All terms expire on March 31, 2011.