The Great Planet Debate: The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory |
View the debate |
|
Listen to the conference panel discussions |
|
View the Public Service Announcement |
|
Post-Conference Release: Scientists Debate Planet Definition and Agree to Disagree |
Top scientists and educators will convene in Maryland this summer to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet?
The Great Planet Debate (GPD) conference includes two days (August 14-15) of scientific sessions to discuss and debate the processes leading to planet formation and the characteristics and criteria used to define and categorize planets.
An educator's workshop follows on the third day (August 16th) to provide a forum on how the planet debate can be used to spark scientific inquiry in the classroom.
Read this press release for further background on the GPD Conference >
An open-to-the-public debate between Dr. Mark Sykes of the Planetary Science Institute and Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson of the American Museum of Natural History will start at 4:30 pm EDT on August 14th. The debate, which will be moderated by Ira Flatow, the host of Science Friday on National Public Radio, is free to everyone and will be posted on this web site after the event for those not already registered to view the webcast.
|
Scientists and Educators attending this conference are invited to submit contributed abstracts for oral and poster presentations.
All contributed abstracts must be submitted by email to the SOC Chair (Mark Sykes) at sykes@psi.edu by 8:00 pm (EDT) on Friday, June 27, 2008. Abstracts should be limited to one page, including graphics, tables, and references.
Please indicate in your email which type of presentation you prefer (poster vs oral). Please note that most contributed papers will probably be in the form of posters.
Information on lodging, restaurants, maps, and local attractions can be found at:
http://www.jhuapl.edu/newscenter/visitor/
Note that all visitors are expected to make their own travel and hotel arrangements (i.e., you do not need to contact the APL Travel Office).