RASC National Society: Virtual General Assembly 2020 (ONLINE)
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) normally gathers annually to meet, exchange the latest astronomical accomplishments of its members, and celebrate the achievements of its award winners. The General Assembly, or “GA,” is an excellent opportunity for members of the RASC and the public, from across the country, to gather and strengthen the bonds of community.
2020 has not be a normal year and the GA has been moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Virtual GA is hosted by the RASC Vancouver Centre and will be lived streamed on the RASC YouTube channel on June 7th 2020 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm EDT with several talks and speakers lined up in the schedule.
The talks are free, open to the public, and family friendly. Each talk will be approximately 45 minutes, including questions, so there is time for a short break between the sessions. The talks will also be recorded so they can be viewed later at your convenience.
2:00pm EDT
Opening remarks including a message from the Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette.
Youth outreach with Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Joshua Kutryk.
3:00pm EDT
Speaker: Sara Seager, Astrophysicist and Planetary Scientist at MIT
Topic: An Update on NASA’s TESS Exoplanet Mission
Dr. Seager is a Canadian-American astronomer and planetary scientist known for her work on extrasolar planets and their atmospheres, including looking for possible chemical combinations of gases in a exoplanet’s atmosphere that could signal the presence of alien life. The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is the next step in the search for planets outside of our solar system, including those that could support life.
4:00pm EDT
Speaker: Bob McDonald, Host of CBC’s Quirks & Quarks
Topic: An Earthling’s Guide To Outer Space
Bob McDonald is one of Canada’s best-known science journalists, bringing science to the public for more than 40 years. In addition to hosting Quirks & Quarks, the award-winning science program with a national audience of nearly 500,000 people, McDonald is also a science correspondent for CBC Television’s The National and Gemini-winning host and writer of the children’s series Head’s Up. McDonald has also authored five bestselling science books, and contributed to numerous textbooks, magazines, and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail. His latest offering is the best selling book, An Earthling’s Guide to Outer Space.
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: Free
Registration: Not required
Organized by: The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/rascanada