This program is subject to change without notice.
Introductory Reviews
Reviews will cover the Curtis - Shapley debate, parallels and differences with the Paczynski - Lamb debate, and Gamma - Ray Bursts
1:00 pm : Virginia Trimble. Dr. Trimble is a Professor of Astronomy at both the University of Maryland and the University of California at Irvine. She is a noted historian of astronomy and an active participant in the current gamma-ray burst distance scale controversy. She is an associate editor of The Astrophysical Journal
1:40 pm : Gerald Fishman. Dr. Fishman is the Principal Investigator of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on board NASA's Great Observatory Compton . BATSE has recorded more information about gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) than all other instruments combined. BATSE data has intensified the current GRB distance scale mystery. Dr. Fishman works at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and is the recipient of the 1994 Bruno Rossi Prize for significant contributions to high energy astrophysics.
2:20 pm: Intermission. Stretch and discuss with your neighbors what GRBs might be and where you think GRBs might occur. Proudly wear buttons that says "Gamma Ray Bursts are Galactic," "Gamma Ray Bursts are Cosmological," or "Other."
2:30 pm: Debate - The Distance Scale to Gamma Ray Bursts
Moderator: Martin Rees. Sir Martin Rees is Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University in England.
Galactic Viewpoint: Donald Lamb. Dr. Lamb is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Chicago in Illinois.
Cosmological Viewpoint: Bohdan Paczynski. Dr. Paczynski is Professor of Astronomy at Princeton University in New Jersey.
The debate should conclude by 4:30 pm. Plans for a reception that evening at a nearby location are being finalized.
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