MAUI INTERNATIONAL DOUBLE STAR CONFERENCE
Held 8-10 February, 2013
University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, Pukalani, Maui, Hawaii
PastEvents
Conference Convener  -  Russell Genet
Master of Ceremonies  -  Jolyon Johnson
Conference Facilitator  -  Cheryl Genet
Local Hosts  -  Steve & Ellie McGaughey
Institute for Astronomy Hosts  -  Joe Ritter and JD Armstrong
Technical Coordinators  -  Stephen Mohre and Bob Buchheim

Special Events
Wednesday 6 February Atlantis submarine cruise and Lahaina old town tour
Thursday 7 February Haleakala summit tour and dinner at Kula Lodge
Saturday 9 February Haleakala summit evening observing session
Sunday 10 February aloha dinner and special evening talk

Photo Gallery

The Maui International Double Star Conference covered many aspects of visual double star astrometry. Invited talks and contributed posters addressed double star instrumentation, observations, orbital analysis, catalogs, organizations, journals, and student research.

Observational techniques from simple visual astrometric eyepieces to CCD astrometry of fainter doubles were discussed, along with high resolution techniques including speckle interferometry, amplitude interferometry, and intensity interferometry. Talks on complimentary instrumentation included high resolution radial velocity spectroscopy and low cost, portable meter-class “light bucket” telescopes for spectroscopy and intensity interferometry.

Many of the talks were given by student and amateur astronomers on double star observations made with smaller telescopes. At the other end of the spectrum there were talks on observations of very close binaries made with the 3.5 meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak and the historic 6 meter telescope of the (Russian) Special Astrophysical Observatory. Consideration was given throughout the conference to student education—how undergraduate and even high school students can learn about science by conducting their own double star research. Being a published “scientist” significantly advances educational careers.

Conference Agenda
            Click on "ppt-pres." for pdf of speaker's ppt.                   Click on "video" to play YouTube presentation

Conference Day 1, Friday, 8 February, Student Research and Education
Session I - E Komo Mai! Conference welcomes and information
Russ Genet, Conference overview; Joe Ritter, University of Hawaii, Institute for
                      Astronomy, Maui; Steve McGaughey, the Haleakala Amateur Astronomers.
Jo Johnson, Undergraduate double star research seminars       ppt-pres.       video
Russ Genet, Student speckle interferometry research program     ppt-pres.       video

Session II
R. Kent Clark, Latest trends in double star astronomy in the JDSO       ppt-pres.      video
Paul Hardersen, Developing astronomical research in North Dakota       ppt-pres.       video
Bob Buchheim, The Society for Astronomical Science       ppt-pres.       video

Session III
Bruce MacEvoy - A Visual Double Star Campaign       ppt-pres.
Eric Weise - A student-teacher perspective on research seminars       ppt-pres.       video
Kakkala Mohanan & Rebecca Church - Leeward Community College observations       ppt-pres.       video

Session IV
Q&A Panel on student research and education -  Vera Wallen, Moderator.

Conference Day 2, Saturday 9 February, Double Star Astrometry
Session V
Bill Hartkopf - The WDS: whence it came, whither it goeth       ppt-pres.       video
Oleg Malkov - Catalogues and parameters of orbital binaries       ppt-pres.       video
Elliott Horch - Speckle at the WIYN Telescope       ppt-pres.       video

Session VI
Yury Balega - Puzzles of the young massive binary Theta 1 Ori C       ppt-pres.       video
Brian Mason - The USNO Double Star Observing Program, (presented by WIH)       video
Yury Balega - The Big Azimuthal Telescope (BTA) - the former largest telescope in the world      ppt-pres.      video   

Session VII
Ed Wiley - Autocorrelation techniques with small telescopes       ppt-pres.     video
B. J. Fulton - Speckle interferometry reduction       video
Steve McGaughey -  Student double star research on the 2-meter FTN       ppt-pres.       video

Session VIII
Q&A Panel on Double Star Astrometry -  Elliott Horch, Moderator       video

Conference Day 3, Sunday 10 February, Advanced Techniques
Session IX
Gerard van Belle - Amplitude Interferometry       ppt-pres.       video
David Dunham - Lunar Occultations       ppt-pres.       video   
Jian Gee - Next generation extremely high resolution and high Doppler precision optical and near IR       
                spectrographs     ppt-pres.       video  
  
Session X
John Martinez - Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network       ppt-pres.      
Gerard van Belle - Amplitude Interferometry II       ppt-pres.       video
Bobby Johnson - Lucky imaging of 69 And       ppt-pres.             

Session XI
Elliott Horch - Intensity interferometry at Lowell Observatory       ppt-pres.      
Russ Genet - Lightbucket telescopes for intensity interferometry       ppt-pres.       video

Session XII
Q&A Panel on Advanced Techniques - Gerard van Belle, Moderator       video

Scientific Organizing Committee
Chair: Russell Genet…. California Polytechnic State University, telescopes and instrumentation
Robert Buchheim ….…. Coto de Caza, California, author The Sky is Your Laboratory
R. Kent Clark …………. Editor, Journal of Double Star Observations, Southern Alabama University
B.J. Fulton…………….. University of Hawaii, speckle interferometry
William Hartkopf ……… U. S. Naval Observatory, catalogs, orbital solutions, and speckle interferometry
Elliott Horch …………... Southern Connecticut State University, speckle and intensity interferometry
Oleg Malkov…………… Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Science, properties of binary stars
John Martinez ………… Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network, telescope instillation
Gerard van Belle……… Lowell Observatory, amplitude interferometry
Ed Wiley……………….. University of Kansas, speckle interferometry

Educational Organizing Committee
Chair: Vera Wallen…… Cuesta College, California, double star research as science education
J.D. Armstrong ……….. University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, student research and outreach
Cheryl Genet …………. Cuesta College and Collins Foundation Press, student publications
Jolyon (Jo) Johnson …. California State University, Chico, undergraduate double star research seminars
Paul Hardersen ………. University of North Dakota, Space Sciences Doctoral Program/astronomy option
John Pye ……………… University of Hawaii, Maui College, undergraduate astronomy laboratory
Kakkala Mohanan .….... University of Hawaii, Leeward Community College, student research
Thomas Frey …………. California Polytechnic State University, directs student research projects
Erick Weiss …………… University of California, San Diego, undergraduate double star research seminars

Local Organizing Committee
Chair: Joseph Ritter …..University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy, telescopes and instrumentation
Ellie McGaughey ……... Wailuku, Maui, conference arrangements
Steve McGaughey …… Haleakala Armature Astronomers, student double star observations

Maui International Double Star Conference Attendees and their Institutions

Armstrong, J.D. - University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy & Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope
Balega, Yury - Special Astrophysical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences (Director)
Breckenridge, Craig -  Dynamic Structures Ltd. (Senior Designer)
Buchheim, Robert -  Altimira Observatory , California
Church, Rebecca -  Leeward Community College, Oahu, Hawaii
Clark, R. Kent -  University of South Alabama & Journal of Double Star Observations (Editor)
Dunam, David W. -  International Occultation Timing Association (President) &
                                 Moscow Inst. of Electronics and  Mathematics/HSE
Frey, Thomas -  California Polytechnic State University ( Emeritus Professor of Chemistry)
Fulton, BJ -  Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Oahu, Hawaii
Ge, Jian -  University of Florida Research Foundation (Professor of Astronomy)
Genet, Russ -  California Polytechnic State University (Research Scholar in Residence)
Harderson, Paul -  University of North Dakota, Space Studies Program
Hartkopf, William -  U.S. Naval Observatory, Astrometry Department
Haworth, David
Horch, Elliott -  Southern Connecticut University, Physics Department
Johnson, Bobby -  Arroyo Grande High School, California
Johnson, Jolyon -  California State University, Chico
Jones, Greg -  Eclipse Technologies, Oregon
Kakkala, Mohanan -  Leeward Community College (Astronomy Instructor)
MacEvoy, Bruce -  Black Oak Observatory, California
Malkov, Oleg -  Institute of Astronomy, Moscow
Martinez, John -  Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope
McGaughey, Steve -  Haleakala Amateur Astronomers
Mohre, Steph -  Institute for Astronomy & Pan-STARRs
Nelson, Bob - Professor of Physics, Retired – Prince George, B.C., Canada
Pye, John -  University of Hawaii, Maui College (Astronomy Instructor)
Sinukoff, Evan -  Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Oahu, Hawaii
Smith, Franklin
Sullivan, Philip -  Robert Ferguson Observatory, Kenwood, CA (Docent)
Thuemen, Chris
van Belle, Gerard -  Lowell Observatory, Arizona
Wallen, Vera -  Superintendent of Schools (Retired), California
Weise, Eric -  University of California, San Diego
Wiley, Ed -  Yankee Tank Creek Observatory, Kansas

*A Note about Participant’s Conferences