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STOCKHOLM GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF EAAE : REPORT Please, note that EC means "Executive Council" and NR "National=Representative".
After a little concert performed by students from Stockholms Kulturskola, we were welcome by Bjorn LINGONS (who organized the General Assembly with his wife Renate and Anders VARSTERBERG) and the conference was officially opened by Hans RICKMAN, assistent Secretary General of International Astronomers Union and by Dyonisos SIMOPOULOS (Greece, president of EAAE). Then, Richard WEST (ESO) gave us news from minor bodies in the solar system in a conference called "EAAE, comets and important matters". Rene OOSTERLINCK (ESA) presented us the European Space Agency and its different educational projects, saying that they wanted to do more towards the pupils of secondary schools. ESA programs spread to day in the fields of space science, Earth observation, telecommunication, launcher development, microgravity. *Mogens WINTHER (chairperson of WG4 "Students projects") and Bent KLARMARK (both from Denmark) presented educational projects. Anders VARSTERBERG (Sweden, chairperson of the Standing Committee : "Communication Network") spoke about Astronomy on the Web and presented the different possibilities offered in the EAAE Website : information, cooperation,... Fernand WAGNER (Luxemburg, vice-president of EAAE) examined the history of the association, and presented the work done during the past three years at a central level. He made also a report from the project "Sea and Space" and thanked ESO for all its important collaboration. He concluded by saying EAAE has now to stand alone in its own feet and that EAAE must look for great projects. In the afternoon, the exhibitions were presented : didactic work in Italy, a project of collaboration from France, Astronomy in Latvia, WG3 "Training Teachers" past and future, Sea and Space final event, Stardust (a travelling exhibition on humanistic astronomy created by, among others, the Swedish Astronomical Society), the Very Large Telescope and the other activities of ESO (with wonderful images), newspapers from the "Sea and Space" contest and Modellerna (Swedish Solar System). *Then came the reports from : - WG3 "Training Teachers" by Rosa Maria ROS (Spain): two Summer Schools in Spain and Italy were successe in spite of many financial problems (no money received from EAAE in spite of the decisions of the EC), with the publication of the proceedings, and several are planned for the following years : France, Portugal, Germany, Latvia... - WG 1 "Astronomical Concepts" ry Rainer GAITZSCH (Germany) : after a big meeting in Porto with Portugese teachers in November 1997, a work was made in the WG to determine the main conceptional teaching goals for 6-12 pupils. The same is in preparation for 13-18. A meeting is planned in France in Spring 1999. *Bernard PELLEQUER (NR of France) had been charged by the Ec to think about the future of the association. He wrote to all the members by e-mail and got some answers : from all that, he presented propositions to be discussed. * Robert WIELINGA (Netherlands) spoke about total solar eclipses, from his experience of the Carribean eclipse in February 1998, to prepare the August, 11th, 1999. Lennart NORDTH (The Swedish Space Board) presented Odin, a satellite for aeronomy (evolution of the atmosphere) and astronomy (interstellar space). Gosta GAHM (Stockholm Observatory) : the project of a solar system model built at the dimensions of a big spheric building in Stockholm as the Sun.
At the beginning of the day, people met in five groups to discuss about Bernard PELLEQUER's propositions. Richard WEST made a short conference about the scientific programs of the Very Large Telescope (VLT), the Large Southern Array/Millimetre Array (LSA/MMA), the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). REPORT OF THE CENTRAL MEETING : The General Assembly is declared to have a quorum as 46 members are in the room and there are 14 proxies. As the last wish of the Executive Council, Fernand WAGNER proposes to elect Claus MADSEN (ESO) as an honorary member of our association, to thank him for all his invaluable work for the EAAE during all the european operations Astronomy On Line and Sea and Space. He is elected by acclamation. The GA has to set the Election Committee. Richard WEST is elected president unanimously without abstention. Artemio FRATTINI (Italy) and Alan PICKWICK (UK) are appointed as the two other members. The Election Committee checks the credentials of the delegates and the proxies according to the list of members established by the secretary on September, 15th. 1. Bjorn LINGONS, on behalf of the Nominating Committee, reminds the members of the GA of the list proposed by that Committee for the elections of the Executive Council and of the reasons of that proposition (some continuity is necessary for a young organisation and the work made must be taken in account) : President : Dyonisos SIMOPOULOS (Greece) Vice-president : Fernand WAGNER (Luxemburg) Treasurer : Friedrich VOLCK (Germany) Secretary : Josee SERT (France) Editor : Michael REICHEN (Switzerland) Other members : Laura ABATI (Italy), Knud JEPSEN (Denmark), Felisbela MARTINS (Portugal), Robert WIELINGA (the Netherlands). 2. The floor is asked for any other nominations. There is none. 3. Richard WEST proposes that, as there is only one full list, there is no need to have a secret ballot. After a short debate, it is decided to vote by a show of hands. 4. Artemio FRATTINI and Alan PICKWICK announce the result of the vote : 51 members are present and there are 14 proxies : AGAINST : 0, ABSTAIN : 4, FOR : 51. The presented list is declared to have been elected by the GA. III. WORKING GROUPS AND STANDING COMMITTEES : - Standing Committee : "Liaison Committee" : it is a new group, in charge of finding financial support as well as keeping liaison with other organisations such as ESO, ESA, European Community... Bjorn LINGONS will be the chairperson, helped by Fernand WAGNER. 3 more members declare to be members of that committee. - Standing Committee : "Communication Network". Anders VASTERBERG (Sweden), our Webmaster, is applauded by the GA for his work ; he will continue to chair this committee, with the help of Michael REICHEN and of 3 more members. - Working Group : "Astronomical concepts". Rainer GAITSZCH is applauded by the GA for his work ; he will continue to chair this Working Group with 11 members. - Working Group : "Didactic material". Lucienne GOUGUENHEIM, who has chaired that group, is particularly thanked by the General Assembly for the quality of her contribution to the EAAE. Lidia NUVOLI (Italy) is proposed by Roland BONINSEGNA to become the chairperson of that group. She will do it in collaboration with Cristina PALICI DI SUNI (Italy) - Working Group n=B03 : "Training teachers". Rosa Maria ROS is applauded by the GA for her work ; she will continue to chair this Working Group with 18 members. - Working Group : "Students projects" chaired by Mogens WINTHER (Denmark) who has done a very good job (for Astronomy On Line and Sea and Space particularly). He will continue with 5 members. - Working Group n=B05 : "Public Education" : that group will gather the ancient WG5 (Planetarium Links) and WG7 (Public Education), the GA proposes to Thomas KRAUPE (Germany) to chair it, one member of the GA intends to be in it. - Working Group : "EAAE future prospects". Bernard PELLEQUER will= chair it, with Richard WEST and the reporters of the discussion groups. - Working Group : "Public Relations" : that group will have to be set up by the EC. IV. NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVES *A too short discussion about the NRs'role, which has to be at minimum : - to promote EAAE in their countries - to keep a list of the members - to look after the national finances *The NR stay the same as before, except : DENMARK : Bent KLARMARK GERMANY : Roland SZOSTAK ITALY : Cristina PALICI DI SUNI The NETHERLANDS : Gert SCHOOTEN RUSSIA : Michael GAVRILOV UNITED KINGDOM : Anne COHEN dismisses as she has too much work, but will operate the interim until a solution is found. *The GA delegates its authority to the EC to find and approve a NR in any country where there is no, or no more, NR, for the next three years, according to any procedure the EC judges necessary. V. For the next GA, two auditors for the finances are elected : Christer BRATTAS and Alan PICKWICK. VI. There were three invitations for the EAAE GA in 2001 : in Manchester (UK) from Alan PICKWICK, in Sion (Switzerland) from Michael REICHEN and in Montpellier (France) from Bernard PELLEQUER. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER, 28th After a show at Cosmonova, the two following propositions were adopted by the GA : 1. The three candidate towns for GA 2001 will present a case with elements justifying their candidature. 2. The GA delegates its power of decision to the EC about the place of GA= 2001. Then the closure of the GA was pronounced, with again thanks to Bjorn and Renate LINGONS and to Anders VARSTERBERG for the high quality of their welcome in Stockholm. Ms. Josee SERT Secretary of EAAE (European Association for Astronomy Education) 1 bis, rue de Belfort 31000-TOULOUSE France |
SATURDAY,
SEPTEMBER, 26th