I'm just back from NACAA 2008 and I get to start the postmortem, while others are still enjoying the BBQ. It was a blast!!
. I had fun. I believe this is my first NACAA since 1980 and I've been away too long.
The organisers did a first rate job and everything ran like clockwork. They used a venue which caters for conferences and that took some of the work off them - the place specialises in food, drink and accommodation and so we didn't have to kip in a dorm and have the ladies auxiliary making sandwiches (the ladies are too feisty these days to agree to that). Not to do that would be near impossible and that of course is why such venues exist. Never-the-less organising such and event requires a huge amount of work. There's logistics, finances, printing, web site, presentation support, guest speakers to invite, tours to arrange, sponsors to chat up.. etc etc. Then the organisers have to run around like headless chooks all weekend and get to see less of the event than the punters. I've been to a few academic conferences that weren't so well done.
The quality of the speakers was fine. I've heard comments that some previous NACAAs had a few speakers that were .... ah ... fillers? Not this time. Even though they ran concurrent sessions for the first time, every talk I attended was worthwhile and I missed a few I really would have liked to see. The only thing I might have liked was a bit more breadth in the topics, but that simply means getting the word out about NACAA and so attracting more speakers; the organisers weren't to blame for that.
I've come back revved up about what amateurs can do to advance science while having fun and I plan to:
- take up variable star observing
- try my hand at asteroidal ocultations
- get back into grazing ocultations
- cure the world of all known disease
I've believe that the next NACAA will be Easter 2010 in Canberra. Be there or be square!
cheers,
David
PS And I collected some IceInSpace stickers that I'll place in strategic locations.