In my previous life as a systems librarian at a university, I regularly attended conferences and user group meetings. An integral aspect of these conferences/meetings were educational presentations done by attendees. It occurred to me that presentations are something that might enhance the experience of attending the Tucson Show.
For example, while I know that there's nothing I can teach the old hands, there are a number of things I'm figuring out as a newbie that I think would be of interest to other newbies. Here are examples of presentations I would be willing to do, if the opportunity presented itself: 1) Meteorite collection development plans: what they are and why you should have one 2) Meteorite storage and display solutions for small (< 40 specimen) collections And as an *attendee* I would really be interested in presentations from people doing actual meteorite science about the work they are doing (geared towards an educated lay audience). Also, I would be interested in presentations from dealers about various aspects of meteorite acquisition, classification, and preparation. To make this work would require: A meeting room -------------- A meeting room at one of the main meteorite venues at the Tucson Show that for certain times/days could be devoted to presentations. The room would need to have a basic presentation set-up: a speaker's table and/or podium with a way to connect a computer to a projector and chairs for the audience. The Tucson show lasts two weeks, but I would anticipate that the presentations part would only be for one or maybe two days. Organization ------------ Someone to: - Put out a call for presenters, and - Based on response, determine how many time slots were needed, and - Assign presentations to time slots in schedule and notify presenters, and - Put out a presentation schedule with titles/abstracts prior to Tucson show - Prepare meeting room for presentations - Assist presenters with use of meeting room equipment While the organization of this could be done by volunteers (I would be willing to volunteer my time), reserving a meeting room would incur a cost. Perhaps the IMCA would have funds in their budget to subsidize this and would consider taking this on. Another option would be to charge a nominal registration fee to attend this "seminar" portion of the show. Again, I think this would only last a day or maybe two. If you think this idea has merit, I have some questions for you... As an attendee, what topics in meteoritics and/or meteorite collecting would you be interested in learning about? Would you consider being a presenter? If so, what topic(s) would you consider doing a presentation on? Would you be willing to pay a registration fee to attend a short meteoritics/meteorite collecting seminar during the Tucson show? If you would rather respond directly to me rather than the list, I can compile/summarize those responses for the list. Thank you, -- Michael ps I've spent a fair amount of time going through the Meteorite Central list archive. I've not seen any proposals like this, but it's possible I have missed those threads. If so, I would appreciate hearing about any "lessons learned" from previous attempts. Michael Doran Fort Worth, TX ______________________________________________ Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/meteoritecentral and the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com https://pairlist3.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
