Postdoc symposium

Astronomers tapped as likely future leaders in their areas of research convened at the University of Texas at Austin in October to discuss hot topics in astronomy. About three dozen postdocs from across the US and beyond attended the two-and-a-half-day Frank N. Bash Symposium 2005: New Horizons in Astronomy. It was the first of what is intended as a biennial event organized by and featuring postdoctoral researchers.

Bringing postdocs together to talk not about “the nitty-gritty details of everyday research” but about the “overarching themes in our work and work experiences” was very rewarding, says Seth Redfield, one of the UT postdocs involved in organizing the meeting.

The focus on postdocs grew out of a symposium held two years earlier in honor of retiring McDonald Observatory director Frank Bash, for whom the new symposium is named. That time, says UT astronomy professor Dan Jaffe, postdocs were invited as a way to “give our department visibility, learn about the newest discoveries in the field, and give them a chance to spread their wings and give what are in some cases their first review talks.” Peter Riley, the associate dean for research and facilities in UT’s college of natural sciences, adds that his college hopes other departments will follow suit: “We see this as a way to identify outstanding young people in any field.”