NASA Trip in all its glory!

I mentioned briefly at the end of my Oct 25 2013 post that I was also getting ready for a big trip....NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had invited me and a slew of other lucky folk to gather at JPL for a two-day conference called "Year of Earth" [1] which previewed us to the various different missions that NASA JPL has in the works for the coming year [2]. Included in this highly immersive experience was a live public address from the NASA JPL auditorium where the project scientists in charge of these crucial Earth-based missions talked about the data being collected and, more importantly, the effects we hope it will have on current models used in predicting climate change. The video of the public address can be found on YouTube [3] and if you watch far enough into it, you can see my few seconds in the spotlight! (Okay, I was asking a question. But still, it was for science!)

In front of Mission Control!

We had a blast and the whole conference was full of people eager to talk about space, the Earth, and climate. Teachers, students, amateur enthusiasts and professionals all gathered to learn from each other and network all while cheering the banner of our beloved American space program. In fact, one of the "tweeps" (as we were called) has even created an infographic [4] about the online impact each of the participants had while at the event. The hashtags "#NASASocial" and "#EarthNow" even trended on twitter during the conference! Rachel Eddin, a blogger for WIRED wrote a story [5] that beautifully summarizes how incredibly passionate people are about having this mission of publicity succeed. She writes "There's a unity of purpose and generosity of resources...I was immediately inundated by offers for information and links...we were sharing data, educational resources."

Network Centrality Graph by Audun Utengen, from [5]

Many of the attendees had much better equipment (i.e. cameras) to capture the awesome campus that is JPL (like this shot from Rachel Eddin [6]). These people's work deserves to be seen. Veronica McGregor, in fact, helps to streamline this process by creating a powerful Storify feed [7] that highlights many of the stunning images people have uploaded. In the words of the one and only LeVar Burton, "Don't take my word for it!"

In addition to this, bloggers of all different ilk have thrown their hats in the ring to help publicize the exciting work coming out of NASA. This excellent photo-tour [8] of the event by Jennifer Kaplan has a great summary with equally quality photos of the facilities we were able to see. I know that I could have sampled only a small number of the amazing bodies of work that have come out of the two day event, to have tried would mean that this would never get published! It was absolutely unreal. The energy I can only describe as infectious.

None of this would have been possible without the tireless work of three key people spearheading the event planning. Veronica McGregor, Social Media Manager at JPL; Stephanie Smith, Social Media Specialist; and Courtney O'Connor, also Social Media Specialist; deserve a great deal of thanks for their hard work in coordinating the event. Their tireless dedication really showed in how smoothly and efficiently the event moved- and how even now, a week and a half after the event, activity and chatter flows between the attendees spanning continents.

"Goofy shot" of the tweeps. Source: NASA JPL Flickr [9]

[1] http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-invites-social-media-fans-to-preview-the-year-of-earth-at-jpl/#.UoRVSfkQbgw
[2] http://www.planetary.org/blogs/guest-blogs/bill-dunford/20131111-science-against-the-storm.html
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGGHwTQ-c9U&list=PL2aBZuCeDwlT56jTrxQ3FExn-dtchIwsZ
[4] http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2013/11/NASASocial_CentralityGraph_AudunUtengen.jpg
[5] http://www.wired.com/underwire/2013/11/nasa-socials/
[6] http://24.media.tumblr.com/eda6529e8509192a313a3941f58a1b01/tumblr_mvum1ci0C81qgxab9o2_1280.jpg
[7] http://storify.com/VeronicaMcG/nasa-social-nasajpl-nov-4-5-2013/grid
[8] http://jenniferkaplan.me/2013/11/07/nasa-social-at-jpl/
[9] http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasa-jpl/