[vsnet-chat 2041] amateur-professional partnership project

[Sheila Kannappan <sheila@cfa.harvard.edu>]

Hello,

I am a graduate student in astrophysics and the history of
science at Harvard.  I am researching the nature of the amateur-
professional partnership in variable star astronomy:  what each side gets
out of it, how it works, and how the training, values, and goals of the
two communities compare.  

I am looking for both professionals and amateurs willing to either fill
out an easy & painless survey (below) or sit for a short interview at the
Toronto PASP meeting.  I will be happy to share the results with any
interested contributors, as well as the administrators of several
variable star groups (AAVSO, CBA, etc.), who have generously facilitated
my project.

Please reply privately to skannappan@cfa.harvard.edu.

Many thanks,
Sheila Kannappan

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONNAIRE (please return by email to skannappan@cfa.harvard.edu)

_  _1.  Age?
_  _2.  Male or Female?
_  _3.  Years of serious amateur astro (e.g. VSO, comet search,etc.)?
_  _4.  Years involved in astro as a hobby (total years serious+casual)?
_  _5.  Years employed as professional astronomer or in grad training?
_  _6.  Currently professional or amateur? (P/A)
_  _7.  Undergrad or higher degree in astro? (Y/N)
_  _8.  Was astro a childhood-teenage interest? (Y/N)
_  _9.  Childhood socioeconomic background? (Code:U=urban,S=suburban,R=rural
         + P=poor,M=middle class,W=wealthy   e.g. "suburban middleclass"=SM)
_  _10. Comfortable reading technical journals (PASP, JAAVSO, ApJ)? (Y/N)
_  _11. Use CCD/PEP instruments?
_  _12. Observe mostly alone? (Y/N)
_  _13. Prefer observing alone? (Y/N)
_  _14. Observe on majority of clear nights? (Y/N)

15. Please categorize the 12 items listed below according to:
        A = this is a big part of what I love about astronomy & why I do it
        B = this is an aspect that adds to my enjoyment but is not why I do it
        C = this is important or unavoidable, but I don't enjoy it much
        D = I don't do this because it doesn't appeal to me particularly
        E = I don't do this but wish I had the time/money/training/opportunity

__ __   telescope & instrument design/construction (including sky testing)
__ __   setting up for observations (advance planning, working at computer
                during the night to set up pointing & exposures, etc.)
__ __   visual observing with or without a telescope (including enjoying
		the night sky while a long CCD exposure is underway)
__ __   reducing & working with data *without* the goal of publication
                (analysis, artistic projects, etc.)
__ __   preparing & submitting observations to a database for use by
                other people's research programs
__ __   work on analysis, theory, and writeup for one's own research program
__ __   developing personal knowledge of astronomy (reading, classes,etc.)
__ __   social/information exchange with amateurs
__ __   social/information exchange with professionals/grad students
__ __   recruiting, teaching, advising, or mentoring beginning astronomers
__ __   popularization for the general public incl. writing, speaking,
                showing non-astronomer friends the night sky, intro
                classroom teaching
__ __   researching or learning about the history of astronomy

16. For the same items, please estimate the percentage of time you give
each:   (12 items -- please make them add to 100%)

__ __   telescope & instrument design/construction (including sky testing)
__ __   setting up for observations (advance planning, working at computer
                during the night to set up pointing & exposures, etc.)
__ __   visual observing with or without a telescope (including enjoying
		the night sky while a long CCD exposure is underway)
__ __   reducing & working with data *without* the goal of publication
                (analysis, artistic projects, etc.)
__ __   preparing & submitting observations to a database for use by
                other people's research programs
__ __   work on analysis, theory, and writeup for one's own research program
__ __   developing personal knowledge of astronomy (reading, classes,etc.)
__ __   social/information exchange with amateurs
__ __   social/information exchange with professionals/grad students
__ __   recruiting, teaching, advising, or mentoring beginning astronomers
__ __   popularization for the general public incl. writing, speaking,
                showing non-astronomer friends the night sky, intro
                classroom teaching
__ __   researching or learning about the history of astronomy
=====
 100%

17.  Please tell briefly how you got interested in astronomy, why
you chose to go either the professional or the amateur route, and what
people or organizations played a role along the way.

18.  What form has your training as an astronomer taken:  who were your
teachers/role models, what skills have you learned (broadly), and what
values and goals do you believe you share with your segment of the
astronomical community?

19.  Has your involvement in astronomy affected your philosophical
worldview more broadly, e.g. about religion, the credibility of
professional scientists & the scientific enterprise, or the validity of
nonscientific approaches such as astrology or alternative medicine?


        ---------optional further questions----------
20.  If you have an opinion, please speculate as to why there are so
few women among amateur variable star observers, yet quite a
number of women among professionals who study variable stars.

21.  If you have an opinion, please describe your perception of the
differences in motivations, skills, and values between amateurs and
professionals, and indicate whether your view is based on direct
collaboration or indirect impressions.

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