Annual Report 2011 Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

84 V. People and Events
times a year) a new, so-called, Faculty Meeting. In this
meeting MPIA senior scientists and research group leaders
are invited to discuss scientific and organizational
matters with the institute management. Due to its special
composition, the Faculty Meeting complements the
existing committees such as the Institute- or the Scientific
Advisory Board Meeting.
Like every year, MPIA scientists organized local and
external conferences or participated significantly in the
organization and management of other meetings. This included
two workshops at Ringberg Castle (Baroclinic Instability
and Proto – Planetary Accretion Discs, June 14–
18, as well as Transport Processes and Accretion in Young
Stellar Objects, February 7–11) and, as in recent years,
the IMPRS Summer School at the Max Planck House Heidelberg
(August 1–5) which was combined with a trip to
MPIA. This time, the workshop was about Characterizing
Exoplanets – from Formation to Atmospheres.
MPIA was also heavily involved in the fall meeting of
the German Astronomical Society (AG) through organizational
and financial support, but also through scientific
presentations and Splinter Meetings, teacher training,
and a special meeting for Public Outreach in Astronomy.
The conference entitled Surveys and Simulations – The
Real and the Virtual Universe was held at Heidelberg
University between September 19 and 23. In the numerous
PR activities surrounding the conference also for the
first time the HdA was involved since the new and nearly
finished building was presented to numerous visitors of
the conference in several organized guided tours.
Public outreach and special guests at MPIA
Again this year employees of MPIA/HdA where very
active in order to present astrophysics to a broader public
(see also Chapter V.2).
Credit: D.Anders
A “fast-sell” since 2006 is the Astronomy Lecture Series
on Sunday Morning and once again more than 1000
people attended the 8 popular presentations on Königstuhl
in early summer 2011.
A total of 15 MPIA scientists also participated in the
70 presentations of the lecture series (Uni)versum für
Alle in the Peterkirche Heidelberg. The lectures which
took place almost daily at noon between April and July
were organized by the Center for Astronomy of Heidelberg
University (ZAH).
It has long been an important issue for MPIA to inspire
young people for physics and astronomy and this
was also one reason for the institute management to
stand up for the HdA. Thus, also in 2011, the Institute
and the HdA team organized a local program during
the Girls’ Day (April 14), provided (together with ZAH
institutes) a one-week internship for pupils from high
school (October 24 – 28), supported in July and August
the International Science School of Heidelberg with internships,
contributed to Explore Science in Mannheim
(May 19 – 21) organized by the Klaus Tschira Foundation
(KTS), and supported a ceremony at MPIA held by
the Lord Mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Würzner, to award
17 schools from Heidelberg and their successful energy
teams (April 19).
Even before the official opening the HdA building has
been shown to visitors at various events during the last
quarter of the year. Besides the above mentioned tours
during the AG meeting, this was the case at the Max-
Planck-Day (November 11), at an information day for
partners and friends of the HdA (November 25), during
the visit of the MPIA Board of Trustees (November 29,
Fig. V.1.2: Great interest to get hold of the new book about
MPIAs history after the presentation of “Im Himmel über
Heidelberg” in the lecture hall.