Dear MAPS Member,

The James E. Richmond Science Center invites you, MAPS friends and colleagues, to join us July 27-30, 2016 in Waldorf, Maryland for what will be an historic conference. The meeting will be a great time of camaraderie and professional development, plus the chance to shop, dine, and discover many local historic sites. The local community is rich in history and diversity. Charles County is great to visit if you would like to bring your family!

Generous support from our sponsors has again allowed a low registration cost. The full registration is $150 before June 10th. We encourage you to take advantage of their support and expertise by joining us in the rich cultural region of Charles County and Waldorf, Maryland this summer.

As this year’s program comes together, we already have several exciting talks and workshops lined up that take advantage of the conference’s location being relatively close to DC and NASA Goddard. Invited speakers will present about NASA’s ability to explore our solar system, using educational materials from NASA in and out of your planetarium, and updates from New Horizons just over a year after its flyby of Pluto!

Additionally, workshops will include “Getting Ready for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse” presented by Charles Fulco, a representative from the International Astronomical Union’s working group on solar eclipses. As is tradition, the MAPS annual banquet will be highlighted by the Margaret Noble Address. This year’s address will be presented by Steve Russo, Director of the East Kentucky Science Center and Planetarium in Prestonsburg, Kentucky.

We hope that you will also submit a proposal to submit information as a talk, mini-lesson, workshop, poster, or panel discussion. Remember that even with numerous listserv discussions available, they cannot replace the face-to-face interactions that make our yearly conferences so important.

Registration is due by June 10th by mail or online through the MAPS web site at www.MAPSplanetarium.org, but early registration and submission of presentation proposals is appreciated and encouraged. We hope to see you in Waldorf in July!

Monique Wilson
Director, James E. Richmond Science Center
Conference Host
& Your MAPS Executive Board