Astronomy Day & Star Party Coordinator
Head: Starparty Public
Members: The
entire club, we need your scopes.
Weather permitting, the club tries to hold two Public Star Parties near Astronomy day each year. One in the Spring and another in the Fall, held at Waterloo Park. Club members show up with their scopes and present an array of equipment for the public to view through. With good weather we have about 25 scopes lined up to serve a crowd of about 300. These star parties help us introduce the wonders of the night sky to our community at large. They also help us attract new members. If you are able to help with this activity, please contact Cari.
Annual Awards Banquet
Email: Secretary
Members: David
Garner
Every Year our club holds an Annual Awards Dinner, which is well attended by members and their "significant others". This is a chance to enjoy some fellowship with club members and for the "significant others" to find out what their amateur astronomer actually does out under the stars!
Constitution
Email: Honorary President
Members: Club Council
The club constitution has been updated and revised. It is a dynamic document that has evolved over time to reflect the needs of the current membership. The full document is available for review here. If any member requires clarification or would like to make a suggestion for changes or updates, please contact Chris.
Education & Public Outreach & Scouting
Email: Schools, Star Party Schools, Scouting
Members: George Peer,
Rick Burke, Phil Lacasse
For many years our club has been active in the community, sharing our knowledge of the night sky with local schools, scouts and other organizations. No matter what age, people are always fascinated to learn about astronomical phenomena. This group promotes public education by speaking to various groups about astronomical topics, demonstrating how to use telescopes and other equipment and helping people to better understand the things they see in the sky.
Equipment Management Group
Email: Telescope
Members: David Garner
& Brian Hollander
In recent years, our club has purchased new astronomical equipment including several telescopes, a CCD camera, digital cameras and whole host of other items. In order to keep track of everything and make sure that it is well maintained and accounted for, this group has been formed to train members on the correct operation of the equipment and to ensure that it all remains available to all qualified members. We are still in the process of receiving several items so procedures for the procurement and use of this equipment will evolve as time goes on.
Finance
Email: Treasurer
Members: Peter Clarke
The Treasurer has always been responsible for the finances of our club. A finance committee has now been established to review the finances on a regular basis and to evaluate expenditures and budgets to ensure that we stay "in the black". Our club has regular income from memberships and fundraising events and it is important that this money is used for the benefit of all club members. Any suggestions for expenditures are evaluated by this group as well as the club executive.
Fundraising (50/50 & Calendar)
Email: 2nd Vice President
Members: Marvin Warkentin, Peter Clarke
In addition to membership fees, we also enjoy some extra income from fundraising activities. These include the sale of RASC calendars during the fall of each year and the sale of t-shirts and sweat shirts when they are available. Also, we hold a 50/50 draw at every regular & Stargazing 101 meeting. If you have any ideas for other activities to help fill the club coffers or would like to help with one of the existing activities, please contact the Exec.
Library
Email:
Members: Serge Mammoliti, Ron
Bronson
We maintain a small library of astronomy books and videos for loan to any member in good standing. Many of the books are donated by club members and over the years we have gathered a significant collection. If you would care to see what is available and would like to borrow a few books, please contact Serge or Ron for the Stargazing 101 books.
Light Pollution Abatement
Email: LPA
Members: Shawn Nielsen, Grant Greenfield
Over the last 3 decades, we have all watched the Milky Way, Northern Lights and other celestial highlights disappear due to the growing infringement of urban light pollution. We now have to go far outside of town to be able to fully enjoy the night-time sky. This Committee is dedicated to educating society about this situation; to help public officials and local governments reduce/eliminate wasteful expensive and unnecessary stray light pollution and work with community groups to keep public areas safe at night. If you wish to help with this effort, please contact Paul.
Membership
Head: Membership
Members: Peter Clarke
New members are the lifeblood of any organization.
If you are interested in joining the club but have some questions or
concerns, you can contact Peter at any meeting or at the email address
above. More information about the club is also available on the About Us page and the Join/Renew page.
There are many
benefits in joining the RASC - we hope you will join us.
Nominations
Head: Past President
Members: David Garner, Wayne Joslin
According to our constitution, we need to hold annual elections for the executive positions. These are President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. Paul is the head of the nominations committee that approaches potential candidates and submits a nominations list to the members for voting. There are generally three members on the nominations committee so if you can help Paul, please contact him at the email address above.
Observing Site Location Group
Email:
Members: Clark Muir, Wayne
Joslin, Steve Holmes
The club is currently looking for a new observation site. This committee locate suitable locations, set up trial sessions and enter negotiations for permission to use the sites. If you know of a good observing site within an hour's drive from Kitchener, please contact Chris.
Photography
Email:
Members: Anton Epp, Steve Holmes
A popular activity among many
amateur astronomers
is astrophotography. Our recent purchases include many items used for
astrophotography, both analog and digital. This committee has been
formed so that members who are interested in photographing the night
sky can share tips and techniques with each other in this rapidly
expanding field.
Publications
Head: Pulsar
Members: David Garner
For many years, our club has published a club newsletter known as Pulsar. Published quarterly, it contains current events, articles submitted by members as well as pertinent information from the world of astronomy. The most recent edition has taken the Pulsar to a whole new level. It is now formatted using the latest desktop publishing techniques with full colour graphics. If you would care to submit an article of interest to the local club or you can help with the publication or distribution of the Pulsar, please contact Dave.
Summer Picnic
Email: Starparty Public
Members: Myles Fudge, David Garner
Every summer, we like to get
together with members
and their families for a summer picnic. This is a wonderful opportunity
for members to get together to enjoy some fellowship and to show their
families our hobby. Often, weather permitting, an observing session is
held after the picnic. This year, the picnic will be a particularly
opportune time to display and demonstrate our new telescopes and other
observing equipment. We encourage as many members as possible to join
us as this is the only "official" meeting that we have in the summer
months.
Stargazing 101 or Beginners Group
Email: Stargazing 101
Members: Maryanne Weiler, Wayne Joslin,
Peter Clarke.
Many members who join our club are often looking for advice on how observe the night sky or how to use that new telescope or set of binoculars. This committee is now the Stargazing 101 and meets every 4th Friday, open for all to attend. From here new or old members can team up with experienced observers to get the most out of amateur astronomy or who want to brush up on their observing skills.
WEB Site Maintenance
Email: Webmaster
Members: Brian Hollander, Ognian
Kabranov, Shawn Neilson
This group of people maintain and update the club's Web site. Currently all Web Site submissions should be sent to Brian for the main site and Ogy for Youth Astronomy and Stargazing 101 pages. Also if you have any ideas for improvements or would like to help out keeping the Web site up to date, please contact Brian or Ogy.