Alumni Events

View pictures from the reunion.

Return to Cambridge for a day of spirited discussion and networking with friends, colleagues, peers, and mentors! Tap into promising research developments in the company of some of the world's leading scientists.

Registration is now closed.

The fall issue of Colloquy featured a fascinating story about the Giant Magellan Telescope. Read it online now.
 

Locations

Morning (8:30–11:45 a.m.) — Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street. Events are being held in Phillips Auditorium, but reunion guests should enter the CfA through the main lobby (near Perkins lab).

Afternoon (noon–6:30 p.m.) — Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street.

Note: The Sheraton Commander is a 10-minute walk from the Center for Astrophysics.

View a map showing the general vicinity of reunion events, with pins dropped at the CFA (60 Garden Street), the Sheraton Commander (16 Garden Street), and the parking lot at 10 Everett Street. 

Download and print a map of reunion locations.

Download a copy of the day's program.
 

Parking

Primary parking is in the Everett Street Garage, 10 Everett Street, about a 10-minute walk from the Sheraton Commander. Very limited parking for morning attendees is available at the Observatory Lot, 60 Garden Street. Valet parking ($15) is available at the Sheraton Commander lot. 

See below for information about shuttle service.

The Day's Program

8:30-10 a.m. Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden Street	Alumni Panel on Alternative Quantitative Careers For current students, but reunion attendees are welcome Featuring: James R. Herrnstein, AB '86, PhD '97, Renaissance Technologies; Rohan Mahadevan, PhD '97, Paypal; Colin Masson, PhD '79 (Cambridge University), Retired; Aaron Sokasian, PhD '03, Tachyon Capital Management; Boqi Wang, PhD '89. WCG Management
10-10:45 a.m. Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden Street	Virtual Tour of the Department of Astronomy Brief faculty talks on current areas of research Led by Avi Loeb, Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science; Chair of the Department of Astronomy; Director, Institute for Theory and Computation Read our interview with Loeb to hear his thoughts on the state of the field, the exciting discoveries ahead, and the essential need for basic research. Josh Grindlay, PhD, '71, Robert Treat Paine Professor of Practical Astronomy: "Digitizing the Harvard Plate Stacks" Lars Hernquist, Mallinckrodt Professor of Astrophysics: "Cosmological Numerical Simulations" Alyssa Goodman, PhD, '89, Professor of Astronomy: "The World-Wide-Telescope"
11-11:45 a.m. Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden Street	Meet the Graduate Students Led by Nathan Sanders, co-founder of astrobites
Noon-12:30 p.m.	Registration at the Sheraton Commander Hotel Lobby, 16 Garden Street
12:30-1:45 p.m.  Sheraton Commander 16 Garden Street	Luncheon Welcome by Xiao-Li Meng, PhD '90, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Whipple V. N. Jones Professor of Statistics Welcome by Jeremy Bloxham, Mallinckrodt Professor of Geophysics and Dean for Science Featuring a historical review of Astronomy at Harvard by Owen Gingerich, PhD '62, Emeritus Professor of Astronomy and of the History of Science
2-3:30 p.m. Sheraton Commander 16 Garden Street	Testing Einstein's Theory of Gravity   Moderated by Irwin Shapiro, Timken University Professor Featuring: Daniel Eisenstein PhD, '96, Professor of Astronomy Bob Kirshner Clowes Professor of Science Jim Moran Donald H. Menzel Professor of Astrophysics Ramesh Narayan Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Scott Ransom PhD '01 Brian Schmidt PhD '93, Nobel Laureate 2011 Joe Silk PhD '68 Chris Stubbs Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy Joe Taylor PhD, '68, Nobel Laureate 1993
3:30-4 p.m.	Refreshment break
4-5:30 p.m. Sheraton Commander 16 Garden Street	Extra-Solar Planets and Life George Washington Ballroom, Sheraton Commander Hotel, 16 Garden Street   Moderated by Charles Alcock, Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Featuring: Cullen Blake PhD '09  Dave Charbonneau PhD, '01, Professor of Astronomy Frank Drake PhD '58 Eliza Kempton (Miller-Ricci) PhD, '09 Heather Knutson PhD '09 David Latham PhD, '70, Lecturer on Astronomy Ruth Murray-Clay Harvard A.B. '01, Lecturer on Astronomy Dimitar Sasselov Professor of Astronomy Sara Seager PhD, '99 Frank Shu PhD, '68
5:30-6:30 p.m. Sheraton Commander 16 Garden Street	Reception  co-hosted by the Graduate School Fund Featuring remarks by: Avi Loeb, Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science; Chair of the Department of Astronomy; Director, Institute for Theory and Computation Margot Gill, Administrative Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Ken Froewiss, AB '67, PhD '77, co-chair of the Graduate School Fund

Parking and Transportation

Everett Street Garage
10 Everett Street 

Observatory Lot*
60 Garden Street 

Sheraton Commander Hotel
16 Garden Street
Valet Only - $15 per Vehicle

*Parking at the Observatory lot is extremely limited. We encourage anyone not attending the morning portion of the program at the CfA to park at the Everett Street Garage or Sheraton Commander Hotel.
 

Shuttle Service:
A shuttle will be available to transport guests from Phillips Auditorium to the Sheraton Commander Hotel at 11:45 a.m. An additional shuttle will leave the Sheraton Commander at 6:30 p.m., following the reception, and will make a loop to each parking location.  

Map of Locations: Click here

GSAS Alumni Day

We invite you to stay on campus for GSAS Alumni Day, Saturday, April 6, featuring a keynote address, faculty symposia from across the disciplines, and a collegial luncheon at the Harvard Faculty Club! Check back for details.

The Graduate School Fund: Investing
in Great Minds

In honor of the Astronomy and Astrophysics departmental reunion, the Graduate School Fund will be leading an effort to raise financial support for graduate students. Help us raise as many graduate fellowships as possible ($25,000/student of current-use support) and make a gift today. All gifts in honor of the reunion, big and small, are deeply appreciated and will be counted toward the total.

  Give here today >>

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