Being in Toronto for the GPI Science Workshop… remotely

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey team held a meeting at the University of Toronto June 13-14, 2012. The purpose was to get updated on the hardware and pipeline, anticipating the installation of the instrument at the Gemini South telescope later this year. We also discussed key science contributions we expect GPI to make, in preparation for the first raft of papers from the survey. For instance, I had a 30 minute talk on (1) how the GPI-discovered planets will connect to the populations studied by other techniques, (2) what we’re learning about planetary systems from dynamical investigations and the Kepler space telescope, for placing the anticipated GPI discoveries in context.

Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip at the last minute. To my delight, the collaboration has been successfully using online collaboration software, EVO. It’s like a fancy Skype, taking input from multiple cameras, allowing for screen-sharing, a parallel chat box, etc. This software made it easy to participate remotely, including giving the talk I had prepared. Not only will this allow us to collaborate effectively throughout North America and the world, it will also allow our science to march on when our personal schedules are disrupted.