Unproceedings of the Fourth .Astronomy Conference (.Astronomy 4), Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-11 2012

TL;DR

This paper reports on the informal 'unproceedings' of the .Astronomy 4 conference, highlighting its unique unconference format, collaborative hack day, and focus on informal interactions among astronomers and educators using the Internet.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'unproceedings' to document informal conference activities and emphasizes the value of collaborative, discussion-based sessions in scientific gatherings.

Findings

Emphasizes the importance of informal, discussion-driven sessions.

Highlights the role of hack days in fostering collaboration.

Documents the unique format of the .Astronomy 4 conference.

Abstract

The goal of the .Astronomy conference series is to bring together astronomers, educators, developers and others interested in using the Internet as a medium for astronomy. Attendance at the event is limited to approximately 50 participants, and days are split into mornings of scheduled talks, followed by 'unconference' afternoons, where sessions are defined by participants during the course of the event. Participants in unconference sessions are discouraged from formal presentations, with discussion, workshop-style formats or informal practical tutorials encouraged. The conference also designates one day as a 'hack day', in which attendees collaborate in groups on day-long projects for presentation the following morning. These hacks are often a way of concentrating effort, learning new skills, and exploring ideas in a practical fashion. The emphasis on informal, focused interaction makes recording proceedings more difficult than for a normal meeting. While the first .Astronomy conference is preserved formally in a book, more recent iterations are not documented. We therefore, in the spirit of .Astronomy, report 'unproceedings' from .Astronomy 4, which was held in Heidelberg in July 2012.