Astro2 Website

Well, here goes. Here I am, supposed to be studying for my final year exams, but hey the Astro2 website needs some doing. The history section hasn't been updated since 2001, so I'm going to have to do that before I leave, lest some priceless Astro2 history gets forgotten

My time with Astro2 goes back to Fairs Day 2003, when as a first year I joined up at the stand. Then at the AGM, I joined the committee as on of the token first years - Fundraising Officer really. The President at the time was Brian Macken, then a third year in Theoretical Physics and Computer Science. The rest of his exec was made up of Ciara Morgan, Leanne Young, Bart Busschots, Rhuadhrí Tynan and Davy Kavanagh. Brian's was an excellent year, characterised by loads of big-name speakers, and Brian's ever-cheery personality at the meetings. The year also saw the birth of the Big Bang newsletter

During the year, I was being groomed to take over the reigns, and sure enough, the following AGM, I was elected as President for 2004-05 I was helped along on the exec by Suzzane Lyons, Emily Duffy, Bart (again), Belinda Hamilton and Sarah Kennelly. The year got off to a great start when Astro2 won the Nexus Best Student Newsletter Award in October. The weekly events took a giant step forward, where now shoved over to the Hume Building by University Security, we held two events on Tuesday nights - the traditional talks by visiting speakers as well as informal debates and discussion sessions beforehand. We attracted speakers from all over Ireland and Britain to have a great line up of talks every week.

The next AGM was more of a cabinet reshuffle than anything else, with Emily Duffy, our first president from Physics with Astrophysics, leading a team of myself, Sarah, Belinda, Marcus Beirne and Terence Callaghan. If the previous year got off to a good start, this one got off to a great start - one paniced night in November, we discovered on PsiStar's website that Astro2 had won Best Physics Society from Nexus! And we had! The highlight of the year was Astro2's three-day trip to London where Emily and I got dressed up to pick up the award at the Savoy Hotel and the rest of the time was spent wandering around the Science Museum and taking in the sights of London.
Back in Maynooth, the society kept improving, with a widening of talks to include topics such as Science Fiction, the History of Astronomy and more. Workshops on astronomy and physics were alternated with the now popular debates, and Astro2 was even represented at the First Medeival Castle Fayre run by Playdo!

This year has seen some retirements from the exec, along with the introduction of some new faces, but the society is still lead by a President from my year - Sarah Kennelly. Her exec is made up of Thomas Kelly, Eilish Byrne, Alice Mooney, John Kirwan and Marcus Beirne. So far they've managed to live up to the acts they've had to follow, with great speakers coming to Maynooth every week. Science Week in particular saw a hugely successful talk on Near Earth Objects and a inter-society "University Challenge" style quiz in the Venue. There's currently a trip in the works to visit Rome after the January Exams, and he slots for the talk are filling up fast.
There's more news to come from this year, and hopefully I'll have something exciting to write about after Clubs and Socs Awards!

"The Early Years" - Astro2 1997-2001

	Bart Busschots, July 2001 Hi, As the only remaining founding member on the Astro 2 committee I was asked to write a short piece on the history of the society which has now become Astro 2. Astro 2 has its origins in Astro-II. When I came to NUI Maynooth in 1997 as a first year I was shocked to see that there was no Astronomy society. My self and another first year Eddie Mc Cann were toying with the idea of setting up our own Astronomy Society to fix this terrible oversight (as we saw it). When my self and Eddie mentioned this idea to Dave Beere (another first year) he thought it would be a good idea if we were to make it an Astronomy and Astrology society, since he was thinking of setting up an astrology society. Myself and Eddie jumped at the idea ... the more the merrier!!! Neither my self or Eddie had a clue about astrology but we figured it could be fun. And so on the 9th of December 1997 at 8pm the first meeting of Astro-II, the Astronomy and Astrology Society of NUI Maynooth, took place in the SLT in the Callan Building. The Founding committee consisted of: President: Eddie McCann Vice-President: Bart Busschots Secretary: Graine Dillon Treasurer: Emalina Dunne PRO: Sean Morris and Marian Henessey OWP: David Beere There was a minor re-shuffle of the committee after the midterm when my self and Eddie swapped jobs. I then continued as President for the year 1998-9. Because we were founded in December we were not eligible for recognition by the Ratification and Capitation Committee until the following academic year. This meant that we would be two years without funding from the Students Union. Our Recognition came through in November 1998. This meant that 1998-9 was the year in which we had to prove our selves worthy of Ratification and therefore funding for the next year. In November 1999 we were Ratified by the University and Received £900 in Capitation from the Students Union. As time went on it became painfully obvious to Dave Beere and I that the idea of combining the Astronomy and Astrology societies into one society was not working. People interested in astronomy were turned off by the astrology and vice versa so in October 1999 the 'Divorce' took place. At the first meeting of Astro-II for the accademic year 1999-2000 it was decided that the society would adopt a new constitution which effectively split what was Astro-II into two new Societies, Astro 2, the Astronomy and Physics Society of NUI Maynooth and Ainm, the Alternative Society of NUI Maynooth. Unlike most divorces this one was very amicable as all sides thought it was the best way forward, and I have to say I feel it really paid off because Astro 2 is now one of the biggest and best societies in Maynooth. As well as the split 1999-2000 was also the year Astro 2 bought its first telescope, an 8.75" Dobsonian telescope from DTG. It was also the first year I stepped down as President to make way for Rhuairdhi Tynan and took a slightly more back seat roll as Vice-President. 2000-2001 was another momentous year for Astro 2. Rhuaidhri was re-elected as president and I was elected as Vice-President for the second year now. This Astro2 first began working on projects, which is still ongoing. The Crowning glory of these has to be our Robot Wars project. As well as this we received an increase in Capitation to £1,800. Just after Christmas the society received a shock when Rhuaidhri announced that he was de-registering from the University and hence had to step down as President. I was then acting president for a while until an EGM could be organised. At the EGM Siobhan McKenna was elected as President. Throughout the year we hosted 12 talks on widely ranging topics from Cosmology to Quantum Physics to Holography. We also went on a trip to see the 'Leviathan of Parsons Town' in Birr Castle along with TASS (Trinity Astronomy and Space Society). We had a number of other trips planned but they were cancelled due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. All the hard work that was put in by our committee, now 10 strong, was rewarded at the end of the year when Astro 2 won two awards at the Clubs and Societies Awards (the SU's answer to the Oscars!). Bernard McCloskey took the award for Best Society First Year we were all delighted with the fact that we got an award but there was better to come. Every one was very disappointed when we failed to win Most Improved Society but that turned to shear joy when we won the last and best award of the evening BEST SOCIETY OF THE YEAR. Siobhan was almost in tears when she got up to collect the Award. 2000-2001 is a year that will be remembered for a long time in Astro 2. I have loads of really fond memories of my four years in Astro 2 so far and their not rid of me yet, I got my degree this year but will be back to do a post grad (hope fully) so I'll be around for a few years yet. I've decided to take a back seat in the administration this year (I've done my time!!!) and get involved with more practical things, I've been elected as Web Master for next year and I also plan on setting up a Stargazing group in the society. I guess that sums up my brief history of Astro 2 (which turned out to be a bit less than brief but hey!!!), hope you liked it and if you're a student (past or present) of NUI Maynooth why not come along... your more than welcome!