Chair: Dennis Crabtree
Objectives: Endorse the Washington Charter and disseminate information
about it: Drafting, circulating, and getting support for a letter
to funding agencies, observatory directors, department heads
and deans, and other employers of astronomers to encourage them
to regard outreach and communication as an important part of
our job and theirs.
As this Working Group itself the Washington
Charter also has its origins in the "Communicating
Astronomy to the Public" conference held at the US National
Academy of Sciences in early October, 2003. The most significant
outcome from this meeting was the development of the Washington
Charter. The Charter outlines "Principles of Action" for individuals and organizations that conduct astronomical research,
who "have a compelling obligation to communicate their
results and efforts with the public for the benefit of all".
The Washington Charter underwent a careful revision in 2005 led by Rick Fienberg from Sky & Telescope, USA. This revision was approved by CAP2005.
