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[[preprinted]] 
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
1126 EAST 59TH STREET
CHICAGO. ILLINOIS 60637
U.S.A. 
[[/preprinted]]

[[stamped]] DEC22'87[[/stamped]]

December 17, 1987

Dr. Robert McC. Adams, 
Secretary,
The Smithsonian Institution, 
Washington, D.C. 20560

Dear Bob,

This letter reflects the meeting of the Smithsonian Council in Cambridge, Mass. and Washington October 22-25, 1987.

Our arrangements split the meeting into two parts, each in a different city. On Thursday evening, October 22, the Council met for dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club and heard an informative and entertaining lecture by Owen Gingrich evoking various episodes in the history of astronomy. The following day was spent at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, listening and responding to presentations by Smithsonian scientists concerning the record of achievements, current practices, and future hopes of SAO personnel.  The Council moderator, John Bahcall, chaired both sessions, supported by the other members of his committee, Bob May and Tom Hughes. The Observatory Director, Irwin Shapiro, summarized the history of SAO, and staff members described their enthusiasm for certain projects. After a lunch break the Council members enjoyed tours of SAO facilities, and in the afternoon heard more about the place of theoretical astronomy, and the educational initiatives that have been taken.

The Council received with delight and enthusiasm accounts of the often unexpected marvels that Smithsonian and other astronomers have discovered in recent decades. These accomplishments have enriched and extended the human experience. They clarify the power of the human mind to confront the awesome variety and beauty of the universe. The presentations we heard demonstrated that important new revelations will soon be obtained on scales ranging from the nearest planets to the most distant objects in the universe.

The educational project, STAR, has also obtained success as it exploits the widespread appeal of astronomy to achieve broad educational goals in the natural sciences and mathematics. The program apparently satisfies an important national need, and it does so with an approach that is one and the same time scientifically accurate and lots of fun. We strongly urge continued support of this project in the next phase, one which proposes to disseminate the teaching materials more widely. We do recommend, in future discussions, that some attention be paid to historical development of the ideas the project develops. Scientific advances and human history are inextricably entwined, and this inseparable relationship deserves more emphasis than schools usually grant it.