Earlier today I was giving a presentation on the IYA new media plans for next year. At one point, on behalf of the wonderful Adrienne Gauthier, I was talking about our plans (funding pending) for IYA in Second Life. After I said that “pending funding” sentence, Kris Koenig of Interstellar Studios raised his hand and said, “I’ll take care of it.” I was so confused by what he said that I looked at my overhead to see what I had written. He repeated himself and others in the audience clarified “He’s buying your team the IYA island,” and I, well, I had a giggly-thank you-“oh wow that’s wonderful” moment at the front of the room.

I can now proudly state that 400 Years of the Telescope Partnership will be sponsoring the International Year of Astronomy’s Island.

I have been lucky enough in my career to have had a handful of sponsors for various projects, and every one of my sponsors has been an organization that I have respected and enjoyed my interactions with in the past (SAO, Audible, OPTCorp…). Not everyone is so lucky. For the past several months I have worked with the folks of 400 Years of the Telescope through my development of the IYA-US website, and I have come to respect them through their newsletter, amazing images, and website as I have worked with their friendly staff. To get funding from them in particular makes this moment sweeter.

We still have a long way to go to raise the funding we need for IYA, but this is a huge and exciting moment for us. We’re ready to run – Adrienne Gauthier has detailed amazing IYA plans – and this funding marks the firing of the start gun.

Thank you for getting us started. Kris and the 400 Years of the Telescope Partnership – You’ve helped make our IYA wishes come true.