In the latest installment from the AAS Career Profiles series, cosponsored by the CSWA and Committee on Employment, Dr. Monica Young traces her evolution from research astronomer to website editor for Sky & Telescope magazine.
The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons learned from individuals on those paths.
Andrew Fraknoi, the chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, has won the 2013 Faraday Science Communicator Award from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).
Agnes Kim recounts her experience going back on the job market for a faculty position at a non-PhD-granting institution. She offers an inside look at how to pursue a career in undergraduate education.
The American Institute of Physics, the umbrella organization for 10 professional societies (including the AAS) and 24 affiliate societies, hosted its annual Assembly of Society Officers on 4 April to discuss important issues of common concern to our members.
As a result of the new NASA policies to reduce spending on travel and conferences under the sequester, the planned NASA Astrophysics Roadmap Town Hall has been cancelled. Instead, the Roadmap team will invite authors of selected abstracts to present their ideas in a web-based meeting.
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) created an online survey to obtain feedback from the research community on administrative burden.
AAS President David Helfand describes a new program, based on the precinct-captain model of election campaigns, to improve communication between the Society and its members.
The current deadline for submitting observing proposals to the National Solar Observatory is 15 May 2013 for the third quarter of 2013.
The AAS honored Tom Gergely, who is retiring from the National Science Foundation after 27 years of service to the astronomical community and other disciplines that utilize radio spectrum to perform their research. At a special lunch for him hosted at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC on March 28 with NSF colleagues past and present and his family, AAS Executive Officer Kevin Marvel read a congratulatory letter from AAS President David Helfand and presented him a certificate of recognition that reads:
In this column from the Committee on Employment, Jessica Kirkpatrick elaborates on the differences between academia and a career in data science.
The American Astronomical Society and its six divisions (Planetary Science, High Energy Astrophysics, Solar Physics, Dynamical Astronomy, Historical Astronomy, and Laboratory Astrophysics) are deeply concerned about the impact of the Administration’s new conference travel restrictions on the scientific productivity and careers of researchers who are Federal employees and contractors.
Fifteen members of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) traveled to Washington, DC to express the need for sustained and predictable federal funding of research and development (R&D) programs — including NASA, NSF, and the Department of Energy — which are critically important to American economic growth.
From close-up pictures of water-sculpted pebbles on Mars, to the detection of galaxies at the boundary of the Dark Ages, discoveries in our field continue to advance our understanding of the Universe and to fascinate legions of the public who support our inquiry. Unfortunately, we do not see similar progress in the political sphere, even now that the consequences have been spelled out of allowing budget sequestration to hit every government agency in January.
The AAS is sad to announce the passing of former AAS Vice-President Gart Westerhout. When the AAS incorporated in Washington, DC, Dr. Westerhout signed the Articles of Incorporation. He was a life-long supporter of the AAS.
The current deadline for submitting observing proposals to the National Solar Observatory is 15 November 2012 for the first quarter of 2013. Information is available from the NSO Telescope Allocation Committee at P.O. Box 62, Sunspot, NM 88349 for Sacramento Peak facilities (sp@nso.edu) or P.O.
I want a job as an Astronomer. Can the AAS find me one? In a word, no. But, by attending one of our career seminars, learning how to perform a job search and regularly tracking opportunities in the Job Register, you stand a good chance of finding the kind of job you want.
Employment statistics are available on the AAS Career Services website, through the NSF Division of Science Resources Studies and the AIP Statistical Research Center.
The AAS publishes a Job Register, which is the premier location for employers who are seeking astronomers. The Job Register is published on the first of each month and usually contains about 50 or more jobs each month.
You should look at the AAS Summer Opportunities page. You may also be interested in the NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates page.
