IAU Members: Run for Election to a Division Steering Committee
Richard Fienberg AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force
This announcement is posted on behalf of IAU General Secretary Thierry Montmerle:
All nine IAU Divisions will be running three elections, to elect a new President (DP), a new Vice-President (DVP), as well as three "at-large" members of the Division Steering Committee (DSC), which have six "at-large" members. The DSC is renewed by half, to ensure continuity; the past Division President will remain on the DSC as "Adviser." (Since Div. A has already elected a new President and Vice-President, Div. A will only run the elections of three "at-large" DSC members.)
The new DP will have a three-year term, while the new DVP will have three years as DVP followed by three years as DP. This action will allow the Divisions that were formed three years ago to regain a structure similar to that which existed prior to the reform and will ensure that all members of the DSC are elected by the corresponding Division membership.
We are therefore inviting IAU members to propose themselves as candidates, for one of these positions (DP, DVP, or DSC member), in the Division in which they would like to serve (and only in that Division). (Note that a similar request will be sent around soon concerning the elections to the Commission Organizing Committees — the candidates for the Division and Commission elections must be different.)
If you want to stand up as a candidate, please provide a 150-word statement of your interest with a photo inserted, mentioning any past relevant experience with the IAU, and send this application material by email (in one merged PDF file) to the Secretary of the corresponding Division. (For Div. C, please send the material to the President, M. K. Hemenway.) Division contacts are listed on the respective Division webpages.
The deadline is 15 May 2015.
The current DSCs will review the applications. The slate proposed for the DSC elections will have to show a reasonable geographical and gender balance, so it is possible that not all applications may be accepted. Conversely, additional candidates may be appointed by the DSCs in case this balance cannot be reached on the basis of the applications received.
The material provided for the election in support of the application will appear as an attachment to the candidate's name in the ballot.
The elections will be held electronically in early June. At the end of the vote, only the names of the candidates having received the largest number of votes (one for DP, one for DVP, and three for "at-large" DSC members), with the number of votes obtained, will be made public.
The new DP, DVP, and DSC members present at the General Assembly in Honolulu in August will have the opportunity to meet with current members of the DSC and the other new DPs, DVPs, and DSC members, at the Division Meetings, as well as meet the present and incoming Executive Committee of the IAU.