To be successful in astronomy and astrophysics, students need not only preparation academic knowledge and skills but also support in navigating academic programs. A “bridge” program creates an intentional mentoring and pedagogical environment to help students succeed and thrive as they begin their education and professional development in an astronomy/astrophysics career. Bridge programs can be especially valuable for students who find themselves minoritized by the norms of higher education. Additionally, ongoing mentoring and professional development programs that support students while in their degree programs increase their resilience and understanding of their future pathways. We invite those engaged in this work, as faculty, staff, and students, to share their experiences and strategies. This session will consist of short presentations and a panel discussion.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The professional advancement pathways within the field of astronomy impede diversity by introducing enforced financial scarcity at various stages. This scarcity serves as a barrier-to-entry toward those most affected by poverty in the U.S. – most often people of color and first-generation college students. Working towards improved diversity in the field requires us to challenge these systemic barriers and find solutions that make astronomy a field that is accessible to all who want to contribute, free from the prospect of immediate financial hardship for them and their families.

The prospect of choosing to go to graduate school is disproportionately challenging for students who come from impoverished backgrounds. It is likely that this ‘Graduate School Crossroads’ is just one example of a systemic policy bottleneck to socioeconomic and racial diversity and inclusion in astronomy. In recent decades, the cost of simply applying to graduate programs has ballooned and can easily cost students thousands of dollars. Once accepted, stipends for graduate students often equate to rates that are near minimum wage. This is exacerbated in high cost of living areas, where many of the most prestigious institutions reside. Universities also often require graduate students to provide funds for tuition, and sometimes do not provide health insurance coverage for graduate students. Though some see graduate work as an investment, do we really want to restrict our community only to those who have sufficient existing funds to ‘invest’?

Currently, there is a dearth of demographic data pertaining to the rates of professional astronomers that come from impoverished backgrounds. To help study this problem, the Survey on Poverty in Astronomy was released in March of 2024 to assess the underrepresentation of astronomers along the axis of early-life impoverishment and to identify financial barriers that may inhibit inclusion within our field. As of May, 2024 the survey has received over 1,000 responses from those within the astronomy community.

In this session organized by the AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy, we will discuss the development and results of the Survey on Poverty in Astronomy, led by team members active in the survey’s generation and analysis. We will also provide an open forum for people in the field to share their personal accounts of enforced financial hardship in academia and to contribute to discussions on pathways to improvement within our community.

The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) has finished its first three years of survey operation and continues to be ahead of schedule on its five-year program. With the first year's data, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) have been measured with unprecedented precision using galaxies, quasars, and the Lyman-alpha forest, leading to its first cosmological results. In this special session, we will present the broad science results based on the first year's data, including galaxy and quasar physics, Milky Way science, and low-redshift cosmology. We will also discuss the implications for the five-year program.

The first black hole images with the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) have constrained exotic black hole alternatives, determined the mass and spin orientation of the nuclear black hole in M87*, and revealed the black hole “shadow” predicted by General Relativity in both M87* and Sgr A*. The initial EHT results are now being sharply enhanced through the addition of polarimetric and dynamical information. Moreover, the addition of new telescopes and simultaneous multi-band observations will reveal additional image signatures associated with strong gravitational lensing from these black holes as well as the dynamics of their relativistic accretion flows and jets.

This special session will feature speakers on science across the growing event horizon community focused on studies of black holes through direct imaging. The speakers will cover topics including:

• The Highest Angular Resolution Observations with the EHT at 345 GHz
• Evolution of the Ring Image of M87 over Four Years of Observation
• Advances in M87 near-horizon theory
• Probing High Energy Gamma-Ray Emissions in Relativistic Jets with the EHT Multi-wavelength Campaign
• Probing Blazar Jet Physics with the EHT AGN survey
• New M87 movie campaign and recent theoretical developments
• Polarization Observations of Sgr A* with the EHT

Session Objectives: This special session will provide an opportunity for the AAS community to join the scientific exploration that will lead to the next series of decade-defining experiments. We will also solicit poster contributions on related research with an emphasis on contributions from early career members.

Session Format: The session will be 90 minutes long and will feature multiple speakers and/or a panel discussion.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

This session will focus on early science results from the X-ray Imaging Spectrometry Mission, or XRISM, which was launched on September 7, 2023 from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan. XRISM is a JAXA/NASA collaborative mission, with ESA participation. The objective of the mission is to investigate celestial X-ray objects in the Universe with high-throughput imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy. The Performance Verification phase of XRISM ends on approximately August 30, 2024, and this session will feature talks from the XRISM team on the remarkable science results obtained thus far. Additionally, we will provide an update on spacecraft and detector status, a summary of the General Observer Cycle 1 selection process and plans for future cycles, and an update on plans to make future attempts to open the Resolve aperture door, or gate valve.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

Modern challenges in astrophysics often involve the resolution of "inverse problems", in which we start from complex, multidimensional datasets, and attempt to derive full posterior probability distributions for a set of physical parameters within a particular theoretical framework. This is the case in a broad range of fields, including cosmology, gravitational wave science, and galaxy evolution. Traditional methods of Bayesian inference, while powerful, can struggle with the high-dimensional and often intractable nature of the problems at hand. The advent of modern techniques of statistical inference, including improvements in variational inference through normalizing flows and diffusion models, as well as the incorporation of simulated data in the inference problem is transforming the way in which the physics are derived from data. As astronomical surveys grow in scale and complexity, the development and application of advanced inference techniques become increasingly essential. These methods not only enhance our understanding of astrophysics but also push the boundaries of what is currently possible using numerical simulations and large datasets. This session will explore cutting-edge statistical inference techniques, particularly focusing on simulation-based and deep learning approaches to inference, to overcome these challenges. In particular, we aim at exploring the methods and lines of research that are most likely to lead to breakthroughs in the astrophysics, and focus on specific problems that could be tackled with the aid of modern inference techniques. Rather than focusing on well established methods and solved problems, speakers of the session will provide a vision of how the rapid evolution of inference methods can be beneficial for the resolution of fundamental problems in astrophysics, and illustrate it with their current research. The session will include research across several fields of astrophysics where modern inference techniques have had a major impact. This session is organized by AstroAI, an institute based at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian that is dedicated to the design and development of artificial intelligence to enable next generation astrophysics.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The proliferation of commercial satellites in  low earth orbit (LEO) has been steadily growing since 2019, presenting increasing challenges for astronomy. The AAS Committee for the Protection of Astronomy and the Space Environment (COMPASSE) has been working to address the wide-ranging impacts and challenges from satellite constellations given the diverse range of satellite designs and uses. This includes the rapidly increasing issues over the life cycle of proliferating LEO satellites from launch and in-orbit operations through deorbit and reentry, ranging from light pollution and radio interference to changes in atmospheric chemistry and aural glows from impacts on the ionosphere. These collectively impact the future of ground based astronomy which appears neither secure nor guaranteed.
 
In this Special Session we review what the landscape for astronomy will be like in the era of tens to hundreds of thousands of LEO objects.  We will present a series of short talks addressing the current status of mitigation efforts and predicted as well as emerging impacts.  These will be followed by a panel discussion with federal agency representatives about the gaps in the current US regulatory framework and pathways forward.  These discussions will be used to guide the organization of SATCON3, a 2025 workshop that will develop new recommendations for industry, institutions and regulators that will update and expand upon the recommendations made in the reports from the 2020 SATCON1 and 2021 SATCON2 workshops.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is discovering new molecules in space. Recent JWST observations of the interstellar medium and star-forming regions reveal radiative and mechanical feedback processes. The recent detection of the Methyl Cation in the Orion Nebula demonstrates that ultraviolet radiation can activate gas-phase organic chemistry. Laboratory investigations of the thermodynamics and kinetics of complex organic molecules contribute to our understanding of new results from JWST.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

This Special Session is an update for the astrophysics community about the current activities and future plans of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), a future NASA flagship astrophysics mission concept in response to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey. HWO will be a large-aperture ultraviolet/optical/infrared space telescope designed to search for signs of life on terrestrial planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars, and will be one the most versatile astronomical telescopes ever flown, capable of conducting transformative science across nearly all of astrophysics in the legacy of missions such as Hubble and Webb. In this Special Session, representatives from NASA Headquarters and the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office will share the community-driven development of the mission concept to date, avenues for future involvement, and plans for next steps. This session is open to all AAS attendees, and will feature an extended Q&A session for discussion and feedback from the community.

ALMA observations have been the basis for a revolution in the understanding of the structure and gas composition of protoplanetary disks, thanks to its ability to probe emission from embedded and/or cold regions. This new paradigm has now been leveraged by results from JWST uniquely characterizing dust and ice grain size distribution and composition in inner disks, unveiling the processing of water and hydrocarbons. Together, such observations can paint a 3-D view of the general vertical structure in a number of disks at different evolution stages.
 
Most recently, ALMA and JWST data have provided characterization of ongoing processes at the scale of embedded planets and protoplanets, such as direct evidence of gravitational instabilities, gas and dust accretion onto planetary cores, planet-driven outflows and planetesimal growth from molecular freeze-out on dust grains. As a detailed and nuanced picture is emerging of the processes driving the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks, the next step would be to establish the framework linking the spectral type and multiplicity of hosts stars to the structure of their planetary systems and the composition of planetary atmospheres.

When JWST approaches the end of its planned mission lifetime, ALMA will have completed the first phase of a major upgrade of its components - the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU), consisting of a completely new digital path, correlator, and three new wideband receivers - with additional receiver bands to follow. For protoplanetary disks, this comprehensive upgrade translates into much more effective spectral surveys for extensive molecular gas composition characterization, increased image fidelity and sensitivity for the detailed identification of disk substructures and kinematic distortions, and overall access to a much larger number of targets, including compact disks, for a better sampling of the variety of disk sizes and evolution stages.
 
This special session will present recent high-impact ALMA and JWST results in different subfields of protoplanetary disk studies, and introduces how future synergistic experiments enabled by the transformative capabilities increase from ALMA-WSU will support the next revolution in the field.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

US science agencies increasingly emphasize open-source science -- accelerating scientific progress by open sharing of data, software, and knowledge. NASA's Astrophysics Division plans to host large datasets from its science missions in the cloud, and to provide cloud-based analysis capabilities for the science community. Petabytes of data from NASA’s Roman telescope, launching in 2027, will be publicly available in this way. This session will feature a panel of speakers to discuss how the Astrophysics Division is working with others within NASA and in the science community to facilitate data sharing, and to ensure that development of robust reusable open-source software and other products is appropriately funded, acknowledged, and rewarded.

The AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy (CAPP) is hosting a panel discussion on the prospects for the astronomical sciences (funding and other relevant policies and regulations) in the U.S. with the 119th Congress and a new Administration coming into office. Panelists include current and former Congressional and White House staff and lobbyists for key astronomical organizations and universities.

Astronomy education research supports education and outreach efforts by giving the community evidence-based practices to use in our learning and engagement spaces. We invite presentations to highlight current AER work in formal and informal learning spaces with special emphasis on implications for practice.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The Science Mission Directorate, in line with the adoption of the NASA Core value of Inclusion, initiated the Inclusion Plan Pilot in some R&A programs. A small subset of Astrophysics ROSES solicitations required 1-3 pages Inclusion plan in addition to the usual proposal packages. After three years the Astrophysics Division has received more than 700 inclusion plan and piloted many evaluation mechanisms. This special session will focus on informing the community of the lessons learned, the future plans, and provide an opportunity to awarded PIs to present some of their Inclusion Plan efforts or barriers encountered in their implementations.

With no current community access to Far-Infrared (FIR) observing facilities, the astronomical community is at a critical juncture for ensuring observational access to these wavelengths in the 2030s. In the next two years, NASA’s Astrophysics Probe Explorer line (APEX) will select its first $1 billion dollar class mission for launch in the mid-2030s. The APEX mission concepts have recently been narrowed down to two options, with PRIMA (the PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics) selected to compete with an X-ray mission concept (AXIS) for launch. PRIMA is now at the beginning of the one-year Phase A study period, with concept study reports due in mid-November 2025. In order to build the strongest case for the selection of PRIMA, it is essential to bring the community together to solicit its input and involvement.  Involving a large and representative cross-section of future users in planning science is especially crucial as if it is selected, PRIMA will have 75% of its observing time dedicated to community science. With this special session, we aim to organize community input and engage a broad community of theorists and multiwavelength observers. In addition to giving an overview of the PRIMA mission concept, invited speakers and panelists will address key topics, including unique FIR capabilities to follow up on exciting discoveries from current facilities like JWST and ALMA, synergy with facilities coming online like the Roman Space Telescope and Rubin Observatory, and opportunities to prepare for future facilities like Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). This session will also include contributed posters from the community.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The NASA MIDEX mission SPHEREx will observe the entire sky multiple times during its planned two-year mission and is scheduled to launch in early 2025. Its overlapping scan strategy will obtain a minimum of four 0.75 to 5.0 micron spectra with 102 channels at every point in the sky, with much greater coverage in the deep survey fields at the North and South ecliptic poles. SPHEREx will achieve point source sensitivities magnitudes deeper than 2MASS. In this session, we will describe the SPHEREx mission, performance, main science themes and data products available to the community.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

Euclid is an ESA mission with NASA involvement to study the geometry and nature of the dark universe. Euclid launched on 1 July 2023. During its 6 year primary mission, Euclid will survey over 13,000 sq. deg. of extragalactic sky and obtain optical images (530-920nm band), near-infrared images (Y,J,H) and slitless grism spectra (1206nm-1892nm, R~480). All Euclid data will be made public to the world community after a proprietary period. Early Release Observations are now available, the first large data release of 50 square degrees will take place in Spring 2025, and the first year of data (over 2000 square degrees) will be released in 2026. Data will be available from the ESA’s Euclid Archive System and from the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). NASA is supporting archival research with Euclid data via the ROSES Euclid Guest Investigator Program. The Euclid NASA Science Center at IPAC (ENSCI) is available now to answer questions from researchers planning to use Euclid data. In this session, we will give an overview of Euclid’s status and the first results from the mission. We will discuss the opportunities and science potential for archival research with public Euclid data.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

For this special session, Black in Astro and CSMA are proposing a panel which focuses on the impact identity has on shaping the future of space sciences and exploration. This panel and discussion will explore how different aspects of scientists’ identity have propelled scientists through their careers. The goal of this panel is to demonstrate the diversity and fullness of the lives of scientists and how holistic experiences of scientists have fostered innovation within their careers.

The following sample of driving questions will serve to create a dialogue centering around the relationship between different identities and scientific research.

Driving Questions

*What ways has your identity helped you advance in your space science field?

*How can identity shape the future of your scientific field?

*How have your lived experiences and interests influenced your career in space science?

This panel would start with a round table with 3-4 panelists and a moderator. Panelists will introduce themselves for 15-20 minutes followed by the round table which will last for 30-40 minutes. In the round table, the moderator will lead the panelists in a discussion surrounding the themes of the driving questions. Finally, there will be an open forum Q&A between audience members and panelists for 20-30 minutes.

By providing a platform for scientists to share their individual motivations and passions, attendees will be able to connect across multiple demographics, beyond academia or research. The panel discussion will showcase the various and multi-faceted identities of scientists while enhancing the participation of underrepresented groups in astronomy, a core mission of the AAS Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy and Black in Astro.

This special session features talks plus an open, moderated discussion designed to highlight the pivotal role of collaborative networks in maximizing science in the era of big data. Collaborative scientific networks foster innovation, inclusive opportunities for discoveries, and increased creativity, through broader knowledge bases, shared resources and enhanced data accessibility and analysis capabilities. A recent, large-scale, science community survey shows that increased engagement with a collaborative community of scientists is one of the most relevant factors for anticipated scientific success with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (Rubin’s LSST). Use-cases highlighted in this session include multi-disciplinary networks, international science collaborations, time-domain communities, cross-institutional partnerships, and networks with citizen scientists. Come to this session to engage with like-minded people about the scientific opportunities and advantages provided by collaborative networks, to share your experiences, and to learn how you can get involved.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is starting a large-scale, multi-year survey of rocky M-dwarf exoplanets—the Rocky Worlds Program—using around 500 hours of Director’s Discretionary Time (DDT) on the James Webb Space Telescope to search for atmospheres in more than a dozen nearby systems. This program will, in turn, include approximately 250 orbits of ultraviolet observations with the Hubble Space Telescope devoted to characterize the system’s host star UV properties. The main observational strategy of the program is to use secondary eclipse photometry with JWST/MIRI at 15 microns to constrain the presence (or lack thereof) of atmospheres on these exoplanet systems. In this Special Session, we will present an overview of this DDT program, as well as synergies this program might have with ground and other space-based facilities that could be used to characterize the stars and exoplanetary systems under study by the program. Expecting to initiate observations in the November 2024-July 2025 range, this session is expected to be one of the first community forums to share and discuss observational strategies, modelling opportunities & challenges as well as possible follow-up studies and analyses that could stem from these first observations of this exciting DDT program.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

It has been five years since the AIP National Task Force to Elevate African American Representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy (TEAM-UP) delivered its groundbreaking 2020 report at the 235th meeting of the AAS. This report outlined an important goal of doubling the number of African Americans earning bachelor degrees in physics and astronomy by 2030, by creating a culture of inclusion, support, and success for Black students in physics and astronomy. What has happened since then? The TEAM-UP Together (TUT) project now works to implement the recommendations of that report. TUT is housed at the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and is a collaborative project between AIP, AAS, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), the American Physical Society (APS), and the Society of Physics Students (SPS). This program's Associate Director, Arlene Modeste Knowles, and other TUT leadership will share their progress and thoughts to the AAS community in support of the TEAM-UP report goals.

The Advanced X-ray Imagine Satellite (AXIS), a next-generation high-throughput X-ray imaging mission, was recently selected by the NASA Astrophysics Probe program for Phase A study. AXIS will extend and enhance the science of high angular resolution X-ray imaging and spectroscopy in the next decade with a ~1.5” angular resolution over a wide 24’ field of view and an order of magnitude more collecting area than Chandra in the 0.3-12 keV band, while providing rapid response capabilities for follow-up of faint, but powerful transients discovered with next-generation TDAMM observatories. AXIS will open new windows on the hot and dynamic Universe, revealing the birth and early growth of supermassive black holes and their impact on galaxies, the drivers behind the most powerful and diverse explosive events in the Universe, and the aftermath or diversity of compact stellar remnants. AXIS has specifically been designed to match the capabilities of 2030s multi-wavelength facilities, including Roman, ELTs, LSST, SKA, ALMA, NewAthena, and CTA. AXIS utilizes breakthroughs in constructing lightweight X-ray optics from mono-crystalline silicon blocks and developments in the fabrication of large format, low noise, and high readout rate detectors, allowing a robust and cost-effective design.  This session will give an overview of the AXIS mission and instrumentation and highlight exciting science cases.  There will be a specific emphasis on the Guest Observer science potential and how the community can get involved in the AXIS mission.

Speakers:

(1) Mission overview and AXIS technology - Chris Reynolds, [email protected] (20+5)

(2) SMBH formation with AXIS - Fabio Pacucci, [email protected] (8+2)

(3) Galaxies/Feedback - Edmund Hodges-Kluck, [email protected] (8+2)

(4) TDAMM - Daryl Haggard [email protected] (8+2)

(5) Galactic Plane Survey Science - Kevin Burdge, [email protected] (8+2)

(6) New GO Science, Mission Complementarity, Ways to get involved- Erin Kara, [email protected] (20+5)

Organizer/Chair (Mike Koss, [email protected], and Brian Williams, [email protected])

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled for launch by May 2027, is poised to revolutionize time-domain astrophysics (TDA). A cornerstone of its mission is the High-Latitude Time Domain Survey (HLTDS), aimed at observing Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) for cosmological measurements. Beyond SNe Ia, Roman will explore a broad range of phenomena including other supernova types, tidal disruption events (TDEs), and active galactic nuclei (AGN), as highlighted by numerous submitted white papers. Closer to home there are also studies of Solar System objects and stellar variables, and the early low latitude survey.

Three Project Infrastructure Teams (PITs) and teams at the Science Operations Center (SOC) and Science Support Center (SSC), along with a Wide-Field Science (WFS) team, are developing the necessary infrastructure to support Roman’s TDA capabilities.

To bring the time domain aspects of these different groups together we recently formed the working group STRIDE (Strategic Time-domain Research and Infrastructure Development for Roman Exploration). Through this session we would like to introduce the group to AAS members, seek more diverse participation, as well as feedback on collaborative and complementary possibilities.

Session Objectives:

- Showcase Innovative/proposed Capabilities: Highlight the unique features and products of the Roman Telescope's rapid response, supernova detection, and time domain analysis systems based on simulated data.

- Collaborative Opportunities: Foster collaboration among researchers by discussing data sharing, joint projects, and synergistic efforts on topics like PSF-matching, image-differencing, template construction, source detection, catalog matching, and forced photometry.

- Scientific Breakthroughs: Present advancements and potential discoveries that will be enabled by the Roman Telescope, emphasizing its future impact on the field of astrophysics.

- Future Directions: Explore future research directions and potential enhancements to maximize the scientific yield of the Roman Telescope.

Proposed Structure:

Introduction and Overview (15 minutes):

Brief introduction to the Roman Space Telescope and its mission.

Overview of the STRIDE group and its significance in time-domain studies.

Presentations by members of associated groups (40 minutes):

# RAPID (Roman Alerts Promptly from Image Differencing) PIT:

- Presentation on the latest rapid response capabilities and plans.

- Case studies and possible gaps.

# Supernova PIT:

- Supernova detection capabilities and current challenges.

# High-Latitude Time Domain Survey (HLTDS) and Wide-Field Science (WFS):

- Plans and bottlenecks in connection with the HLTDS and WFS

# Low latitude, and Solar System science:

- Time domain aspects of Galactic and Solar System science.

Panel Discussion and Q&A (25 minutes):

- Panel consisting of the speakers above.

- Open floor for questions from the audience.

Future Directions and Closing Remarks (10 minutes):

- Insights into future developments and enhancements for the Roman Telescope and STRIDE initiatives.

- Summary of key takeaways and closing remarks.

Target Audience:

- Astrophysicists and astronomers interested in all aspects of time-domain events.

- Researchers focusing on rapid response mechanismsand related methodology.

- Undergrads, Graduate students and early-career scientists looking to collaborate on Roman Telescope projects.

Expected Outcomes:

- Increased awareness and understanding of the Roman Telescope’s time-domain analysis capabilities and the STRIDE group's initiatives.

- Enhanced collaboration and data sharing among the astrophysics community.

- Inspiration for new research projects and proposals utilizing and advancing Roman Telescope methodology.

- Valuable feedback from the community to guide future developments and improvements.

Supporting Materials:

- Handouts and brochures with detailed information about the Roman Telescope and the STRIDE group.

- Contact information for key researchers and collaboration opportunities.

Accepting Contributed Abstracts

Our working group has been charged with supporting members of the AAS community who are foreign nationals and face unique challenges within the profession or who are US citizens and plan to study or conduct astronomical research abroad. Motivated by this we envisioned a Special Session consisting on national leaders on these issues followed by a moderated discussion. If accepted we plan to bring on of the leaders of the National Academy of Sciences 2019 report on "Protecting U.S. Technological Advantage". This reports calls for protecting U.S. technological and scientific advantages by attracting more foreign-born talent, increasing immigration and taking other measures. The report comes at a time of growing attention to U.S. wait times and visa shortfalls that have encouraged talented foreign-born students and professionals to seek out other countries.

Another critical meeting took place on April 21, 2023, when the Presidents’ Alliance co-hosted a half-day event, Higher Ed Pathways to Immigration: Why it Matters. This event illuminated higher education’s role in facilitating immigration pathways, developing talent and potential, and reducing barriers to integration and naturalization. As the Biden Administration seeks to build on the strength of immigrant contributions to our knowledge-based economy, colleges and universities serve as critically important pathways for immigration and for immigrant integration, mobility, and success. However, these pathways are not as straightforward as they need to be to maintain our global competitiveness, and our immigration laws and policies desperately need modernization in order to allow all immigrants to reach their limitless potential.

The vision of the committee is to invite key speakers that took active roles in these discussions and are recognized leaders in the country. We have assembled a selection of potential speakers below but given their high profiles we plan to invite them only if the session is accepted. Having said this, we are schedule to meet with some of them virtually to request guidance on the work that our committee is planing to engage.

IN-PERSON

Saturday, 11 January: 8:45 am – 5:15 pm
 

Already into its third year of scientific operations JWST keeps delivering astonishing scientific results to a highly engaged astronomical community. The Space Telescope Science Institute is committed to facilitate data exploitation for both experienced and new observatory users, and to offer different flavors of training, including in-person.

This one-day workshop will offer a JWST Pipeline overview, which will include a summary of known issues, recent and upcoming updates. Participants will then install the calibration pipeline, with all needed reference files, and engage on a series of guided python notebook based tutorials of highly utilized JWST observing modes, which will use publicly available data. There will be time to troubleshoot installation problems, to have a general Q&A, and to discuss specific data issues users may have already encountered. All feedback received from users will be captured and appropriately addressed.

The workshop will be guided by STScI's JWST pipeline experts.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, 11 January: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Presenting your research effectively to a broad audience is an essential career skill, yet most professional scientists receive little formal training in effective communication. This interactive workshop aims to empower researchers at all levels who wish to improve their own presentation skills. During the workshop participants will (i) learn how to communicate their research in various formats such as conference presentations, posters, journal clubs, and colloquia (ii) receive practical tips on presenting and answering questions with confidence (iii) create a workflow for designing accessible and engaging presentations regardless of format (iv) learn to identify common features of effective communication so they can incorporate them into their own presentations. Participants will have the opportunity to receive tailored one-on-one feedback in this hands-on workshop, and are encouraged to bring a draft of their own presentation(s) to work on. This workshop will be facilitated by a team of experienced professional astronomers with the support of the AAS Committee on Employment.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, 11 January: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Sunday, 12 January: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

The future gravitational-wave space-based mission LISA has now been adopted by the European Space Agency with NASA as a partner. LISA is a unique data analysis challenge, requiring the development of many new tools and techniques. In this workshop, you will learn to work with open-source LISA analysis tools, starting from the basics and building up to a mock analysis of individual LISA sources. The workshop will cover gravitational waveforms for LISA sources, the LISA detector response function, and statistical tools useful for the large variety of LISA analyses. In addition to working with these tools, we will also place a simultaneous focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Teams will work together through case studies and group discussions to develop inclusive practices to carry on through their career.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, 11 January: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday, 12 January: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

NASA’s TESS mission (launched in 2018) provides the community with high cadence, optical time-series across the sky, with nearly continuous observations lasting between 27 days and one year. TESS operations have been extended through September 2025, and so TESS will continue to provide time-series data for users on hundreds of thousands of targets, as well as Full Frame Images of >2000 square degrees of the sky each month. These observations provide valuable resources for a wide range of astronomy; the detection of exoplanets, the investigation of stellar variability, the identification of extra-galactic transient events, the study of AGN, and more.

This two-day workshop is an opportunity to gain a holistic picture of the TESS mission, from proposing to analyzing data. We'll explain how to propose for data (and research funding!) through the TESS General Investigator Program. We'll also present "recipes" to efficiently access and analyze mission data, all of which is available with no exclusive access period. Finally, we'll present the features of TIKE, a JupyterHub cloud service (provided by STScI) designed to improve accessibility to TESS data.

This workshop is ideal for both new and established users of TESS data and TIKE. New users can learn where to get started with obtaining and using data. More experienced users can learn about the 200s observing mode and updated analysis techniques. We strongly encourage participation from scientists at all career stages, working on extragalactic astronomy, stellar astronomy, and exoplanet astronomy. We additionally encourage attendance from anyone interested in proposing for TESS observations.

The workshop will consist of; i) short talks introducing the NASA TESS mission ii) explanations of how to propose for TESS observations and obtain research funding in upcoming proposal calls iii) tutorials on working with TESS data iv) how to work with TIKE and to optimize your script for the cloud v) interactive work-with-the-experts sessions to show you how to work with TESS data and TIKE for your own targets. Please bring a laptop for these in person interactive sessions!

Price: 0.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, Jan 11: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

The Julia programming language can be considered the successor to Scientific Python (SciPy). The language is designed for scientific computing by having built-in multidimensional arrays and parallel processing features. Yet, it can also be used as a general-purpose programming language like Python. Unlike Python, Julia solves the two-language problem by using just-in-time (JIT) compilation to generate machine code from high level expressions. In most cases, Julia is as fast as C, and in some cases faster.

This workshop is divided into introductory and advanced sessions over two days. The attendee can choose to attend one session or both depending on their familiarity with the Julia programming language. The first session is intended to introduce astronomers and software developers to the basic language syntax, features, and power of the Julia programming language, and to show that Julia provides an easy migration path from languages such as Python. It will do so by introducing the novice to the Julia programming language via a set of notebooks that will cover basic language syntax, unicode, mutli-dimensional arrays, data types, data structures, and functions as part of various data analysis scenarios. The second session is for astronomers who have a basic understanding of Julia and want to write high performance Julia code. It will cover interfacing to other languages, developing modules, code optimization techniques, parallel computing, and package management.

Price: 100.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, Jan 11: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

As the astronomical community moves into an era of big data, the paradigm of data processing is changing. We are transitioning from local end-to-end data processing (from taking or simulating observations to publishing the data) to retrieving pre-processed large datasets through database queries. The growing importance of such transactions are evident with current projects such as TESS, Gaia, SDSS, ZTF, HST, and Illustris and will become a necessity to fully utilize the next generation of astronomical surveys, telescopes, and simulations. Interaction with these databases and visualization of these complex datasets will be essential skills. This workshop will introduce participants to selecting information from an online database in an efficient and reproducible way and effectively visualizing the results.

The Astronomy Data Carpentry Workshop will consist of short tutorials alternating with hands-on practical exercises focused on building complex SQL queries using Astroquery, working with the retrieved data as Astropy Tables and Pandas data frames, storing the data locally for future use, and communicating the results with clear and compelling figures using Matplotlib. The workshop will be run by Carpentries certified instructors as well as a team of helpers.

This course is aimed at astronomers at all stages of their education and careers. Participants are expected to have shell and Python knowledge equivalent to the Software Carpentry Python Curriculum (https://swcarpentry.github.io/python-novice-inflammation/): the ability to write a function in Python, familiarity with Python built-in types such as lists and dictionaries, and the ability to navigate directories using the command line. In addition, this lesson assumes that learners have some familiarity with astronomical concepts, including reference frames, proper motion, color-magnitude diagrams, globular clusters, and isochrones.

Registration is for both days and due to the cumulative nature of the workshop, participants are expected to participate in both days fully. Participants will need personal computers and to be able to install software in advance of the workshop. A group list will be compiled approximately one month prior to the workshop to distribute software requirements and provide collaborative troubleshooting. More information on the Data Carpentry project can be found at https://datacarpentry.org and on this curriculum at https://datacarpentry.org/astronomy-python/.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Astronomy archives across the world serve petabytes of multi-wavelength images, catalogs, and spectra that can be mined for a diverse range of science investigations. During this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to use Python tools to search for and retrieve data you need for your analyses. We will work through science scenarios that combine multi-wavelength data from a variety of NASA and other missions, such as JWST, HST, Spitzer, Chandra, WISE, GALEX, SDSS, and more! Workshop organizers will also be available to help participants with custom projects.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm

Managing your research projects, teams, or programs effectively is an essential career skill in academia and beyond, yet most scientists receive little formal training in project management. This interactive workshop aims to empower AAS members at any professional level who wish to improve their own management skills. During the workshop participants will (i) learn best practices and tools for successful project management(ii) listen and learn from seasoned professionals who apply these skills daily and (iii) participate in activities and discussions to jumpstart your journey to project management. Through this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to start implementing some practices in their day-to-day workflow. This workshop will be facilitated by a team of experienced professional astronomers with the support of the AAS Committee on Employment.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Do you engage students and members of the public in learning about Astronomy and want to make these educational experiences more successful? This full-day workshop will provide activities to help you successfully combine principles of learning, course design structures, and classroom-tested instructional strategies to create learning environments that are

1) Inclusive – and welcoming for students of all backgrounds into a safe and supportive community;

2) Active – engaging students in collaborations that deepen their astronomical knowledge, reasoning abilities, and problem-solving skills; and

3) Effective – resulting in significant learning gains and retention of students.

This workshop is led by astronomy and physics education researchers with the Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) and the Physics and Astronomy Faculty Teaching Institute (FTI) who have spent the past 20 years studying how to best support learners in introductory science courses. Come learn how to effectively facilitate whole-class and small-group discussions, implement in-class voting, tutorials, ranking tasks, and other active-learning curricula, and how to motivate students’ understanding of the role of science in society. We have specifically designed the workshop to provide participants with a safe and supportive environment that increases their agency, fosters open discourse, promotes reflection on their identities, beliefs, and local context. This workshop is appropriate for all members of the AAS, at all points in their career paths, including grad students, post-docs, middle school and high school teachers, informal educators, college faculty, research scientists, amateur astronomers, and administrators. Any instructor of any level of experience will benefit, regardless of whether their classes are large or small, introductory level or upper division, or in-person, virtual, or hybrid.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm

This workshop will cover the use of Python tools for astronomical data analysis and visualization, with the focus primarily on tools in the Astropy library and its affiliated packages. The goal is to introduce participants to the variety of tools which are available inside the Astropy library, and to provide time for participants to explore the science analysis capabilities which the scientific Python ecosystem and community provide. The format will include short presentations followed by instructor-guided tutorials where participants will use the tools and be able to ask questions in the company of expert users and developers.

We will first introduce the core Astropy package including units, quantities, and constants; coordinates; FITS, ASCII and Astropy tables; an introduction to object-oriented programming using light curves as the example data structure; images and their visualization; modeling; and other sub-packages. Then we may cover a few coordinated packages such as CCD image reduction (ccdproc), photometry (photutils), and spectroscopy (specutils).

Participants must bring a laptop with software installed, or be willing to use a Binder session in the cloud. We can support Mac OS X, Linux, and Windows 10+ operating systems. Support for Windows machines will require the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL; see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/). In-person participants needing installation help can come early to the workshop room to receive assistance.

The workshop materials will be presented using Jupyter notebooks. The workshop repository is https://github.com/astropy/astropy-workshop

Prerequisites: Some familiarity with Python and Numpy will be helpful but is not required. We will send some suggested tutorials before the workshop for those with no prior Python experience. Some familiarity with git and Github will be useful for installing the workshop software on your own computer, though we will try to minimize the need for those tools.

Price: 100.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, 12 Jan: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

This workshop will cover several tools used for the data analysis and visualization of JWST and Roman data. This includes the Jdaviz visualization and data analysis package, the Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF) package, specreduce, photutils PSF photometry, and generalized world coordinate systems (gwcs). The goals are to introduce participants to these tools and provide hands-on time for participants to use the tools and ask questions to the developers. The format will include short presentations followed by instructor-guided tutorials using Jupyter notebooks.

Jdaviz is a package of astronomical data analysis visualization tools based on the Jupyter platform. These GUI-based tools link data visualization and interactive analysis. Presenters will provide examples of the latest features available in the various configurations (Specviz, Cubeviz, Imviz, and Specviz2d) and will guide attendees through basic and advanced workflows to analyze JWST spectra and images.

The Advanced Scientific Data Format (ASDF) is a next-generation interchange format for scientific data. It will be used as the data format for Roman Space Telescope Level 1 - 4 data products.

The workshop will also cover the Astropy packages specreduce (spectral extraction), photutils PSF photometry, and the generalized world coordinates system package (gwcs).

There will be time spent on hands-on exercises. Participants must bring a laptop with the software installed. Instructions on installing the necessary software will be provided before the workshop and help will be available at the workshop for those that experience problems with installations.

The prerequisites are a familiarity with astronomical data analysis. Basic Python experience is highly recommended to be able to participate in the exercises. Those without Python experience will still be able to use Jdaviz and gain useful information about the capabilities for data analysis in Python.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

Scientists and subject matter experts at all career stages are needed and valued for informal learning experiences! Would you like to engage with STEM learners in venues such as museums, science centers, planetariums, libraries, and community colleges? Do you work with these audiences already or do you want to reach them?

Join us for a workshop to engage with NASA’s Science Activation teams working to meet the needs of learners and science experts, explore how you can become involved, and walk away with NASA resources, developed by Science Activation programs, that you can use in your own outreach efforts.

We will share resources, tackle select challenges, and connect with programs looking for expert volunteers to help deliver current and accurate NASA astrophysics content to audiences across the country. We will explore current astrophysics themes and learning pathways, and learn about programs and resources for working with different audiences.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is anticipated to generate close to 30 petabytes of data during its five-year primary mission, heralding a new era of big data in astronomy. As data sets grow too large for personal computers, virtual science platforms offer a solution by providing cloud-based data processing and analysis. The Roman Science Platform is being developed to offer the astronomical community a cloud computing environment for Roman data. It couples data-code proximity with a pre-configured software environment, making it easier for users to work with data. The platform also includes pre-loaded notebook tutorials and scientific workflows tailored to specific astronomical use cases. Utilizing the JupyterLab environment, users can create Jupyter Notebooks that seamlessly integrate code, analysis results, data visualizations, and other functionalities for handling astronomical images and catalogs.

This one-day workshop will provide the scientific community with an introductory overview of the Roman Science Platform. In addition to offering hands-on training, we aim to gather feedback, understand the needs of the user community, and identify ‘early adopters’ interested in utilizing the system for precursor science prior to the Roman launch.

The workshop will include both directed training and independent exploration exercises (i.e., hack hours). The training will feature presentations and short tutorials, alternating with hands-on practical exercises focused on exploring several high-level workflows. Examples include an introduction to Roman data reduction tools, learning how to work with the ASDF file format, and using visualization and simulation tools such as Jdaviz (image visualization), Pandeia (Exposure Time Calculator), RIST (Roman Interactive Sensitivity Tool), STIPS (Space Telescope Image Product Simulator), and WebbPSF for Roman (PSFs simulator). Attendees will also learn how to access and analyze state-of-the-art Roman simulations from the Open Universe project (Troxel et al. 2023), which includes simulated wide-field and time-domain Roman data, as well as how to simulate their own data using Roman simulation tools

This course is aimed at astronomers and scientists at all stages of their education and careers. A basic knowledge of Python and familiarity with astronomical data concepts (e.g., data reduction, photometry) is expected. Prior experience with science platforms, Jupyter Notebooks, or the Roman mission is not required.

This workshop requires registration. Participants will need personal computers and should set up their accounts in advance with help from the workshop organizers. A group list will be compiled approximately one month before the workshop to distribute software requirements and facilitate collaborative troubleshooting.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

This is a workshop for those in positions of leadership (including faculty) in their departments. An often overlooked strategy for enhancing individual wellbeing is attending to the design of organizational environments where work and learning occur (e.g., labs, graduate programs, universities). Aligning the aims, leadership styles, resources, communications practices, and policies of learning environments to support a culture of mentoring and wellbeing may be necessary for changing culture. With a focus on labs and graduate programs, this workshop will empower attendees to assess their own organizational culture. Participants will learn how to proactively build equity-minded cultures of mentoring and wellbeing through tools such as lab manuals and graduate program handbooks that establish expectations about work-life balance, forms of support and mentoring available, and professional conduct as it concerns respect for members’ social identities. This workshop will be facilitated by experts from the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN) and the Equity in Graduate Education (EGE) Consortium.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

The success of scientists depends upon their ability to obtain funding. One of the largest challenges is to create strong proposals. Using Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) from NASA as a template, this workshop will focus on teaching the audience key points to communicating science through successful proposal writing. As a result of this session, participants will be able to understand the proposal writing, reviewing, and selection process for federally funded research. This will also help those who have previously submitted proposals improve their performance. How to understand one’s values and maintain those throughout this process will also be focused on. Story tellers will add unique and important lessons learned to the session.

Price: 50.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Python has become the dominant environment for astronomy data analysis. The visualization of the data products that come from astronomical observatories is also key to many steps of data analysis. Participants will learn how to use the Firefly toolkit to interactively visualize astronomical data products from Python. Firefly is an open-source library that makes it easy for users to query astronomical archives for data and to interactively visualize astronomical data products. The visualization provides brushing and linking capabilities among images, catalogs, and plots. Firefly has been integrated into many astronomical web applications, including Spitzer, WISE, ZTF, and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory. This workshop is appropriate for Python beginners, and users will take home worked Python notebooks.
 

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

This workshop aims to support students and postdocs interested in learning more about how to get the most out of professional development experiences like the AAS meeting. This workshop aims to help all astronomers who feel they need support or advice on how to approach large astronomical meetings, navigate the social parameters, and get the most out of attending, with neuroincusive principles in mind to allow access to everyone.

The American Astronomical Society Winter Meeting is the largest astronomy conference annually, and thousands of astronomers come to collaborate, network, and share their research. Like all conferences, the AAS meeting can be overwhelming, especially for first-timers. Workshop attendees will learn how to navigate and get the most out of these meetings, whether it is their first meeting or they are seasoned veterans.

This workshop will feature a number of speakers in the field discussing topics like how to appropriately network at meetings, how to present yourself, job seeking, how to prioritize, and self-care in a sometimes overwhelming environment.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm

In this workshop we will provide participants with professional development resources and educational materials with the aim of improving outdoor lighting on their campus. In particular, we will introduce the Campus SHINE (Safe and Healthy Illumination for the Nighttime Environment) document that will walk participants through the process of building a team of faculty, staff, and students to assess campus lighting and develop plans to improve it. Participants will learn about advocating for responsible lighting principles and learn methods of quantifying light pollution. Additionally, participants will be provided with examples of campus lighting management plans, student government resolutions, and images of good and bad lighting.

College campuses are well equipped to address a pervasive problem like light pollution due to the presence of young, environmentally conscious and diverse students, expertise across several disciplines, and potential access to funding. Astronomy courses are extremely popular among students from all backgrounds, and stargazing events on the main campus or at the campus observatory are popular with students and members of surrounding communities. And the most obvious manifestation of light pollution -- skyglow -- is intuitively easy to understand and experience due to its direct correlation to the ability (or lack thereof) to view stars and the Milky Way. It thus makes sense to embed light pollution related topics into astronomy courses and stargazing events. Not only this, but since bad outdoor lighting impacts not just astronomers but the entire community, the subject of light pollution lends itself to interaction and overlap with a whole host of other topics, ranging from Biology and Ecology to Urban Planning and Public Policy.

The goal of this workshop, then, is to provide astronomers with the tools necessary to engage the entire campus (students, faculty, staff, and administrators) and work towards responsible outdoor lighting practices.

Outcomes:

1) Introduce participants to the Campus SHINE initiative of AAS COMPASSE,

2) Help participants network with each other,

3) Provide participants with tools to educate the broader campus, surrounding communities and decision-makers about the importance of responsible lighting at night,

4) Encourage participants to adopt best practices while incorporating light pollution into astronomy, physics, and the curricula of other fields and,

5) Provide participants with tools to initiate curricular and research projects to quantify sky brightness and lighting sources (campus lighting inventories, spectral profiles of lighting, etc.) on campuses.

Pre-workshop materials will introduce the participants to the Campus SHINE project, and provide them with the necessary technical background about light pollution and the IES/DarkSky Five Principles of Responsible Outdoor Lighting. This will be accomplished by providing participants with access to the “Campus SHINE How-to-manual”, short (~5-minute) YouTube videos, and other relevant documents. The “How-to” manual is intended primarily for faculty, staff, and administration who want to improve their campus’ outdoor lighting.

The workshop itself will be a blend of short (~10-minute) presentations that will prompt participants into three 20-minute hands-on activities, guided with appropriate prompts that facilitate discussions. Between 15-20 minutes will be devoted to open-ended discussions, Q&A, and networking.

Workshop materials will include 10 sets of Unihedron Sky Quality Meters, Opple lightmaster meters, diffraction gratings, and gel-filters. These materials will be distributed (free of charge) to the participants at the end of the workshop based on information collected before and during the workshop. The criteria for distribution of the material include need, potential for use, potential impact, and demographical considerations. Some of this information will be solicited through pre- and post-workshop questionnaires and surveys.

Price: 35.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Clear and powerful visualizations are a critical component of science communications whether the audience is the general public, students, or researchers. Today’s astronomy visualizations comprise an ever-expanding collection of disciplines that include traditional fields of image processing, data presentation, and illustration, as well as emerging technologies like data sonification, 3D printing, virtual/augmented reality experiences, and the rapidly-growing applications of AI.

Price: 50.00

IN-PERSON

Saturday, Jan 12: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

In this interactive half-day workshop, Hubble Space Telescope (HST) experts will share the resources that are available to help you succeed in using HST imaging for your research. Specific topics will include how to download data, perform astrometric alignment, and create mosaics by drizzling images obtained with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and other imagers on-board Hubble. We will also explore how to generate high-quality Point Spread Function (PSF) models for accurate astrometry and photometry. The workshop will focus on brief presentations of each topic followed by ample time for Q&A. In the second half of the session, experts will be on-hand to aid you with questions specific to the datasets you are analyzing. Users of all experience levels are welcome, with the material focused on first-time users and early career researchers who are looking to build their skills using Hubble observations. A basic familiarity with Python, Astropy, and Jupyter Notebooks will be helpful to fully benefit from the content of the workshop, but is not required. We encourage you to bring an HST dataset that you’re working on for your research.

Price: 45.00

IN-PERSON

Sunday, Jan 12: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Interested in a faculty career at a primarily undergraduate institution, or maybe you are just passionate about undergraduate research? This session will provide participants with the background and practical strategies necessary to create or improve your undergraduate research program. Current faculty or graduate students and post-docs interested in applying to a faculty position at a primarily undergraduate institution are encouraged to register.

Topics will include:
- Best Practices in Mentoring Undergraduates
- How to set up an undergraduate research lab
- How to integrate research into the curriculum
- Potential grant programs to support your undergraduate research lab

Price: 35.00

The annual business meeting of the Historical Astronomy Division.

The NASA Town Hall session will provide an opportunity for the Astrophysics science community to interact with members of the leadership team and staff of the Astrophysics Division (APD) of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. A presentation on the state of APD will precede an opportunity for audience questions. Topics to be addressed in the Town Hall session include scientific accomplishments, current programmatic milestones and direction, and NASA’s progress towards implementing the recommendations identified in the Astro2020 Decadal Survey: Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s.

The NRAO/GBO Town Hall will inform the AAS membership about the status of science, operations, and development at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and Green Bank Observatory (GBO). This well-attended event has been a highlight of AAS conferences for over a decade. A reception will allow AAS attendees to discuss research and opportunities with NRAO and GBO scientists. This includes recent progress in scientific and technical planning for current and future transformational radio astronomy facilities:

• The next generation Very Large Array (ngVLA)
• The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU)
• The Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico
• The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia and next generation Radar (ngRadar) facilities
• The Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA)

Attendees will learn about recent community science results from the NRAO/GBO leadership.

NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory is just a few months away from First Light, and less than a year from the start of the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Come share in the excitement as we gear up for our most exciting and transformative year yet! In this year’s Town Hall the Rubin construction team will present recent highlights, including the installation of both mirrors and the LSST Camera on the Simonyi Survey Telescope. You’ll also hear updates from the Operations team about ongoing data previews and opportunities for early science with Rubin, and get the latest news from the LSST Discovery Alliance on their initiatives to help the science community get the most out of Rubin Observatory and the LSST.

At this Town Hall, we will share our plans for the early phases of operations of Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, the revitalization of Gemini's instrument suite and our work with the community in planning future capabilities. We will also discuss our efforts in implementing community-based astronomy, environmental sustainability, and dark skies protection.

Come share your thoughts on how we can best support your research goals, both now and in the future.

On behalf of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), AURA operates NSF NOIRLab, which is the U.S. national center for ground-based, nighttime optical astronomy. Through its facilities — the International Gemini Observatory, operations of Vera C. Rubin Observatory, the Mid-scale Observatories (Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory [CTIO] and Kitt Peak National Observatory [KPNO]) and the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC) — NOIRLab is enabling discoveries in astrophysics for a diverse and inclusive community. We are privileged to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawaiʻi, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O'odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively.

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) serves the astronomical community through the operation of multiple NASA flagship missions including the Hubble, Webb, and Roman Space Telescopes, the development of advanced data and science archives, including Kepler and TESS, and the dissemination of astronomical information to the broadest public audiences. Offering this breadth of resources to help the scientific community advance, STScI provides support and the primary user interface for Hubble, Webb and Roman. STScI will contribute to a wide range of workshops, science sessions, splinter meetings, and exhibits throughout the meeting.

The STScI Town Hall will serve as the center piece for our AAS 245 presence. We will report on the status of our existing and upcoming missions and describe new opportunities designed to advance astrophysics through the 2020s. In particular, we will present updates on Hubble Space Telescope operations in light of the transition to reduced gyro mode and the results of NASA’s Operational Paradigm Review. We will also present a progress report on the JWST/HST Rocky Worlds Director’s Discretionary Time program. The presenters will include STScI science leads. We will include time for discussion to receive community input regarding new capabilities and to answer questions about our activities in the coming year.

The James Webb Space Telescope is in its third year of successful science operations, and its groundbreaking discoveries have already impacted most fields of astronomy. The scientific community is highly engaged in proposing for and exploiting JWST data, making it important to maintain open lines of communication between the science community and the JWST Project at NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). This JWST Town Hall will provide science highlights throughout more than 2 years of operations and updates on the observatory status and performance, including the JWST calibration pipeline. It will also summarize efforts to engage and keep the community informed and provide updates on the JWST Cycle 3 submitted proposals as well as plans for the Cycle 4 proposals. There will be ample time for the user community to provide feedback and ask questions. The speakers will represent JWST leadership at STScI and NASA.

As we face a looming revolution in generative AI, it is time that AAS membership gather to discuss major associated issues that face our field. Should ChatGPT and similar large language models be allowed to generate content (text or figures) submitted to AAS journals? How will AI (re)shape the future of astronomical data analysis?

Join us for a special AAS Town Hall, moderated by AAS President Dara Norman, in a joint community discussion around these critical issues.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA flagship mission planned for launch no later than May 2027. The Roman Space Telescope will perform breakthrough science in dark energy cosmology, exoplanet microlensing, and NIR sky surveys with its Wide Field Instrument. Roman will also feature the Coronagraph Instrument (CGI), a technology demonstration that will directly image and take spectra of exoplanetary systems using several novel technologies together for the first time in space. This session will cover the status of the project and upcoming opportunities for community involvement in planning and executing the science and technology demonstration aspects of Roman. For more details please see: https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/AAS245/

Join the leadership of the National Science Foundation to discuss major ongoing projects, including progress toward NSF's Astro2020 Goals.

Speakers include Dr. Chris Smith, Interim Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences.