Foundations of Astronomical Data Science
9:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday, 3 January, and Sunday, 4 January
Fee: $75
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/.

How to Give Great Presentations: A Scientist’s Guide to Effective Communication
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee: $50
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.

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Julia Programming for Astronomy (2-day workshop)
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee: $125
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.

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Proposal Writing Workshop: Using NASA ROSES as an Example
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
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.

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Neurodiversity, Neuroinclusion, and the Strengths of Neurodiversity in STEM: Finding and Cultivating Neurodivergent Potential
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
Roughly 25% of the human population is neurodivergent, meaning that their cognitive processes differ from what is considered "neurotypical." Some of these individuals have collections of traits classified into diagnostic groups such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or OCD.

Astronomy greatly benefits from a diverse range of minds to create innovative technologies and advance human knowledge. As such, we must provide this community of students, staff, and colleagues, often marginalized in the sciences, with the neuroinclusive support they need to thrive.

In this workshop, participants will learn the basics of neurodiversity through both the medical and social lenses. Our team of (mostly) neurodivergent astrophysicists will guide participants on neuroinclusive teaching and mentoring practices (shown to benefit neurotypical students too!), the Americans with Disabilities Act and the legal protections for neurodivergent individuals, the strengths and challenges of neurodiversity, and Universal Design for Learning.

We will answer questions and provide a safe and open environment for learning about neurodiversity in STEM (now thought to have a higher percentage of occurrence than the general population). All participants will be sent home with materials for their department.This workshop is designed and led by the board of The Neuroverse Initiative (www.theneuroverseinitiative.com), a non-profit working at the intersection of Space Science and Neurodiversity. Participants will experience a set curriculum formulated specifically for astronomy departments. We are incredibly grateful to the AAS EPD Mini-Grant program for providing us with the funds to run this workshop.

Teaching Strategies that Work: FTI Workshop for Astronomy and Physics Educators
8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
Looking for ways to help your students to improve their understanding of course topics, as well as their critical thinking and problem-solving abilities? In this full-day workshop, led by facilitators from the AAPT/APS/AAS Physics and Astronomy Faculty Teaching Institute (FTI), participants will learn principles of teaching and learning to guide teaching choices, gain access to valuable instructional resources/materials, and get support to plan a feasible classroom change that will improve learning for all students. We have specifically designed the workshop to provide a safe and supportive environment that leverages your existing expertise, fosters open discourse, and promotes reflection on your identities, beliefs, and local context. This workshop is appropriate for all members of the AAS, at all points in their career paths from students to faculty members, and including informal educators, 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. We look forward to working with the broader AAS education community on structuring their learning environments to support the greatest diversity of learners to succeed.

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Building Thriving Departments & Programs: Strategies to Promote Recruitment, Retention, and Career Preparation
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Fee: $35
In this workshop, we will share evidence-based practices for addressing challenges such as how to provide more robust career preparation, creating and sustaining inclusive and welcoming cultures and climates, and navigating threats due to low enrollments. Our workshop will introduce participants to the Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) Guide, a resource developed by the APS and AAPT to curate recommendations that astronomy, astrophysics, and physics programs can adapt to meet their local needs and contexts. The Guide (https://ep3guide.org/) includes 34 published sections on topics such as recruitment, retention, advising and mentoring, career preparation, research-based teaching practices, community engagement and outreach, degree tracks, departmental culture and climate, and how to be an effective chair. The Guide also has a Toolkit for Departments Under Threat focused on recommendations for how departments can respond to threats such as budget cuts or closure. Content on the EP3 Guide website is developed using a thorough contribution, synthesis, and peer review process; to date, over 250 people from over 100 institutions have participated in developing the EP3 Guide. Users of the EP3 Guide find it a valuable resource with actionable steps to improve their departments, language to talk about issues they are facing, strategies to support them in working with their administration, and guidance that can be transformative in the way they are thinking about different issues. One chair described the Guide as “a faster way [than Google] to get a good answer and more pertinent”.

Participants will be presented with information about a fictitious department at "Stellar University" for which they will act as an external consultant (e.g., external program reviewer). They will consider enrollment data, numbers of degrees awarded, and alumni outcomes (e.g., careers and graduate degree attainment). With this information, participants will speculate about the issues facing this department, in part by considering their own experiences. Finally, participants will work through self-reflection prompts that take them to different parts of the EP3 Guide to make connections across the content and create action plans for their next steps (which colleagues they will engage to begin building departmental change efforts, what resources they will consult, etc.). The workshop will conclude with a breakout discussion of the key findings along with a summary of programs that are available to assist with creating and sustaining department change efforts (e.g., Thriving Departments Symposium, Departmental Action Leadership Institute).

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Data Access and Analysis with the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
In late June 2025 the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory released its first set of processed data products as Data Preview 1 (DP1). These preview data sets are provided in the same formats and via the same data access and analysis tool - the Rubin Science Platform (RSP) - as the future data releases, which makes DP1 suitable both for scientific analyses and for learning and preparing for the full Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This full-day workshop will be run by the Rubin Community Science team (CST) and provide a series of hands-on tutorials that provide an accelerated learning experience with DP1 and the RSP. The agenda will lead up to pair/group “choose your own adventure” breakouts based on a pre-arranged set of investigative challenges (with the option for attendees to start their own analysis with support from Rubin staff). This workshop is suitable for anyone, at any career stage, looking to gain experience with the Rubin data products, services, and tools.

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Preparing for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: Working in the Roman Research Nexus
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee: $35
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 capabilities.

The Roman Research Nexus is a science platform being developed to provide the astronomical community with a cloud-based computing environment for Roman data. It combines data-code proximity with a pre-configured software setup and real-time collaboration tools, making it easier for users to work with data and collaborate in teams. The platform includes pre-loaded notebook tutorials and scientific workflows tailored to specific astronomical use cases. Built on the JupyterLab environment, it allows users to create Jupyter Notebooks that integrate code, analysis results, data visualizations, and tools for working with astronomical images, spectra, and catalogs. Users will also be able to customize their environments and install their own software as needed.

This one-day workshop will provide the scientific community with an introductory overview of the Roman Research Nexus. In addition to offering hands-on training, we aim to gather feedback to understand the needs of the user community.

The workshop will include both directed training and independent exploration. 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), Roman I-sim (Roman Image simulator), 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, as well as how to simulate their own data using the 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 Roman Research Nexus accounts in advance with help from the workshop organizers.

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Python and Astropy for Astronomical Data Analysis
9:00 am - 5:30 pm
Fee: $100
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.

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Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey Data Challenge
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Fee: $35
The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman) is the next NASA Astrophysics flagship mission and is currently planned for launch in fall 2026. As one of the core community surveys to be carried out during its prime mission, the Roman Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey (RGBTDS) will monitor approximately 1.4 square degrees toward the Galactic bulge with a cadence of about 12 minutes during six 72-day seasons spread over the five-year prime mission. One of the primary goals of the RGBTDS is to complete the census of exoplanets initiated by Kepler and TESS by using the microlensing technique to characterize the population of cold exoplanets beyond the snow line. Roman is expected to detect over 20,000 microlensing events, including thousands of bound and free-floating planets.

While an automated pipeline will provide a uniform analysis of most detections, many events will benefit from—or even require—more detailed, customized analyses. These events offer an unprecedented opportunity for the community to extract unique and transformational exoplanet science from the Roman survey.

Although the theoretical foundations of the microlensing technique are well understood, the method is often perceived as more conceptually challenging than other exoplanet detection techniques. Moreover, the exoplanet microlensing community has historically been small, and as a result, the field lacks the extensive infrastructure (e.g., publicly available data reduction and analysis codes, statistical tools, etc.) that supports other methods. Consequently, there exist significant barriers to entry for new researchers in the microlensing field.

This workshop aims to introduce the broader astronomical community to microlensing and encourage researchers to take advantage of the scientific opportunities provided by the RGBTDS, and in turn infuse the field with new perspectives, ideas, analysis techniques and methodologies. We will do this by lowering the barrier to entry through a well-curated data analysis challenge.

Specifically, the workshop will include:

• A brief introduction to microlensing by exoplanets, including hands-on tutorials using Python notebooks.
• A review of relevant publicly available analysis tools for microlensing data.
• An overview of the data challenge structure, levels, submission process, and timeline.
• A moderated hack session with expert tutors, where participants can familiarize themselves with simulated data products and available tools.

The target audience includes astronomers and scientists at all career stages who are interested in learning how to analyze microlensing events through participation in the data challenge. A basic understanding of astronomical concepts—particularly data analysis and reduction—is required, along with basic proficiency in Python.

Registration is required. Participants must bring their own laptops and install necessary software prior to the workshop.

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Just and Inclusive Classrooms: Nontraditional Grades and Assessments
9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Fee: $35
Although deeply rooted in our curriculum and society, grades have been shown to be harmful to–and unpredictive of–student learning and ability. More alarming, grades encourage students to optimize their points by taking what they perceive as the easiest path, leading to rushed assignments, academic dishonesty, lower motivation, and additional barriers to learning. Ungrading, the practice of not assigning grades, can improve student learning and engagement by emphasizing feedback and growth. Similarly, switching from traditional exams and to more learning-oriented assessments can improve student performance, motivation, and self-efficacy. This workshop will help educators transition a traditional classroom to an ungraded classroom with nontraditional assessments. This workshop will be open to all educators, including those currently teaching and those simply interested in learning more about these equitable and inclusive practices. We will explore and guide the implementation of ungrading in any course, but with a specific focus on high school and college physics and astronomy courses. Through hands-on activities, participants will learn numerous methods to transition assignments and assessments to ungraded formats. Participants will leave the workshop with a transformed class structure and numerous classroom materials that are ready for immediate implementation.

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Student and Early Career Professional Development Workshop: How to Conference Successfully
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
The AAS Winter Meeting is the largest annual astronomy conference, seeing thousands of astronomers come to collaborate, network, and share their research. Due to its size, the meeting can be overwhelming, especially for first-timers. This workshop, aimed at first-time AAS attendees, aims to teach participants how to navigate and capitalize on their time at the meeting.

In particular, this workshop aims to support students and postdocs interested in professional development experiences like the AAS meeting. This day-long workshop incorporates talks and activities on topics such as networking, selling research and ideas, job seeking, prioritizing time, scheduling, self-care, and navigating meetings.

This workshop is back by popular demand, following two years of success, and will also see the return of previous workshop speakers and the addition of some new speakers to the roster. All attendees will receive the printed AAS schedule specially created for this workshop, along with workshop swag, and a post-workshop networking event (with food!)

Attendees of the previous year's workshops are more than welcome to return, and even if you have attended AAS meetings many times before, come along and hone your conferencing skills!

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Advocating for Responsible Lighting on Your Campus: The Campus SHINE Initiative
1:00 - 5:30 pm
Fee: $35
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. While it makes sense to embed light pollution related topics into astronomy courses and stargazing events due to its obvious connections to skyglow and the consequent inability to see stars, this workshop will help emphasize the point that bad outdoor lighting impacts the entire community, not just astronomers. Thus the subject of light pollution needs to be included and addressed in several disciplines ranging from Biology and Ecology to Urban Planning and Public Policy.

The goal of this workshop 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 that benefit the entire campus community.

This will be the third workshop devoted to educating astronomers in improving outdoor lighting on their campus. The first two workshops, conducted during AAS 245 and 246, respectively, were quite successful. We continue to follow up with most of the participants from these workshops, and guide them through the process of successfully implementing Campus SHINE. We intend to do the same with the participants of this workshop.

Outcomes:

After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Adopt best practices while incorporating light pollution into curricula and research projects for astronomy, physics, and other fields,
2. Develop a list of likely partners across multiple campus partners, such as biologists, ecologists, urban planners, public health professionals, and campus safety,
3. Perform specific actions such as organize a nighttime “campus walk” with students, faculty, administrators, and campus safety,
4. Involve the campus community in sky brightness measurements and the Globe at Night citizen science project,
5. Identify market-available dark sky friendly lighting that adhere to the five principles for responsible outdoor lighting,
6. Educate and effectively advocate for responsible lighting at night with the broader campus, surrounding communities and decision-makers and,
7. Perform lighting inventories on campus and develop a camping lighting management plan.

Participants will have access to pre-workshop materials on the Campus Shine website (campusshine.org) which houses the “Campus SHINE manual”, short (~5-minute) videos, previous workshop materials, and so on. These will introduce the participants to the Campus SHINE project and provide them with the necessary technical background about light pollution. Additionally, a pre-workshop survey will be conducted to solicit input on any specific topics or materials, and obtain relevant information about the participants (comfort with dark sky related matters, access to funding, access to an observatory, geographical setting, and so on).

The workshop will consist of four sessions of about an hour each. Each session will be a blend of short (~10-15 minute) presentations that will prompt participants into 20-minute hands-on activities, guided with appropriate prompts that facilitate discussions. Between 10-15 minutes will be devoted to open-ended discussions, Q&A, and networking, followed by a 10-minute break before the next session.

Workshop materials include handouts, demonstration-kits including 3D printed light-holders, diffraction gratings, and smart-lightbulbs capable of changing light color and lumen output.

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Exploring SciX: A Researcher’s Guide to the Science Explorer Platform
Options: 1:15 - 2:15pm, 2:15 - 3:15pm, and 3:15 - 4:15pm
Fee: Free
SciX (scixplorer.org) is a research discovery platform - a powerful new tool designed to help researchers across astrophysics, heliophysics, planetary science, and Earth science find, connect, and build upon NASA-funded research. SciX is an extension of the Astrophysics Data System (ADS) to all NASA Science disciplines, and comes with new capabilities and features. This hands-on workshop introduces researchers, early-career scientists, educators, and tool developers to the capabilities of SciX and its potential to support interdisciplinary science, proposal planning, data discovery, and community building.

Participants will learn how to navigate the platform’s intuitive interface, search for datasets and publications by mission or topic, use advanced filtering, track grant outputs, and explore researcher profiles and institutional trends. Attendees will also discover how SciX supports open science and contributes to the NASA TOPS (Transform to Open Science) mission.

Whether you’re preparing your next proposal, collaborating across disciplines, or just trying to make sense of NASA's vast research outputs, this session will help you use SciX more effectively, and show how the SciX team is incorporating community feedback to refine and expand the platform.

Join us for a one-hour session from the three options below:

1:15 PM - 2:15 PM

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

 

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Euclid Quick Release 1 (Q1) Data Access and Exploration Workshop
2:00 - 4:00 pm
Fee: $35
Curious about Euclid Space Telescope data but not sure where to start? This workshop offers an introduction to the Euclid Q1 data release, including available data products and data access. You will work through Python Jupyter notebooks with hands-on exercises designed to help you understand how to use Euclid data for your science. The session will also introduce the NASA Fornax initiative, show how it can be used to access Euclid data, and provide further hands-on experience.