Where to Find AAS Policy at #aas225 in Seattle
Josh Shiode
Listen, I know that you're only coming to #aas225 in Seattle next week (4-8 January 2015) to see your friendly, neighborhood AAS policy team. And we're supremely flattered. I promise I won't tell anyone else. It'll just be between us.
What's that? There's literally five full and complete days of amazing (non-policy) content and all those friends and colleagues you only get to see every year or so? Oh, right. Well, in case you can squeeze us into your plans (and I clearly think you should), here's where you can find us, or our sponsored content, next week.
Both our Director of Public Policy, Joel Parriott, and I will be around all week, with the AAS booth our sort of home base. We always welcome just coming by to chat, but also encourage you to check out the three events we are coordinating: a policy plenary, a panel of former rotators at NSF and NASA Headquarters, and a town-hall discussion on how you can get involved in science policy and advocacy. You can add all of these events to your meeting schedule using our handy Guidebook-based app or with our online schedule builder.
| Session | Time | Location | Title | Speaker |
| 116 Plenary | 11:40 am - 12:30 pm | Room 6E | "What Do We Expect of a Space Program?" | John M. Logsdon (Space Policy Institute, GWU) |
| Dr. Logsdon is the “dean” of space policy, as the founder of GWU’s Space Policy Institute and a leading authority on the US space program. He recently authored a book about President Kennedy’s role in the Apollo program, and a new book on President Nixon’s pivotal post-Apollo policy decisions is due out this spring. His remarks will cover the current policy landscape for our national space program, how it got here, and prospects for the future. | ||||
| 325 Special Session | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm | Room 606 | Public Policy Panel: Former Agency Rotators | Chair: Debra Elmegreen |
| With the federal government focused on reducing the deficit, funding for the astronomical sciences is being squeezed along with the rest of federal discretionary spending. It is thus more important than ever for the members of the AAS community to understand how decisions are made at federal science agencies that administer the lion’s share of federal funding for the astronomical sciences. Through a dialog with the current chair of the AAS Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy, a panel of former program officers on rotations at NASA and NSF will discuss their perspectives on policies and processes within their respective agencies. This will also provide an opportunity for those considering a rotation to learn what the job is like. There will be ample time for audience questions following a moderated discussion. | ||||
| 335 Town Hall | 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Room 606 | Astronomical Science Policy and AAS Advocacy | Joel Parriott & Josh Shiode |
| The potential for groundbreaking discoveries in the astronomical sciences continues to grow as we open new eyes on our universe and send new probes out into our solar system. And yet, federal funding for the astronomical sciences is being squeezed, along with all federal discretionary spending, as the government focuses on deficit reduction. In addition to setting budgets, the federal government sets broad policies that determine the overall direction of the US science enterprise, while also regulating scientific conduct (e.g., policies on open access to data and scientific publications). Join us for a discussion of how federal policies affect the astronomical sciences and how you can get involved. The AAS public-policy staff will present a brief overview of the astronomical science policy landscape and the Society’s advocacy efforts, before opening up the floor for a discussion of these topics. We encourage anyone interested in engaging in science policy and advocacy to attend and contribute. | ||||