A Message from the IAU General Secretary

This announcement is posted on behalf of International Astronomical Union General Secretary Thierry Montmerle:

1. Deadline for Resolutions

According to the IAU Bye-Laws, Sect. IV.15, resolutions other than those having financial implications must be submitted to the General Secretary six months before the beginning of the General Assembly. This deadline (3 February) has now passed, but since no such resolution has been received so far, this deadline is postponed to 1 March.

2. Status of Proposals for Commissions and Symposia

All 53 letters of intent to propose Commissions have been followed up by full proposals. Some mergers have taken place, so the total number of full proposals actually received is 48. The letters of intent and the results of the expression of interest will remain accessible until the completion of the selection process.

In parallel, 23 proposals for symposia in 2016 have been received.

Both sets of proposals will be evaluated by a committee composed of the Division Presidents and Executive Committee Vice-Presidents, and chaired respectively by the President-Elect (Commissions) and Assistant General Secretary (Symposia).

The selections will be announced on 20 April, shortly after the next Executive Committee meeting.

3. New Members to Be Admitted at the GA

The submission of applications for IAU individual membership is now closed, and the applications will be examined shortly by the Membership Committee. We can expect that about 1,200 new members will be admitted at the General Assembly, an all-time record (999 new members were admitted at the Beijing GA).

4. IAU Directory for World Astronomy and NameExoWorlds Contest

The IAU Directory for World Astronomy has been created not only for astronomy clubs and organizations, but also more generally for associations having an interest in astronomy (history, culture, etc.).

We encourage astronomers to contact such clubs and associations worldwide to register in the directory. In particular, we are looking for greater geographical diversity than is currently available.

Also, registering in the directory is mandatory to participate in the NameExoWorlds contest for the public naming of exoplanets and their host stars.

— Thierry Montmerle, General Secretary, International Astronomical Union