Celebrating Scientists on the Move

The American Astronomical Society is committed to helping its members attend conferences and other scientific gatherings. Whether you’re presenting your latest research to fellow astronomers, networking with colleagues and students, giving a public talk, or attending a workshop to develop new professional skills, you’re advancing the Society’s mission to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe.

As the centerpiece of our Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign, we celebrate scientists on the move and the Society’s travel grants and prizes, which support AAS members to go forth and share the excitement of astronomy with the world. We ask you, our members and friends of the AAS, to give to these funds that support scientists across the astronomical spectrum:

• The Rodger Doxsey Travel Prize provides funding for new and upcoming PhD recipients to present their dissertation research at a winter meeting of the AAS. Since 2012, when the prize was established through the support of Rodger Doxsey’s father, family, colleagues, and friends, about 100 early-career members have received support to attend a January AAS meeting.

• FAMOUS Travel Grants provide up to $1,000 for each awardee to present their research at a single AAS meeting. FAMOUS stands for Funds for Astronomical Meetings: Outreach to Underrepresented Scientists, so priority is given to members of historically underrepresented groups, such as scientists at small colleges, minorities, nontraditional students, and veterans.

• The Harlow Shapley Visiting Lectureship supports two-day visits by AAS members to community colleges and four-year undergraduate institutions throughout North America, including Canada and Mexico, that don’t offer degrees in astrophysics. By meeting with faculty and students and giving public talks, Shapley lecturers help promote careers in science.

• The Carbon Offsets Fund, managed by the AAS Sustainability Committee, is used for a variety of third-party certified projects to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. More than 90% of such emissions associated with scientific conferences come from participant travel. Offsets are not a panacea but will go a small way toward compensating for our meetings’ carbon footprint.

Several AAS Divisions also have travel awards to help members of their community attend relevant meetings. These include the Raynor L. Duncombe Prize (Division on Dynamical Astronomy), Hartmann Student Travel Grant Program (Division for Planetary Sciences), and Thomas Metcalf Travel Fund (Solar Physics Division). Furthermore, the AAS and its Divisions are committed to helping members with dependents attend meetings. Members may apply for subsidized dependent-care services at the meeting location or at home while they’re at the meeting. Divisions without dedicated travel or dependent-care grants welcome gifts to their General Funds.

Your response to this appeal will help ensure that the AAS fulfills its mission to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe. Donations may be made online or mailed to the Executive Office of the American Astronomical Society at the following address:

American Astronomical Society
1667 K Street NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20009, USA

As always, we appreciate contributions to the AAS General Fund, which supports advocacy efforts, operations, and membership services, and to the AAS Initiative Endowment Fund, which will be your legacy to the astronomers of tomorrow.

Thank you for your commitment to the astronomical science community!

Contribute to the AAS Spring/Summer 2018 Campaign