Dear Colleagues,
The AAS has received numerous suggestions to move beyond exclusively holding large in-person conferences toward a model that regularly includes fully online meetings. These ideas have come from multiple Board-sanctioned task forces, as well as unsolicited white papers, reflecting broad community interest in improving the sustainability of our meetings, reducing our carbon footprint, and expanding accessibility in support of equity and inclusion.
As we enter a period of funding uncertainty, when travel may become more challenging, it is increasingly important for the AAS to utilize all available tools and infrastructure to fulfill our mission and best serve our members.
In the summer of 2027, the AAS will host the 250th AAS meeting as a fully virtual meeting. We have the next year to prepare to make this a truly virtual experience — not simply an in-person meeting moved online — and we are seeking your input and creativity to help us discover ways to deliver engaging, high-quality content specifically designed for virtual participation.
We invite proposals for innovative online events to take place in the intervening time that use AAS webinar and/or Slack resources, with staff support, to bring your ideas to life. The intent of these events is both to deliver meaningful content to the community as well as to test new formats and explore new ideas in advance of AAS 250; as such, the events should be planned to take place anytime between December 2025 and June 2026 and may — but do not have to — be connected to an in-person AAS meeting.
Examples of suitable formats include talk series, webinars, participatory workshops, virtual tours or demonstrations, guided discussions, and debates. Events may address topics in astronomy or astrophysics education, research, techniques, or workforce development. We particularly encourage submissions from students and early-career researchers, and proposed events should advance the AAS mission: “to enhance and share humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe as a diverse and inclusive astronomical community.”
To participate, please submit a short letter of intent describing your proposed virtual activity that promotes the understanding of astronomy and astrophysics for students and professionals through this survey. Letters of intent should be submitted no later than 14 November. Those selected will be contacted for additional details and support planning.
Thank you for helping shape the future of AAS meetings and for your continued contributions to our community.
Warm regards,
Dara Norman, AAS President
