We are very happy to invite our members, observers, and friends to the 91st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. This meeting will be held at the Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn from October 24th to 27th, 2002. The AAVSO annual meeting gives both newcomers and longtime attendees the opportunity to share ideas, experiences, and tips on variable star observing. Attendees are also invited to visit AAVSO Headquarters and to meet the AAVSO staff members. Attending the AAVSO annual meeting is an excellent way to learn about and keep up to date on the many activities and accomplishments of the Association.

We have many interesting events planned for this meeting, including: a Thursday night dinner and open house at AAVSO Headquarters, an opportunity to attend the first day of the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Fall 2002 National Meeting, the AAVSO membership meeting, the AAVSO scientific paper session, our annual banquet and awards presentation followed by a special musical performance, and a tour of the Harvard College Observatory Photographic Plate Collection.

Autumn is a beautiful time to visit New England. Bring your families and stay a few extra days to enjoy the sights! Whether you have attended dozens of AAVSO meetings or are a first-time attendee, we hope to see you at the Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn for the 91st Annual Meeting of the AAVSO. This is sure to be an interesting, unique, and enjoyable meeting.

SPECIAL EVENTS
Dinner and Open House: All attendees are invited to attend an open house and buffet dinner at AAVSO Headquarters on Thursday night, October 24th. Staff members will be present to answer questions and assist with accessing the AAVSO International Database. Please note that this evening will be the only time that AAVSO Headquarters will be open for touring during the meeting. For the highlight of the evening we are proud to host the debut signing of Dr. Dorrit Hoffliet’s autobiography, Misfortunes as Blessings in Disguise. Dorrit Hoffliet, Senior Research Astronomer Emeritus at Yale University, is a world-renowned astronomer and expert on variable stars, astrometry, and the history of astronomy. She is also Director Emeritus of the Maria Mitchell Observatory and a devoted (and beloved) longtime member of the AAVSO. Dr. Hoffleit’s autobiography - published by the AAVSO - is comprised of 176 pages of text and references, with 18 full pages of illustrations. Included is a full bibliography of her work and a foreword by AAVSO Director Janet A. Mattei. During the open house, copies of the autobiography will be available for purchase, and Dorrit will be present to autograph your copy.

International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) Fall 2002 National Meeting: For the first time in its 13-year history, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) will hold its national meeting in a location other than Tucson, Arizona. We will have the opportunity to join IDA at the Boston Museum of Science on Friday, October 25th for the first day of their 2-day meeting. This day of invited talks and panel discussions will be open to the public and news media and is slated to include speakers from the lighting industry, government agencies, power-utility companies, environmental fields, education groups, and those representing medicine (eye effects), law, architecture, and astronomy. Below is a list of topics to be covered on Friday:

TOPIC 1: Historical/Sociological issues - This will be a general introduction to outdoor night lighting, including lighting terminology, history (from invention of the light bulb to its deployment in the last century), and sociological factors (crime, fear-of-dark, safety, and aesthetics).

TOPIC 2: Medical issues - A discussion of the effects of outdoor light on people, particularly disability glare and issues involving the aging eye for senior citizens; also human photobiology and disruption of melatonin production.

LUNCH BREAK (on own) - The Museum of Science has a food court on site. The CambridgeSide Galleria Mall, which is about 5 minutes away on foot, also has an extensive food court.

TOPIC 3: Environmental and Ecological issues - A discussion of issues involving the effects of outdoor light on flora and fauna - a good transition topic between medical effects and energy issues.

TOPIC 4: Government, Industry, and You - A discussion of issues involving local, state, and national government as they interrelate to the lighting industry and to the general public, including energy consumption/costs and the IESNA's new ETAL-based standards.

Evening Reception and Keynote Speech (venue and speaker TBD)

We have reserved a number of spaces in the IDA Session for AAVSO attendees. In order to guarantee a spot you must register no later than September 13th, 2002. After this date all of the remaining spots will be released for general IDA use, so register early. This will be a unique chance for AAVSO attendees to become more familiar with the IDA and dark-sky issues in general.

Membership Meeting: All attendees are invited to this gathering, which will be held from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Saturday, October 26th. The purpose of this meeting is to inform attendees of the activities of the Association. Reports from the Secretary, Treasurer, Committee Chairs, and the Director will be included.

A group photo will be taken immediately following this meeting.

Meeting attendees may order the lunch buffet, which will take place immediately following the group photo.

Scientific Paper Sessions: Members and friends are invited to present papers on variable stars and related topics. Papers will be presented on Saturday afternoon, October 26th. Time-slots will range from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on amount of time requested and the number of papers submitted. NOTE: Due to the limited time available and the traditionally large number of papers submitted for presentation, only a portion of those papers submitted will be given time slots for oral presentation. The remaining papers will be given space in Saturday afternoon’s poster session. Those planning to present papers at this meeting should complete and return the enclosed abstract form no later than October 10th, 2002. Each author will be notified by October 14th of his/her paper’s status as either an oral presentation or a poster paper.

Annual Banquet and Awards Presentation: The Annual Banquet will be held at the Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn on the evening of Saturday, October 26th. It will feature a choice of Grilled Salmon with Dill Beurre Sauce, Filet Mignon with Shallot and Red Wine Sauce, or Vegetarian Pasta. The banquet will be preceded by a cash bar and followed by the presentation of the AAVSO Nova Award and the W. T. Olcott Award for Service to the AAVSO. The awards presentation will be followed by a very special musical performance. As many of you know, Dr. Clinton B. Ford was a very special part of the AAVSO for many years. He was an AAVSO member and Officer, an avid observer, a beloved friend, a talented musician, and a generous benefactor of the AAVSO. He kindheartedly donated the current AAVSO Headquarters building, the Clinton B. Ford Astronomical Data and Research Center, in 1986. For decades Clint was an active member of the Amateur Chamber Music Players (ACMP) of New York. Members of the ACMP will be attending the banquet and giving a short musical performance in honor of Clint’s memory.

Tour of the Harvard College Observatory Photographic Plate Collection: The collection of astronomical plates at the Harvard College Observatory is the world’s largest and most complete in terms of time span and coverage of both the northern and southern skies. The Plate Stacks contain approximately 500,000 photographic plates dating from the mid 1880s to 1989. The majority are direct blue plates, taken with a variety of refractors. Several thousand objective prism spectrum plates are also included in the collection; many of these were used for the Henry Draper Catalog. The Plate Stacks also houses a small collection of Daguerreotypes and collodion (wet) plates taken between 1849 and 1885.

Martha Hazen, who was the curator of the HCO plate collection for 33 years, will lead the tour of the Plate Stacks. Martha is also a longtime AAVSO member and a former President of the AAVSO. She has served in the office of AAVSO Secretary for many years. Small groups will be scheduled for tours from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Sunday, October 27. Space will be limited. Those who register for the tour will be assigned a specific time slot between 9am and noon.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sleeping rooms have been reserved for AAVSO meeting attendees (at special group rate) at the Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn.

The Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn is located only 2 miles from downtown Boston and 4 miles from Logan Airport. The hotel is accessible by public transportation and is a short taxi ride from the airport. Once you are checked in, free shuttle service is provided to downtown Boston or any other location within a 2-mile radius, giving you and your spouse or family access to extensive sightseeing and shopping.

The Holiday Inn is home to the Nantucket Grill, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also a lounge on site, which is open for both lunch and dinner. The hotel features an indoor pool and fitness facility. Conveniently, there is also an ATM machine located in the lobby. The Holiday Inn provides free parking to all meeting attendees. Each guest room is equipped with all of the standard amenities including iron and ironing board, hairdryer, and coffee maker.

Boston/Somerville Holiday Inn, 30 Washington Street, Somerville, MA 02143

The following rate has been obtained for AAVSO meeting attendees:

$119.00 (US funds) per night, single or double occupancy
(9.7% room tax not included)
(check-in after 3:00pm, check-out by noon)

Please make reservations by calling the Holiday Inn at 617-628-1000 before October 10, 2002.

Also, please be sure to mention that you will be participating in the AAVSO meeting when making your room reservations.

LOOKING FOR A ROOMMATE? Anyone interested in sharing a room during the meeting should complete the roommate section of the registration form. We will collect this information and then forward the list, including contact information, to everyone in need of a roommate. We cannot guarantee that there will be a match for everyone, but this could be a useful way to help cut meeting costs.

REGISTRATION

TRANSPORTATION

Driving directions will be mailed to all meeting registrants.

Transportation will be provided for the Thursday Dinner and Open House at AAVSO Headquarters, the Friday IDA Session at the Museum of Science, and the Sunday tour of the Harvard College Observatory Photographic Plate Collection.

Rental Car: Below is a list of some of the rental car agencies that operate out of Logan Airport and their toll-free phone numbers.

Taxi/Shuttle Service: Both a taxi and a shared shuttle van from Logan airport to the Holiday Inn should cost $22 - $25. Taxis are readily available at Logan Airport taxi stands. For shuttle information and reservations please visit the web site for Shuttle King (formerly US Shuttle) at www.shuttleking.com.

DATES TO REMEMBER   September 13th -Reserved AAVSO spaces for the IDA meeting are released    October 10th -AAVSO guest room block at the Holiday Inn is released - Early meeting registration deadline - Deadline for abstracts for oral and poster papers   October 14th - Authors notified of paper status (oral or poster)   October 18th - Members must return ballots for Council election   October 24th - Meeting begins - Welcome to Massachusetts!