AAVSO 112th Annual Meeting, 2023

 

The AAVSO 112th Annual Meeting will be held at The Row Hotel, in Somerville, MA. This will be a hybrid meeting. On Friday, November 3rd there will be a hybrid all day Python Workshop with Dr. Matthew Craig. Friday evening will feature an opening reception and speaker for all in person registered Annual Meeting participants.  Saturday and Sunday will include the Landolt Lecture, keynote speakers and research presentations, the Membership Meeting, and the closing banquet.  Presentations and the Membership Meeting on Nov. 4 & 5 will be broadcast via Zoom to online attendees.

 

Keynote Speakers

Arlo Landolt Lecturer:  Dr. Paula Szkody

 

Professor Szkody uses a multiwavelength approach to study close binary stars with active mass transfer (Cataclysmic Variables). Her current research involves ultraviolet observations with the Hubble Space Telescope  as well as APO and ground-based optical facilities around the world.  She is currently finding the faintest, lowest mass transfer CVs  leading to insights into the nature of mass transfer and accretion onto magnetic and non-magnetic white dwarfs,  accretion disks and their X-ray-emitting boundary layers, stellar coronae, and the effects of irradiation on the upper atmospheres of late-type secondary stars.

Her work involves observations of all types of close binary systems involving mass transfer onto a white dwarf. This includes novae, dwarf novae, and novalikes which are all termed Cataclysmic Variables (CVs). The magnetism of the white dwarf determines if the mass flow from the low mass companion will be through an accretion disk, a curtain or a funnel onto the magnetic poles. The structure of the accretion flow as well as the underlying stars is determined from multiwavelength observations from X-ray through ultraviolet and optical to the infrared. Many of these objects are being discovered through ground-based surveys (SDSS, CRTS, iPTF) and followup takes place from space and ground to determine their specific types and how they fit into population models of close binary formation.

Talk Abstract

 Dr. Catherine Espaillat

Prof. Espaillat received her bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 2003 and earned a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Michigan in 2009.  She went on to the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow and she was later also awarded the NASA Carl Sagan Fellowship. Prof. Espaillat joined the Department of Astronomy at Boston University in 2013 where she is currently an Associate Professor.  She is a recipient of the Sloan Research Fellowship and the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award and is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Talk Abstract

Dr. Gail Schaefer

Photo Credit- Laurence Honnorat at Innovaxiom

Gail Schaefer is the Director of the CHARA Array of Georgia State University located at Mount Wilson Observatory in southern California. Gail earned her bachelor's degree from Binghamton University and PhD from Stony Brook University in New York. She did a postdoctoral position at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD before moving to the CHARA Array in 2007. Her research interests include mapping the orbits of binary stars and understanding how young stars form and evolve over time. She leads a vibrant team that operates the CHARA Array and oversees an NSF funded program to offer open access time to the astronomical community.

Talk Abstract

Workshop

This years workshop will focus on Python and AstroPy.

Dr. Matt Craig

Dr. Matt Craig has taught Physics and Astronomy for 25 years at Minnesota State University Moorhead and is core member of the Astropy development team. He has been using Python to work with astronomical images and do photometry for over a decade, work that began when he found that the free, open source options were limited.

Workshop Description

 

Registration Information

How to Register?

To register for the meeting, please choose from one of the options below. On the registration page you can choose one or more add ons like the workshop and banquet by clicking the red "plus" button.

In Person Attendance

Cost Early Registration (ends Sept. 15) Regular Registration
Member $225 $285
Non-Member $285 $345
Student / Teachers Email aavso@aavso.org for pricing information.

Online Attendance

Cost Early Registration (ends Sept. 15) Regular Registration
Member $175 $225
Non-Member $235 $285
Student / Teachers Email aavso@aavso.org for pricing information.

Banquet

The banquet will be held on the evening of November 5 from 6:00 - 10:00 PM. Seating is limited to 80 persons.The plated dinner comes with a entree, green salad, a selection of rolls, whipped VT butter, carrot cake, coffee, decaf coffee, premium tea. Entree choices are as follows:

  • Misty Knolls Chicken 
  • Butternut Squash Ravioli (Vegetarian)
  • Mustard Rubbed Beef Tenderloin

 

Cost Cost
Member $95
Non-Member $150

Python Workshop

This year's workshop will focus on using Python and AstroPy for astronomical research. The workshop will be hosted by Dr. Matthew Craig on Friday, November 3 from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. It will be livestreamed on Zoom so both in-person and online attendance is possible.

Cost Early Registration (ends Sept. 15) Regular Registration
Member $50 $75
Student / Teachers $50

Travel and Hotel Information

The 2023 AAVSO Annual Meeting will be held at The Row Hotel in Somerville, MA

The Row is located in a vibrant new community called Assembly Row that has a great variety of entertainment venues, restaurants, and shops. It is also located just a 7-minute train ride from downtown Boston. 

The group rate is available until all rooms are sold or October 2, 2023. The Group Rate is $209/night. There are a limited number of rooms available. November in New England is high tourist season so book now!

Hotel Registration Link:

Book Your Group/Corporate Rate | Marriott International