Support for US Astronomers to Attend International Scientific Conferences and the 30th IAU General Assembly

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Astronomy is a fully international endeavor; we all share the same sky. To participate in the international scientific community, American researchers must meet and collaborate with researchers from around the world. Every three years, the International Astronomical Union has a General Assembly accompanied by topical symposia, joint discussions, working groups, and business meetings. The next such meeting will be held in August 2018. In order to ensure a vigorous participation by the US astronomical community, this award will fund small travel grants to enable approximately 150 US astronomers to attend the General Assembly. This award will also provide small travel grants to approximately 50 US astronomers per year to attend various international meetings over the next 3 years. Preference will be given to early-career astronomers and astronomers from less-endowed institutions. Scientists supported by this program will come from a wide range of educational institutions, museums, planetariums, etc. The experiences they gain from this meeting will be shared with a broad segment of the US population, exposing them to the global nature of astronomy and the importance of international collaboration to the advancement of science and technology.The small travel grant program will be administered by the American Astronomical Society (AAS), the principal professional organization for US astronomers. They have very successfully and economically administered similar programs in the past, and the proposed procedures ensure that these funds will provide the maximum benefit to the astronomical community at minimal cost. The AAS will solicit proposals, select awardees, issue funds to be used for airfare only, collect receipts and meeting reports from the grantees, and prepare a final assessment and report on the entire program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.