The first African Astronomical Society (AfAS) Conference which targets astronomy in Africa as well as co-regional and international collaborations in the area of science and astronomy, will hold from 16-19 March 2020.
The meeting will invoke the objectives and the science strategy developed at the AfAS Science Business meeting, held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from 10-11 October 2019, and also look at attracting and retaining youth in astronomy, and strengthening the teaching of astronomy and related sciences.
The conference aims to bring together about 150 participants, from various institutions and research networks in the field of astronomy, primarily, on the African continent, and attract industry partners, representatives of governments, policymakers, inter-governmental and international partners from across Africa and the Diaspora.
Potential participants are required to fill out the registration form to enable organisers plan, based on the response from the community.
 The conference charges no registration fee and will give a limited number of travel support grants (Transport and(or) Accommodation). Participants are to make their travel arrangements.
Furthermore, we encourage colleagues to submit abstracts for their scientific, education/development and outreach talks/posters.
AfAS2020 Timetable:
– Day 1: Science talks
– Day 2: Science talks
– Day 3: Education/Development and Outreach
– Day 4: AfAS Business focus and AGM (networking and Hackathon)
Venue:
Venue for the conference is the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa( venue for AfAS official relaunch in March 2019).
Objectives of AfAS2020:
- Share astronomy research from across Africa and the Diaspora, promote scientific feedback and research collaborative discussions.
- Showcase recent Astronomy development and research output from African countries and the African Diaspora.
- Provide a platform for discussions on current scientific discoveries, questions and opportunities.
- Bring together participants in the African Astronomy community so that they can be better organised for astronomy development on and scientific output from the continent.
- Begin forward discussions and working on the roll-out and implementation of the AfAS Science Strategy.
- Help define specific concerns and how they contribute to the overall framework for the discussions on how to implement the AfAS Science Strategy.
Expected Outcomes From AfAS2020
- Scientific knowledge exchange, feedback, opportunity and celebration.
- Awareness of activities in Africa both by Africans and potential international collaborators.
- Inspire young African researchers to take ownership and drive the development of astronomy in Africa.
- Identification of strategic partnerships for the implementation of the AfAS Science Strategy.
- Development of new partnerships in the fields of astronomy and big data research in Africa and internationally.
Register for AfAS2020 here.Â
