Collaboration and Fun at "AAS 241"

Twice a year, thousands of scientists, media experts, and other astronomy and astrophysics enthusiasts get together for a meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). The AAS winter meeting is the largest meeting of this kind in the US, and a huge amount of science discussion takes place there. Rubin Observatory typically hosts an exhibit booth and an evening presentation at each winter meeting, and many members of the Rubin science community give presentations and join in panel discussions throughout the week.

This year more than 3000 people registered for the winter meeting in Seattle, which was held in early January, and Rubin Observatory was there in force! The day before the official meeting began, we offered a teacher workshop to introduce a group of educators to our new classroom investigations. During the meeting, we hosted a booth in the exhibit hall where people could stop by and chat with Rubin staff and scientists. We also ran a contest featuring our new online game Space Surveyors (if you haven’t played yet, check it out!) and a photo booth with fun custom Rubin Observatory props.

At the evening event, representatives from Rubin leadership and the Rubin science community shared construction updates and information on how to engage with Rubin science, starting now! The buzz about Rubin is building, and we’re excited to let more and more people know about the incredible science that will be possible—very soon—with Rubin Observatory.