The Society’s Public Policy office supports the overarching mission of the AAS by: 

  • Informing policymakers on the status of the astronomical sciences 
  • Promoting the priorities of the astronomical science community to policymakers 
  • Informing our community about the federal policy process and any developments that could or will affect the discipline and our ability to do science 
  • Recommending Board statements/resolutions aimed at improving the state of the profession 

The Director of Public Policy and the John N. Bahcall Public Policy Fellow work with the Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy (CAPP), the Division policy committees, and Society and Division leadership to ensure the interests of all our members are being advocated for. We provide the tools for AAS members to advocate for themselves with Congressional Visits Days, policy sessions at the AAS winter meetings, and policy colloquium talks at institutions across the country. We keep you informed in the interim with the AAS Policy Blog, the AAS Policy Twitter account, and AAS Action Alerts.  

We educate policymakers on the latest major scientific results our community is producing with briefings and exhibitions on the Hill. We express the community’s concerns regarding federal policy and funding, and promote our interests, through congressional testimony and letters to policymakers, which we often submit in coordination with other societies, as a member of many science and technology coalitions.  

Our mission is to advocate for the programs that we rely on for funding, that we invest our careers into, that inspire the public and produce the next generation of scientists.