The federal government plays a key role in US astronomy, such as building and operating observatories, funding grants, and regulating activities related to astronomy. However, the federal government is also a confusing web of agencies, priorities, and politics. The public policy team at the American Astronomical Society acts as the liaison between the astronomical community and the federal government to ensure that the needs of the community are being met. In this talk I will give a brief overview of the two biggest issues that we are currently working on: the state of federal funding for decadal priorities and the impact of commercial space operations on astronomy. At the end I will discuss how the community can best use their voice to advocate for US astronomy.

Speaker: Yaswant Devarakonda (American Astronomical Society)

All 2024 Spring Colloquium talks are held on Wednesdays at 3:00 PM. This colloquium is hosted by STScI and will be held as an in-person and virtual event.

You may join in person at STScI’s John N. Bahcall Auditorium or virtually on STScI's Live Science Events Facebook page.

Please direct questions or comments to contact above. The 2024 Spring Colloquium Committee members are: Joel Green (STScI), Matilde Mingozzi (STScI), Nashwan Sabti (JHU), Kevin Schlaufman (JHU), Ethan Vishniac (JHU), John Wu (STScI).