A Statement to Our Community

The .Astronomy Brain Trust would like to acknowledge the deeply upsetting events that have unfolded in the United States in recent weeks, that have once again highlighted the continued need for change. Racism is a scourge on our society - not just in the US but around the world. Every country has its own historical context of racial strife, but nowhere is it absent. It has deprived many of their careers, of opportunities, and of their lives. Our Black alumnae/i, colleagues, friends and loved ones experience its effects daily, at the expense of their physical and mental wellbeing. 

We all need to do more to acknowledge and work on this problem. In the context of .Astronomy, we have always strived to create an inclusive community that assigns value to individuals’ experiences, their ideas and their stories. We aim to create space for those whose stories are not told in the astronomy community, whose voices are unheard, whose ideas are not valued. We are all stronger for listening to each other.

We commit to .Astronomy being a safe space for discussion about racism and inequities in our community, and for working together on strategies and solutions. The onus for combating racism should not be on those most affected by it. Those of us in positions of privilege have a responsibility to speak up and act, to change the systems in our local institutions and communities, and to support and advocate for our Black colleagues. We are proud that many in this community are actively engaged in this work, and we will always strive to do more, learn more and be better. We created the .Astronomy Foundation to better support these goals.

One immediate action we will take is to automatically waive fees for participation in our next event, the online-only DotDotAstro for anyone who identifies as an ethnic or racial minority in astronomy. Register your interest here by June 15th.

The .Astronomy Brain Trust
June 5th, 2020

Upcoming events

The 12th edition of .Astronomy will be hosted by the ESAC Science Data Centre in Madrid, Spain. This event was due to take place in September but has been postponed to Spring 2021. Click here for more details.

Meanwhile we are also running a totally online event in August 2020. Learn more about ‘DotDotAstro’...

The .Astronomy conference series aims to build a dynamic and creative community of scientists and educators to exploit the potential offered by modern computing and the internet in the era of data-driven astronomy.  Rather than scientific questions, the focus is on innovative use of the web to develop new research tools, and to communicate with a broad audience through online platforms and innovative engagement resources. .Astronomy provides scientists, developers and science communicators an opportunity to showcase their ideas and skills outside their institutes or research areas, and help them get credit for their work.

How can new technologies help astronomical research, education, and outreach? How can new developments in data exploration and analysis algorithms, visualization, and software impact our work?  How can new ideas and techniques in education and research increase our productivity?  How can we leverage our diversity to better understand the Universe?

Through talks, tutorials, unconferences and hack days, participants gain new coding or maker skills, learn about the latest data services and tools, learn how to communicate and collaborate more effectively using web platforms, and broaden their views on what a career in astronomy can look like. 

Since the first .Astronomy conference in 2008, we have created a vibrant community of over 300 alumnae/i in astronomy and related fields - passionate about leveraging technology for the advancement of astronomy.