Did you miss our annual meeting?

Fortunately, you can watch the best parts via links in this summary.

Max Parks opened the meeting with a talk on Setting NASA’s Research Direction: The Politics of Science. He reviewed the evolving role of NASA in the US federal government and provided insight on the political factors that guide the agency's efforts. Max is a lifelong student of space and science, with degrees in physics, astronomy, and science policy. He is working on his PhD in Geophysics and Space Physics at the University of California, Los Angles (UCLA). He has worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, studying Mars, as well as the atmospheres of the outer solar system. Thank you, Max!

Kathi Overton gave an overview of our 2020 activities and a preview of our 2021 plans. The recorded version features narration by Jennifer Blum. As these ladies admirably remind us, we can be proud of the quality science programming we produced during a challenging year. We look forward to serving you this year. Please let us know how we can do that better and what topics you would like to see presented.

Robin Hodges gave an update on construction at the former education center and the planetarium. She is the project manager. Work has begun. She expects the planetarium and high school annex to open for the 2022-2023 school year. For the most current information, please visit the Education Center Reuse page maintained by the Arlington County Public Schools. We appreciate Robin’s efforts to keep us informed.

We elected Ashley Jacoby, Laura Karl, Joseph Migliaccio, Kathi Overton, and Tom Wanat to the Board of Directors for three-year terms and Jim Edwards-Hewitt to fill a partial term. We are grateful for the continuing service of so many old friends and excited to welcome Ashley and Laura as fresh voices. Congratulations!