Sent electronically to Individual Members on February 9, 2012
by Ian Corbett, General Secretary
This is an important edition which contains the up-to-date scientific programme of the XXVIII General Assembly in Beijing 20-31 August this year. Further information on the GA is available on the web site http://www.astronomy2012.org. You are recommended to take advantage of Early Registration for the GA, which offers a significant reduction in the Registration Fee.
This has been prepared by the Executive Committee’s “Task Group on Divisional Structure” chaired by T. Montmerle, AGS, with the active participation of the Division Presidents. The proposal will be considered by the IAU EC at its meeting 18-20 April and, if endorsed, will be presented to the GA in Beijing for a vote through a formal motion. Comments should be sent to your Division President not later than 1st April.
Elections for presidents, chairs and organising committees of Divisions and Commissions 2012-2015 are now underway following the existing scheme. Many of these will translate into the new system, if approved and implemented. To facilitate voting, the IAU has entered a contract with the electronic voting service Mi-Voice. The system generates a unique voting code (UVC) that is sent by email to each eligible voter. The UVC enables the voter to log in to the election event and cast their vote.
Important: Please go to the IAU website and check that your contact information is up-to-date and that the email address listed is one that you regularly consult. Please e-mail any corrections as soon as possible to the IAU Secretariat iauinfos@iap.fr
Ian Corbett
IAU General Secretary
9 February 2012