Updates and News from Akua Asa-Awuku

Dear Colleagues,

Meteorological spring is here! and we have so much to discuss. 2021 is behind us and 2022 lies ahead. The AAAR Executive Committee and Board of Directors recently met at our annual Winter Board Meeting. Let me provide a quick summary of events. Our finances remain in good shape, we have approved a proposal for IAC 2030 (to be approved by IARA and revealed shortly), and we have approved strategic projects to keep our membership engaged and to also expand our reach to the public. Truly, there is a lot of news to share in this letter.

Currently, we are fully immersed in preparation for the annual conference. Amy Sullivan is our 2022 Conference Chair for the 40th AAAR Annual Conference (yes, 40th! I’ll come back to that later) located in Raleigh, North Carolina from October 3rd – 7th, 2022. Amy is doing a masterful job developing the technical and social program for the conference.

Already, you should have received a call for abstracts and a letter providing information on the additional planning and organizing of the event. Please expect more of these direct letters. This year we are doing our best to keep you regularly informed and in the know. At this time, we are hoping for an in-person conference with thoughtful and well-thought-out plans (based on Aerosol Science of course!) to gather safely. Your support to the Association and the attendance at the conference will be critically important this year. Our goal is to bring attendance back to pre-pandemic levels and to make the 2022 AAAR conference the exciting and vibrant nucleation of research that we have been accustomed to expect over the years.

The special symposia and plenary speakers have already been selected. In particular, I note the final plenary on Friday will be a special event that chronicles the 40 years of AAAR presence and fellowship in the scientific community. A lot has happened in 40 years in the advancement of aerosol science and its application to important societal issues. Our collective and evolving communication and development of aerosol research will be highlighted in this final plenary.

Throughout the conference week, we have invested in events to bring people together and highlight our collectively rich talents and expertise. The Fun Run is coming back this year! (Big Thanks Christine McCool!) Again, we will support the Fine Particle Art competition (please note that this art is now the centerpiece of the 2022 exhibitor prospectus) and early career event. In addition, this year, we hope to agglomerate and sustain connections with a Diversity and Inclusion Virtual Event and a new Mentorship Program spearheaded by Vice President Leah Williams.

The AAAR 2022 Awards Submission deadline has been extended from Friday, April 15th to Sunday, May 15th. Please submit your nominations to jwu@aaar.org, based on the requirements here for each award. We will be sending calls for travel awards for the students and junior professionals, and a call for social media ambassadors. For the first time this year, there will be a competition for an instrument grant supported by Dr. Juan Fernandez de la Mora.

We continue to work with our management company, Virtual Inc., to enhance our marketing efforts on social media platforms and in the virtual space, and we are seeing results. For example, The AAAR Lecture series is shattering records. In the last session, we had 160 individual unique viewers attend the talk, more than in previous talks. The lecture series is organized by our AAAR Student chapters and is a highly visible platform and a unique place to reach a wide audience.

There truly is so much going on in our organization, and there is so much more to look forward to in 2022. Our growth in the past 40 years and also into the next 40 years has been and will be fueled by the connections we make as aerosol scientists to the public and with each other. If you have ideas, talents, or interests in committees or working groups that you would like to share please reach out to us at info@aaar.org. I encourage you all to stay tuned in to the opportunities and events that stem from our membership and organizational partnerships.

Akua Asa-Awuku

President, AAAR Board of Directors

@Aerosol_Akua