Conference of the African Astronomical Society: 8-11 March 2021

The first AfAS Conference will be held from 08-11 March 2021. The meeting will focus on the science coming out of Astronomy in Africa and cultivating collaboration among countries in Africa as well as collaborations between Africa and the rest of the world and invoking the objectives and the science strategy developed at the AfAS Science Business meeting, which was held in Addis Ababa Ethiopia from 10-11 October 2019. The conference will also look at attracting and retaining youth in astronomy and strengthening the teaching of astronomy and related sciences. The Conference aims to bring together around 150 participants from various institutions and networks conducting research in the field of astronomy primarily on the African continent. The conference also aims to attract industry partners, representatives of Government, policy makers, Inter-governmental, and other international partners from across Africa and Diaspora. Potential participants are required to fill out the registration form so that the organisers can plan based on the response from the community. No registration fee will be charged for the conference and a limited number of travel support grants will be given (Transport and/or Accommodation). Participants will be expected to make their own travel arrangements. We invite and encourage colleagues to submit abstracts for their scientific talks/posters as well as abstracts for education/development and outreach talks/posters. The programme will consist of:

• Day 1: Science talks
• Day 2: Science talks
• Day 3: Education/Development and Outreach
• Day 4: AfAS Business focus and AGM (networking and Hackathon)

The broad plenary talks will take place in the mornings, followed by parallel sessions which are more thematic later on. The Science, Education/Development and Outreach sessions will include a variety of primarily invited talks and contributed posters. Interactive networking sessions, including the Hackathon, will promote discussions, stimulate conversations through unconferences, flash talks and team building activities. Venue: The conference will be held at the Southern Sun, Cape Sun hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.

 Objectives:

• Share astronomy research from across Africa and the Diaspora, promote scientific feedback and  research collaborative discussions.
• Showcase recent Astronomy development and research output from African countries and the African Diaspora.
• Provide a platform for discussions on current scientific discoveries, questions and opportunities.
• Bring together participants in the African Astronomy community so that they can be better organised for astronomy development on and scientific output from the continent.
• Begin forward discussions and working on the roll-out and implementation of the AfAS Science Strategy.
• Help define specific concerns and how they contribute to the overall framework for the discussions on how to implement the AfAS Science Strategy.

Expected Outcomes:

• Scientific knowledge exchange, feedback, opportunity and celebration.
• Awareness of activities in Africa both by Africans and potential international collaborators.
• Inspire young African researchers to take ownership and drive the development of astronomy in Africa.
• Identification of strategic partnerships for the implementation of the AfAS Science Strategy.
• Development of new partnerships in the fields of astronomy and big data research in Africa and internationally.