The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Department of Astronomy at Peking University jointly organised the 2015 annual academic meeting of the Chinese Astronomical Society on the Peking University campus from October 19 to October 21, 2015.
Scientifically overseen by the chairs of the different Chinese Astronomical Society working groups, the meeting's program offered a wide variety of scientific and public engagement opportunities, from plenary lectures in PKU's Centennial Hall on October 19 to numerous parallel sessions on October 20 and 21. The latter were held at the multipurpose Yingjie International Exchange Center, which was packed to the rafters on many occasions, showing the clear appeal of this year's program to a wide range of professional astronomers.
The eight parallel scientific sessions ranged from solar system science to cosmology, while additional talks focused on the history of astronomy as well as teaching and outreach-related activities in the wider region. The 2015 CAS academic meeting attracted a record number of approximately 800 registered participants from an increasingly large number of Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes as well as from
university departments across the country and well beyond.
Highlights from a Peking University perspective include:
- Prof. Xuebing Wu, deputy director of the KIAA and former chair of Department of Astronomy of PKU, was awarded a Huang Runqian prize, a newly established senior research prize of Chinese Astronomical Society, for his excellent work on quasars and black holes;
- Prof. Douglas N. C. Lin, former and founding director of the KIAA, gave a very well attended public lecture on Monday evening, October 19.
- KIAA director and chair of the meeting's Local Organising Committee, Prof. Luis C. Ho, hosted a special dinner at the KIAA, welcoming some 70 local astronomers, senior guests and leaders from astronomy institutes and the wider community;
- Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, the flagship domestic astrophysics journal, celebrated its 15th anniversary with a seminar at the KIAA on October 20;
- The Chinese Astronomical Society council meeting was held at the KIAA on Sunday October 18, thus introducing many council members to the KIAA's beautiful premises for the first time.
Peking University astronomers and their students spent significant efforts to organise a smooth event, the largest of its kind ever organised by the local astronomers, which was very well received by the community at large.
For more pictures ,please see http://kiaa.pku.edu.cn/articles/more-photoes-cas-meeting
For CAS meeting news in Chinese,please see:
http://pkunews.pku.edu.cn/xwzh/2015-10/20/content_290897.htm
http://www.bj.xinhuanet.com/bjyw/2015-10/20/c_1116878026.htm
http://news.sciencenet.cn/html/shownews.aspx?id=328953
http://news.cyol.com/content/2015-10/19/content_11725746.htm
http://bjksb.bjeea.cn/html/ksb/gaozhaozhuanban/2015/1021/59679.html
http://report.qianlong.com/33378/2015/10/19/9265@10550382.htm
