Although flying isn’t my favorite pastime, I don’t mind the two flights today because I’m headed to the 2010 Advanced Imaging Conference (AIC). The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara, California, October 22–24.
I look forward to attending AIC each year (this one’s my seventh) for several reasons. First, 300 of the world’s best astroimagers will be there. As
Astronomy magazine’s photo editor, I know many of them, and I’m usually among the first to see their latest work. So, I’ll be in my element.
But I’ll also be meeting new people and encouraging them to send me their best stuff. I’ve met dozens of astroimagers at past AIC events who now regularly submit images to (and see their work appear in) the magazine.
The second reason I like the AIC is that I’ll be able to chat with numerous astronomy manufacturers and vendors about their latest products. Conferences like AIC always lead to many more listings in the magazine’s “New Products” section, as well as to full-blown product reviews. I also hope to post some video interviews that feature new products when I return.
Finally, I appreciate that the AIC is always one of the best-run astronomy-related conferences I attend. Directions are clear, announcements are frequent, and things happen when the agenda says they will. The organizers and the attendees are fun-loving people to be sure, but they’re dead serious about astroimaging.
You can learn more about the AIC 2010 by visiting the conference website at
www.aicccd.com/2010/website/index.html. And don’t forget to follow my blogs here.