Annual Report – 2014

I. Membership

The membership of the DDA, as of March 31st, 2014 was 346, of whom 15 are affiliate members. This is an increase of 22 members since last year! Several more members were added during the month of April, and we will update these numbers when the AAS provides the final count.

DDA members were saddened this year by the loss of one of our “founding fathers” – Dr. Raynor Duncombe, who died on the morning of July 12, 2013, in Austin, Texas.

Among his many wonderful qualities, Ray was always extremely supportive of students. In recognition, the DDA Committee decided to rename the student stipend awards in his honor. These will be known henceforth as the Duncombe Prizes.

II. Quarterly Committee meetings

The DDA Committee continued to meet on a quarterly basis this year, using Skype for all meetings except the one held in conjunction with the annual meeting.

III. Elections

The 2014 DDA Election was the first to be held entirely online. With the assistance of the AAS IT office, the slate was posted on the AAS website, along with candidates’ curricula vitæ. Two weeks later, the online ballot was made available, and voting began. By the time the voting closed, 107 ballots had been cast, for a participation rate of 30%. The results were as follows:

New Officers (with all new terms beginning July 1st, 2014):

CHAIR (2014-2015)
Fred Adams (University of Michigan)

VICE CHAIR (2014-2015)
Kelly Holley-Bockelmann (Vanderbilt)

SECRETARY (2014-2017)
Sethanne Howard (USNO, retired)

PAST CHAIR (2014-2015)
Matija Cuk (SETI)

COMMITTEE (2014-2016)
Rachel Kuzio de Naray (CHARA)
Paul Chodas (JPL)
Matthew Tiscareno (Cornell)

Continuing Officers:

TREASURER (2013-2016)
William I. Newman (UCLA)

COMMITTEE (2013-2015)
Joe Hahn (Space Science Institute)
Katherine Kretke (Southwest Research Institute)
Marc Murison (USNO Flagstaff)

Retiring Officers:

SECRETARY (2011-2014)
Alice Monet (USNO, retired)

COMMITTEE (2012-2014)
Eugene Fahnestock (JPL)
Wayne Hayes (UC Irvine)
Michele Trenti (Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK)

IV. Future Meetings:

2015: Pasadena, CA, hosted by JPL.

2016: Wilmington, NC or Nashville, TN – TBD.

2017: A proposal to hold a DDA meeting in London, UK, in 2016 was presented by Craig Agnor in 2013, and offered again in 2014. It was noted that the London proposal could be further delayed if needed.

V. 2015 Brouwer Award Winner:
Professor Douglas N. C. Lin,
UCSC, Lick Observatory

VI. Committee Appointments:

Brouwer Award Selection Committee:

Jack Wisdom, Chair
Man Hoi Lee
Ruth Murray-Clay (new)

Duncombe Prize Committee:

Alice Quillen, Chair
Dave Minton
Ken Walsh (new)

Nominating Committee:

Phil Nicholson, Chair
Stacy McGaugh
Benoit Noyelle (new)