Welcome!

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Conference and Technical Program Committees, it is my great pleasure to invite you to the 41st AAAR Annual Conference. It is scheduled for October 2-6, 2023 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. We are excited for the Conference to provide another opportunity to share our latest aerosol science and technology research, while networking and re-connecting with colleagues.

An exciting array of Plenary Lectures, Special Symposia, Poster Sessions, Oral Platform Sessions, Tutorials, and Special Events will take place from Monday through Friday at 12:30pm.  Our Tutorial Chairs, Michael Schuit and Xuan Zhang, have put together a list of 18 Tutorials on a wide range of aerosol science topics, including some new topics and established favorites.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning will all start with an 8am Plenary Lecture, while (following on the success of a new schedule last year) we will have the Friday Plenary Lecture close the Conference. Our outstanding lineup of Speakers includes Julian Marshall  (University of Washington), Nicole Riemer (University of Illinois), Lidia Morawska (Queensland University of Technology) and Vanderlei Martins (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)

The technical program will feature parallel Platform and Poster Sessions carefully crafted by our 20 Working Group Chairs and Vice Chairs. We will have 4 Special Symposia designed to bridge multiple areas and promote cross-disciplinary interaction on the following topics:

1. Identifying and addressing disparate health and social impacts of exposure to aerosols and other contaminants across continents, communities, and microenvironments
2. Aerosols Spanning Spatial Scales: Measurement Networks to Models and Satellites.
3. Aerosol-ecosystem interactions
4. Aerosol Science of Infectious Diseases: Lessons and open questions on models, transmission and mitigation

Andrew Metcalf and Alberto Baldelli from the Education Committee are coordinating 2 Student Presentation Competitions for this year. We will again have both Student Poster and Oral Platform Competitions! We hope many of you will consider volunteering to be Poster and Oral Platform Judges when registration opens up.

The Exhibit Hall, which will be open from Tuesday through Thursday, will provide opportunities to engage with and learn from leading Companies offering instrumentation and services in aerosol science and technology. New this year will be the ‘Exhibitor and Instrument Application Showcase’, which will include a platform session area inside the Exhibit Hall, and provide opportunities for practical education and exchange focusing on real measurement applications and challenges. We hope this will be a fun and educational way to encourage interaction between exhibitors and other attendees. The Exhibit Hall will also serve as the location for our Welcome Reception and Meet the Job Seekers Poster Session on Tuesday evening.  This Poster Session is for Job Seekers to present their background and expertise to potential Employers across academia, government, and industry, and also for potential Employers to meet Job Seekers.

We are also again planning for a Monday evening program and activities following the Tutorials. One to highlight is that we are excited that we will have a reprise of the popular Monday evening Science Communication program, this year featuring veteran science communicator Andrew Revkin as a featured speaker! Andrew will also be leading a tutorial on Science Communication.

We are also planning for a number of events and programs to be offered during the Conference including:

• 18 Tutorials on diverse topics related to aerosol science and technology
• Monday Evening Program and Activities following the Tutorials
• Early Career Event
• Representation and Equity Affairs Program
• Fine Particle Art and Video Competition
• Mentoring Program

There will be opportunities for Travel Grants (for US and International participants), Student Assistants and Social Media Ambassadors. The Calls for Travel Grant, Student Assistant, and Social Media Ambassador Applications are anticipated to open in May following the abstract submission deadline.

The 2023 Conference will once again be held at the Oregon Convention Center, which is located along the Portland light rail system, providing easy access to the airport and downtown. Those of you who attended previous AAAR conferences at this site know that it is an ideal location for our meeting. The platform session rooms, exhibit hall, and common areas are located in contiguous space, making it easy to switch rooms and network with other attendees. Portland is a beautiful city that sits on the Columbia and Willamette rivers, with snow-capped Mount Hood in the distance. It has many fabulous restaurants, museums, and gardens, and hundreds of other sightseeing opportunities.

We look forward to welcoming you in October to the 41st Annual Conference of the American Association for Aerosol Research!

Sincerely,

 

Andy Grieshop

2023 Conference Chair