COVID-19 contingency plan for AstroTech 2021 Summer School

Communications

• January 2021 Update 

Updated October 2020:

We are planning to offer an in-person AstroTech Summer School that will run July 19 – 23, 2021, with contingency planning for COVID-19. We know the situation surrounding COVID-19 is constantly changing and difficult to anticipate this far in advance, and will include consideration of travel and lodging, in addition to summer school activities.

If held in person, AstroTech will take all precautionary measures to safely run an in-person program that includes traveling to UC Berkeley and lodging.

In the event that we are still living with the stay-at-home orders, limited travel and quarantine measures are still in place, or other constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will plan to offer a shorter, remote version of AstroTech. The format (in-person or remote) will be announced early in 2021.

AstroTech application process in relation to COVID-19

Because we cannot yet anticipate the constraints we will have to work with, the 2021 AstroTech application process has been modified and will be in two parts:

1. The regular application, that opens in fall
2. COVID-19 supplemental questionnaire, that opens in early 2021 

Applicants must submit both parts A and B to be considered for AstroTech 2021.   We will open the application for the 2021 AstroTech Summer School with the assumption that we will be able to safely implement an in-person summer school. Our application will include a COVID-19 supplemental questionnaire consisting of a confirmation statement asking for an applicants’ explicit acknowledgment of summer school aspects that are subject to change, due to COVID-19. All applicants must complete this portion, described as the application part B, in addition to the application part A, to be considered. Part B will be available in early 2021, and an email will be sent to all applicants reminding them to complete it.  For more details on the application, please review the page on How to Apply to AstroTech.  

Please be sure to check back for updates.