Dear Know Thy Star Attendees, Presenters, and Enthusiasts,

Thank you very much for your support of the communities affected by the Southern California wildfires this month, and thank you for your patience as we tried to understand the best path forward with regards to the Know Thy Star Know Thy Planet 2 conference.

We have decided to hold the Know Thy Star-Know Thy Planet 2 conference as planned the week of 03-07 Feb on the Caltech campus.

There was no clear or easy path; our decision was based upon input and feedback from a variety of sources - including the survey that many of you filled out. Additionally, we have collected feedback from the local community - those most strongly affected by the fires. Several considerations were taken into account including the status of the fires and the environment, the status of the hotels, the impact on the local community, the impact on our colleagues, particularly our early career colleagues, and the financial impact of the various options. All of this was put together in an effort to find the best path forward in this difficult time.

The most significant concern expressed by our colleagues was the possibility of occupying hotel rooms that might otherwise be needed by local residents. We discussed the situation with both Hotel Pasadena (the hotel for which we have contracted a room block) and other hotels within walking distance of Caltech. The hotels indicated to us that they are honoring all previously contracted room blocks and that they are mostly maintaining "day-to-day" reservations, as opposed to extended-stay reservations. The hotels indicated that they have not been overwhelmed, while still prioritizing displaced residents if they need to extend their reservations. The contracted room block with Hotel Pasadena is 70% full - so there are still rooms for additional conference attendees. We recommend the room block at the Hotel Pasadena to minimize the housing pressure on the local community.

Many members of our community, especially the early career members, expressed concern about the difficulty - both logistical and financial - associated with canceling or postponing the conference. Much of the feedback we received from the attendees expressed concern regarding losing significant money if the conference was cancelled or moved to the autumn months. The survey indicated that the majority of people had already made their travel arrangements and that only approximately 25% of the respondents favored moving the conference to the autumn.

We seriously considered moving the conference to the autumn (September or October), but we could not guarantee a venue on such short notice, risking either a full cancellation of the conference or a significant price change. Indeed, it is very difficult to predict how similar or different the situation will be in three weeks let alone 8 months from now - and finding a week that does not conflict with other engagements, both within and outside of our community, is difficult any time a conference is planned and particularly difficult on such short notice. Thus, postponing the meeting runs the significant risk of forcing a cancellation of the conference or postponing so far into the future that the conference is effectively cancelled and rescheduled for some unknown date in the future.

The Caltech campus is open, and the IPAC staff is prepared to support the meeting. We recognize that there may be concerns about air quality. Caltech is monitoring the buildings and we are working to ensure that there are air filters in the presentation and poster halls. We will also make masks available for those that wish to wear them. We recognize that not everyone who has registered will feel comfortable about attending the meeting; if you wish to cancel, the full registration fee will be refunded.

With all of that in mind - and with real concern, consideration, and empathy for our community - we have made the decision that we feel is the best and least-disruptive path for both our colleagues and the community.

I, personally, want to express my thanks and appreciation to the local organizing committee members, the science organizing committee members, and the local community members who worked with us as we tried to establish a plan on how to move forward with the conference.

Finally, our collective best wishes go to every member of the Southern California community who has been affected by these wildfires.

Sincerely,
David Ciardi
On behalf of the KTSKTP2
Local and Science Organizing Committees
knowthystar2@ipac.caltech.edu