IAU member acceptance process is regulated by statutes, and in order to become a lawful individual member, the VIRAC researcher had to participate in a multi-step application process and eventually get approval from the IAU Executive Committee. Juris Kalvāns was chosen as the most suitable candidate by the Latvian National Committee, which, together with the University of Latvia, represents Latvia in the IAU. In order to become a candidate, Juris Kalvāns has fulfilled the expected educational criteria – a doctoral degree, as well as proved himself with high-quality scientific publications and high-quality work at VIRAC. As the scientist himself

admits, becoming a lawful individual member of IAU will be an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process on astronomical issues that affect both the scientific community and each of us. A clear example of how the made decision of IAU changed what students are told about the Solar System in geography lessons is the 2006 decision to remove Pluto from the list of planets. It should be reminded that until this decision of the IAU General Assembly, Pluto was one of the nine planets in the Solar System, but it is now classified as a dwarf planet, and there are eight planets in the Solar System.