[asapmembers] ASAP: Arecibo Observatory needs your help in the next few weeks

[ASAP Secretary]

Dear ASAP Member:

As you probably know, the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences  is
conducting a formal "portfolio review,"  (see
http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_portfolio_review.jsp for details), whose
goal is "to recommend to AST how support for existing facilities, programs,
and activities should be prioritized and interleaved with new initiatives
recommended by Astro2010 [the decadal report], within the limitations of
realistic future budgets [which are now projected to be significantly lower
than anticipated in the decadal survey]."

Arecibo Observatory, as a member of the NSF Astronomy "portfolio," must
therefore justify its future existence scientifically for the review.

We ask for your help in two efforts over the next several weeks:

1. January 31 deadline:  ASAP is coordinating an effort for astronomers to
write papers (up to 5 pages in length) to the review committee  by the
January 31 deadline discussing future science efforts and how they relate
to Arecibo.  Details of the  "community input" desired by the review
committee are at http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_portfolio_review.jsp#link1.
See the bottom of this message for details on how you can contribute.

2.  December 15 deadline:  Zaven Arzoumanian, Director of Astronomy for
Arecibo Observatory, is independently compiling community input for the
Observatory's own report to the Portfolio Review Committee, which is due
January 6 (before the Winter AAS meeting!). This report is meant to
describe a strategic vision, through 2025, of how observatory capabilities
now address or might evolve to address the science frontiers of the recent
decadal surveys in both astronomy and planetary science. Zaven would very
much like to hear from all Observatory stakeholders with ideas and
aspirations for Arecibo. To ensure that the strategic vision is suitably
informed by both near-term and long-range scientific objectives, copies of
the above astronomy reports and input from the other disciplines would also
be most valuable. He would need them by December 15 at the latest in order
for him to read them and incorporate their essence into his report by early
January. He is happy to read early drafts if necessary.
----------------------------------------------------

The ASAP Board has already solicited some 5-page papers for the NSF January
31 deadline, and is asking authors to submit drafts to  zaven at naic.edu by
Dec 15.  Please look at the below list, and

1.  If you have ideas for other astronomy topics, please notify one of us
of your willingness to write another one; or if you can help a listed
author, please inform them directly.

2. If you have ideas for non-astronomy topics that you would be willing to
describe for Zaven, please contact him directly at zaven at naic.edu

---------------------------------

*Frank Djuth will write an aeronomy white paper for the ASAP website.

*The 40 beam focal plane phased feed array under discussion for Arecibo
would help the NANOGrav project; Dan Werthimer will seek input.

*Carl Heiles has agreed to write a paper on Galactic HI.

*Lyle Hoffman will adapt the extragalactic HI white paper for this purpose.

*Dan Werthimer will produce a memo about the search for astronomical
transients.

*John Mathews will approach Alex Wolszczan for a paper on his studies of
brown
dwarf magnetospheric activity.

*Joanna Rankin will produce a memo on pulsar emission problem science.

*Joel Weisberg will write a paper on relativistic binary pulsar timing.

Thanks very much,

Joel (jweisber at carleton.edu) and Joanna (joanna.rankin at uvm.edu) for the
ASAP board
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