[asapmembers] URGENT: An Advocacy Plea from ASAP Chair Héctor Arce and the Outreach Committee

[secretary at areciboscience.org]

Dear ASAP Members,
    Exciting Opportunity: 
    This past week,  House Rep. Jennifer Gonzalez-Colón (Republican from Puerto Rico) and 
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat from CT) introduced a bill in the House <https://mcusercontent.com/d6a3ffb3ab3887e80c6d965c4/files/cf86e5fd-41af-26c6-0280-2a75dc1772ff/12.1.2021_House_Resolution._Recognizing_the_contributions_made_by_the_305_meter_radio_telescope_at_the_Arecibo_Observatory.pdf> and the 
Senate <https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/download/12221_-arecibo-observatory-resolution---text>, respectively in support of the Arecibo Observatory which encourages the National 
Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies to "study means of replacing the scientific 
capabilities that were lost at the Arecibo Observatory, utilizing new state-of-the-art technologies 
at the site."
    
    Your Help is Needed:     
    We ask that you contact your Senators and Representatives to urge them to support this 
important effort.
 
You can find out who your representative and senators are by going to: 
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative <https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative> 
and
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm <https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm>
 
You can either email or call your representatives’ office. Below we provide a draft letter that 
you can copy and edit as you wish (suggested places to personalize are marked in bold). 


> Sample letter:
> 
> Dear Senator XXX or Representative XXX
> I am a XXX at XXX and a resident of XXX in XXX. I am writing to you today
> to ask that you support the resolution that have been  introduced by
> Rep. Jennifer González-Colón <https://gonzalez-colon.house.gov/media/press-releases/members-congress-recognize-contributions-made-radio-telescope-arecibo> and Sen. Richard Blumenthal  <https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/english/espaol-bipartisan-group-of-senators-recognizes-significant-contributions-of-the-arecibo-telescope->in support of the
> Arecibo Observatory.
> 
> The Arecibo Observatory, a National Science Foundation (NSF) facility
> located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, suffered a devastating loss when its main
> instrument, the 305-meter radar/radio telescope, collapsed on December
> 1st, 2020. For nearly 60 years, the Arecibo Observatory made
> ground-breaking scientific contributions to the fields of astronomical,
> planetary, and atmospheric sciences. It was also at the heart of extensive
> public outreach and science education programs that inspired thousands of
> students in Puerto Rico and the U.S. to pursue careers in science and
> engineering.
> 
> Astronomical research at Arecibo has a rich history of enhancing our
> understanding of the universe. The first planets outside our solar system
> were detected at Arecibo, and observations of the first known double
> neutron star system led to the awarding of the 1993 Nobel Prize in
> Physics. The Observatory was also host to the world’s most powerful and
> sensitive planetary radar system, which was central to NASA's efforts to
> accomplish its Congressionally-mandated mission to identify all
> potentially hazardous asteroids (i.e., Near-Earth Objects). And, the
> Observatory had the unique ability to study the upper atmosphere at
> altitudes ranging from about 60 to 2500 km, making key contributions to
> our understanding of the interactions between the Sun's magnetic field and
> the Earth's atmosphere.
> 
> The Observatory is home to the Angel Ramos Foundation Science & Visitor
> Center, which welcomed nearly 100,000 visitors a year, and supported
> Science Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) education at all
> levels throughout Puerto Rico and beyond. The Visitor Center's programs,
> along with the Observatory's long standing Research Experiences for
> Undergraduates summer program, have motivated many students from all over
> the U.S. and Puerto Rico to pursue degrees in a wide range of science and
> engineering fields.  In fact, it was a XXX
> experience at Arecibo that convinced me to pursue a career in XXX.
> 
> The resolution acknowledges the importance for science and education that
> the the Arecibo Observatory has had for Puerto Rico, the nation, and the
> world, and encourages the NSF and other agencies to study means of
> replacing the scientific capabilities that were lost at the Arecibo
> Observatory, utilizing new state-of-the-art technologies at the site.
> 
> I urge you to support this bipartisan effort.





 


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