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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Dear ASAP member,</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>As many of you know, NSF will be repurposing the Arecibo Observatory in the coming months with plans to move from a research-focused facility to an education-focused one (</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><a href="https://new.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-over-5m-funding-create-new-stem" target="_blank"><span style='color:#1155CC'>https://new.nsf.gov/news/nsf-announces-over-5m-funding-create-new-stem</span></a></span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>).</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'> </span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>This will undoubtedly change the historical purpose of ASAP as a science advocacy group. The ASAP Board election has traditionally taken place in July or August; however, under the current circumstances the election was decided to be delayed until the scope of ASAP has been revised.</span><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><br>All ASAP members are invited to a planning meeting to discuss how ASAP will need to be transformed to meet current challenges and evolve in the future to potentially return science and research as the core focus of the facility in the future. A form for comments on the options determined by the planning meeting will be made available after the meeting, and a vote on the final decision will be organized.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>The Arecibo C3 partnership management has expressed interest in working with our group, and we have invited them to send a representative.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>To express your availability for the planning meeting, please use the following link and respond by Sunday, Oct 8:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><a href="https://www.when2meet.com/?21677945-dniFT" target="_blank"><span style='color:#1155CC'>https://www.when2meet.com/?21677945-dniFT</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>(sign in, change it to show your time zone if it's not already set, and paint the suitable times) <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='background:white'><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#222222'>ASAP Board <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>