Latest News From ASAP


News

May 15th, 2024.
NSF announced a pilot phase and an anticipated opening date of Arecibo C3 at the site of the Arecibo Observatory Historic District. For more information, see the official website of Arecibo C3.


Sep 25th, 2023.
NSF announced an investment of over $5 million over five-years for a collaborative partnership between three higher education institutions and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to establish a new multidisciplinary, educational center at the Arecibo Observatory site in Puerto Rico. According to an NSF press release, the new center, the Arecibo Center for Culturally Relevant and Inclusive Science Education, Computational Skills, and Community Engagement (Arecibo C3), will serve as a catalyst for increased and inclusive engagement in a broad range of science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, cutting-edge research and workforce development initiatives by students, teachers, researchers, local communities and the public within and outside of Puerto Rico.


Nov 18th, 2022.
The Congress Asks for NSF to Reconsider AO's future in two letters. The letter by Jenniffer González Colón's office can be found here
A copy of the Letter from the Senate (Blumenthal, Menendez, and Warren) can be found here . See the front page for ASAP's response to NSF's reply.

Oct 30th, 2022.
Despite powerful worldwide support for continued science at AO, NSF calls solely for an Arecibo Education Center.
See ASAP's Media Release on this matter in English and Spanish,
or a two-page Summary Media Release in English and Spanish.

Jun 1st, 2022.
Please see our Letter of Request to the NSF regarding their late decision on the Arecibo Observatory's future.

May 3rd, 2022.
Strong support for a future Arecibo Observatory in the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey!
See our press release on ASAP's response to the Decadal Survey in English and Spanish .



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Older News

A summary of ASAP's summer 2022 news, including passing of the AO Resolution in the Senate, announcements on upcoming events, and more can be found in our latest newsletter

On Dec. 3, 2021, Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón introduced a bill in the house and Sen. Richard Blumenthal introduced a bill in the Senate , in support of the Arecibo Observatory! This bipartisan Resolution recognizes the significant scientific, educational, and economic contributions made by the Arecibo Observatory telescope, and encourages funding agencies to determine the most appropriate way to replace the scientific capabilities that were lost at the observatory.

You can find the House Resolution here
and the Senate Resolution here

See below for more information on a letter writing campaign to reach out to your representatives to support the resolution!


Write Your Senators and Represenatives to Support the Arecibo Resolution!

House Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colón (Republican from Puerto Rico) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (Democrat from CT) introduced a bill in the House and the Senate, 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." You can find links to the press release and resolutions at the top of this webpage.

We ask that you contact your Senators and Representatives to urge them to support this important effort.

You can find out who your representatives are by going to this page
and your Senators by going to this page

We provide a sample letter below that you can personalize as needed.

Text/Letter

You can feel free to use this when Advocating for Arecibo - please personalize!

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 resolutions that have been introduced by Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón and Sen. Richard Blumenthal 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 ask that you please support this bipartisan effort.