NSF Program Update

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NSF Program Update

• Astronomy Astrophysics Advisory Committee
• 13 February 2006

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Update Topics

• General news
• FY2006 Current Plan
• FY2007 Request
• Grants program
• New Faces in AST
• Senior Review

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General

• ALMA Project
• NA Antenna procurement
• Baseline Review results
• ESO Antenna decision
• Delta Cost review/NA management review
• Late January/February
• Validate cost increase because of two antenna
  designs
• Examine NA cost and management in depth (NSF led)
• NSB recommendation/action expected May 2006

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General

• NSO ATST
• NSF Director moved to readiness phase
• Environmental Impact study underway
• Partnerships with Air Force and international
  communities under discussion
• AST continues to provide funding (2M) within
  NSO
• Earliest likely entry to MREFC account is FY2009

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General

• VERITAS
• Draft Environmental Assessment completed in Nov
  2005
• Environmental monitoring continues until June
  2006
• Held consultation with Tohono Oodham in January
• Progress continues at Whipple Observatory base
  camp
• Earliest possible construction resumption on Kitt
  Peak is July 2006

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General

• Virtual Observatory
• MOU between NSF and NASA is circulating for final
  clearance
• Program solicitation ready for clearance, waiting
  for MOU signature
• Still anticipate competition in FY2006
• Funds available to ensure smooth transition from
  NVO development project to VO implementation

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AST FY2006 Budget

• FY2006 Request 198.64M (FY2005 1.81)
• Increases for Physics of the Universe and
  facilities stewardship (MPS priorities)
• FY2006 Appropriation - NSF request 1
  increase for RRA
• Rescission of 1.28 - resulting AST budget
  199.65M (relative to 195.1M in FY2005)
• recommended 51.4M budget for NRAO
• 4M over request
• - must be found within existing program budgets

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AST FY2006 Budget
Request - 119.5M
Plan - 122.0M
Facilities NOAO NSO
Gemini1 NRAO NAIC UROs
25.0 M 10.0M 18.5 M 47.4 M 10.6 M
8.0 M
24.55 M 10.0 M 18.26 M 50.74M 10.46 M
8.0 M
1Includes 1M Chilean buy-back
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AST FY2006 Budget

• Astronomy Research Instrumentation -
• Request - 79.1 M
• - up 4 from FY2005
• - increase directed primarily toward Physics of
  the Universe
• Current Plan - 77.6 M
• - additional funds allocated above request
  directed toward Physics of the Universe
• - source of funds for NRAO earmark
• ATI program new awards curtailed
• Includes 4M for LSST and 2M for GSMT TDP
• Includes cyberinfrastructure funds for NVO
  start

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FY2007 Budget Request

• FY2007 Request for AST 215.11M
• (FY2006 7.7 or 15.5M)
• Facilities base operations budgets held level
  pending outcome of senior review
• Increases for
• GSMT (5M, up 3M)
• TSIP (4M, up 2M)
• AODP (1.5M, restored)
• Physics of the Universe activities enhanced
• Elementary Particle Physics - dark energy, dark
  matter studies (with Physics Division)
• Research grants programs up overall
• Gemini future instrumentation

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MPS by Division
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MPS Ten-Year Funding History
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MPS Ten-Year Funding History
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FY2006 Budget and AST Grants Programs

• Impact of changes at NASA
• Seeing strong increase in proposal pressure
• Research grants proposals up 20 in FY2006
• (following 15 increase in FY2005)
• Budget in FY2006 is NOT increasing
• Increased interaction with NASA colleagues
• Joint staff meetings
• Coordinating reviews and funding recommendations

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AST Grants Programs

• Trends in AAG program
• Has grown significantly in past 5 years
• Number of proposals
• Budget
• Success rate
• Typical award size
• But proposal pressure is increasing rapidly
• Anticipate substantial decreases in success rate

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AAG Program Evolution FY1996-2006

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AAG Program Evolution FY1995-2006
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New Faces in AST

• Dr. Phil Puxley
• Coming from Gemini South
• Permanent program manager for AST facilities
• Dr. Wei Zheng
• Program officer in AAG programs
• Visiting scientist from Johns Hopkins
• Dr. Thomas Barnes
• Program officer for national facilities and large
  projects
• Visiting appointment from University of Texas

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NSF Division of Astronomical SciencesSenior
ReviewUpdate
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AST Budget FY1995-2006
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Total of Decadal Survey recommendations
___________________________________________
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Senior Review

• Process
• Established web site for information
• http//www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp
• Requested community input to email
  astsenior_review_at_nsf.gov
• Held regional town meetings
• Boston, Minneapolis, Clemson, DC, Boulder,
  Berkeley, AAS meeting
• AST visiting all facilities to meet with staff
  and management
• AST exploring implications of all issues
  identified. e.g. facility closure, divestiture

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Senior Review

• Committee Membership
• (subcommittee of MPS Advisory Committee)
• Roger Blandford - Stanford (Chair)

• John Huchra - Harvard
• Elizabeth Lada - U. Florida
• Malcolm Longair - Cambridge
• J. Patrick Looney - Brookhaven
• Bruce Partridge - Haverford
• Vera Rubin - Carnegie/DTM

• Tom Ayres - Colorado
• Donald Backer - UC Berkeley
• John Carlstrom - Chicago
• Karl Gebhardt - Texas, Austin
• Lynne Hillenbrand - Caltech
• Craig Hogan - U. Washington

Charge posted on the web http//www.nsf.gov/mps/as
t/ast_senior_review.jsp
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Senior Review

• First meeting of committee 19-21 October 2005
• Included sessions with facilities managers and
  directors
• Considered
• Observatory submissions
• Reports from O/IR and Radio long-range planning
  groups
• Common metrics from all facilities
• Community comments
• Committee began framing criteria for evaluation
• AST provided examples of options for action
• Committee developed second set of questions for
  facility managers to address before next meeting

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Senior Review

• Committee met 12-13 January 2006
• Included second session with facilities managers
  and directors
• Next meeting end of February
• Requested report by 31 March 2006
• But committee to take as much time as needed

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Senior Review

• Next Steps
• Report will be submitted to MPS AC for acceptance
• AST will formulate an implementation plan
• Some recommendations may require additional
  exploration
• Bring plan to community (Special session at
  Calgary AAS, regional town meetings)
• CAA will be consulted as AST acts on
  recommendations
• Results will inform FY2008 budget development at
  the earliest (i.e. change will not be visible
  immediately).

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Stewardship and Science

• NSF is steward of ground-based astronomy
• Committee asked to help us in that stewardship
• Fabric of science must be far deeper and richer
  than Decade priority list
• Much of the structure is taken for granted
• Examine that fabric be certain pulling a thread
  doesnt unravel it all
• Scientific capability for the future
• Broad community support for the program

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The Question

• The question for all of us is to judge whether
  these changes are viable and lead to a vital and
  sustainable future, or whether the pace and scope
  of change necessary to realize the cumulative
  aspirations of the community under severely
  constrained budgets are too drastic.

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Operating budgets and grant increments to realize
the Decadal Survey recommendations
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