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May 24

House Appropriations Committee Proposes Strong Funding Levels for Astronomy in FY2019

The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations recently approved the fiscal year 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill led by Subcommittee Chairman Rep. John Culberson (R-TX). This spending bill recommends healthy funding levels for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF); these are important both […]

May 23

A Rain Gauge for the Sun – Computer Vision Tracking of Coronal Rain

Self-driving cars. Facial recognition. Finding cancerous cells in CT scans. Ensuring thousands of products we use daily are manufactured correctly. Each rely on “smart” machines (or computers) processing large amounts of information, mostly images, and making decisions based on that information. Training machines to “see” and understand real-world objects, like a stop sign in front of a self-driving car, can be a very difficult task and often leaves little room for error.

May 21

Procurement Policies and Procedures

Federal Government Compliance Regulations Uniform Guidance: 2 CFR 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards National Science Foundation’s Cooperative Agreement Financial Terms and Conditions (FATC) 2007 Revisions 2010 Revisions 2016 Revisions NSF Award and Administration Guide NASA Regulations Federal Aquisition Regulation NASA FAR Supplement Code of Federal Regulations Training Resources […]

May 21

Section A – AURA Organization, Structure, and General Policies

I. AURA ORGANIZATION A. Mission B. Role and Responsibilities of the Member Representatives C. Role and Responsibilities of the Board of Directors D. Role and Responsibilities of the Management Councils II. ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND RELATIONSHIPS OF THE PRESIDENT OF AURA A. Role B. Specific Functions C. Administrative Reporting III. ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CENTER […]

May 20

Section B – Personnel Policies and Procedures

I. EMPLOYMENT AND REASSIGNMENT This policy is in the final phases of review and approval, and will be updated shortly. II. TENURE A. Policy B. Procedures for Promotion to Tenure C. The Appeals Process for Denial of Tenure D. Tenure Appointments Coincident With Initial Employment E. Post Tenure Review F. Delay of Tenure/Scientist Appointment Procedures […]

May 19

Section C – AURA Financial Policies and Procedures

I. CORPORATE INVESTMENT GUIDELINES A. Policy B. Operating Funds C. Reserves D. Investment Instruments II. CORPORATE COMMITMENT AND SIGNATURE AUTHORITY A. Policy B. Procedures III. CERRO TOLOLO INTER-AMERICAN OBSERVATORY CORPORATE VEHICLE FLEET (CTIO CVF) A. Policy B. Procedure IV. AURA FUND RAISING POLICY A. General B. Procedures and Guidelines C. Coordination D. Oversight V. AURA […]

May 18

Section D – AURA By-Laws

AURA is in the process of reviewing and updating its by-laws. A new version of the by-laws will be posted here in May. I. ARTICLE I A. Membership II. ARTICLE II A. Member Representatives III. ARTICLE III A. Meetings of Member Representatives IV. ARTICLE IV A. Board of Directors V. ARTICLE V A. Management Councils […]

May 17

Astronomers Release Most Complete Ultraviolet-Light Survey of Nearby Galaxies

Much of the light in the universe comes from stars, and yet, star formation is still a vexing question in astronomy.

To piece together a more complete picture of star birth, astronomers have used the Hubble Space Telescope to look at star formation among galaxies in our own cosmic back yard. The survey of 50 galaxies in the local universe, called the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS), is the sharpest, most comprehensive ultraviolet-light look at nearby star-forming galaxies.

The LEGUS survey combines new Hubble observations with archival Hubble images for star-forming spiral and dwarf galaxies, offering a valuable resource for understanding the complexities of star formation and galaxy evolution. Astronomers are releasing the star catalogs for each of the LEGUS galaxies and cluster catalogs for 30 of the galaxies, as well as images of the galaxies themselves. The catalogs provide detailed information on young, massive stars and star clusters, and how their environment affects their development.

May 3

Massive Cluster Galaxies Move in Unexpected Ways

Astronomers using data from both of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS – North and South) measured the motions of stars within a sample of 32 massive elliptical cluster galaxies and found the stellar motions inconsistent with these galaxies’ solitary cousins.

Apr 8

DKIST M1 Mirror Successfully Aluminized

The DKIST Primary Mirror has been successfully aluminized in preparation for installation into the Telescope Mount Assembly. The 4-meter diameter, 75-mm thick mirror is made from Schott Zerodur glass with a weight of 3.3 metric tons. Despite the large size of the mirror, it requires only a tiny amount of aluminum (less than an ounce) to coat the surface. The aluminum coating provides a highly reflective surface required for the optical and infrared wavelengths at which DKIST will operate.

Mar 1

Free Screening of the Discovery Channel’s THE DARK SIDE OF THE SUN

The National Solar Observatory (NSO), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL), and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) are proud to present a free screening of the Discovery Channel’s “THE DARK SIDE OF THE SUN” narrated by award winning artist Sting, directed by filmmakers Nathaniel Kahn and Paul Bozymowski and produced by RadicalMedia.


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