Newswise Today the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corporation to explore a potential partnership between the organizations. <\/p>\n
The award is a milestone for the TMT project, initiating a broad dialog between TMT, the NSF and the United States' astronomical community. The partnership-planning award also paves the way for the NSF to confer with TMT's international partners. <\/p>\n
\"The NSF award is a key development in our vision for TMT,\" said Henry Yang, Chancellor of the University of California - Santa Barbara, and Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board. \"The full promise of this revolutionary telescope will be realizable with the engagement of the national astronomical community.\" <\/p>\n
The NSF award allocates $250,000 per year for five years to partnership-planning activities that include scientific workshops and participation by U.S. scientists in the TMT Science Advisory Committee and the TMT Collaborative Board. The five-year program of engagement and planning will deliver a plan that addresses science, education and public outreach, instrumentation, and operation of the facility from the perspective of the U.S. astronomy community. This plan will be developed and refined in a series of joint meetings bringing together all U.S. and international stakeholders. <\/p>\n
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, AZ will play an important role in carrying out the activities of the cooperative agreement. NOAO will establish a U.S. TMT liaison activity within its System Community Development group and NOAO astronomer Todd Boroson has been selected as the U.S. TMT Liaison Scientist. <\/p>\n
\"With this award by the NSF, an important process has begun of engaging the astronomical community in the ongoing design and development of TMT,\" said Boroson. \"Astronomers nationwide have a great opportunity to offer their expertise in advancing the TMT project.\" <\/p>\n
The TMT partnership plans to initiate construction in 2014. At present, the NSF does not commit to helping fund the construction costs of TMT; however TMT planning allows the entry of the NSF later in the construction period. TMTs development plan calls for it to provide valuable research opportunities and discoveries for 50 years. <\/p>\n
As the partnership planning moves ahead as a result of the NSF award, international partner organizations and their governments will soon be able to consult more closely on TMT's development. <\/p>\n
\"We are delighted by the dialog the NSF partnership-planning award enables. This elevates the dialog to the national and international levels,\" said Ed Stone, David Morrisroe Professor of Physics at Caltech, and Vice-Chair of the TMT Collaborative Board. <\/p>\n
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Engaging the U.S. Astronomy Community - NSF Awards Partnership-Planning Grant to TMT<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Newswise Today the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a cooperative agreement to the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Observatory Corporation to explore a potential partnership between the organizations. The award is a milestone for the TMT project, initiating a broad dialog between TMT, the NSF and the United States' astronomical community. Continue reading