Universities Research Association Inc

A COMMUNITY COASTAL AND OCEAN MODELING TESTBED TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING AND OPERATIONAL FORECASTS OF EXTREME EVENTS AND CHRONIC ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITI

NOAA TESTBED: A SUPER-REGIONAL TESTBED TO IMPROVE MODELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES ON THE U.S. ATLANTIC AND GULF OF MEXICO COASTS.

SEVEN (7) ACTIONS CONVERTED FROM SAP TO CMM, THIS TOTALS THEM ALL. INTERGOVERNMENTAL PERSONNEL ACT (IPA) FOR WALTER F BROOKS; THE NASA ADVANCE SUPER

PIERRE AUGER PROJECT - OBSERVATORY'S OPERATING COSTS

U.S. IOOS COASTAL MODELING TESTBED: A SUPER-REGIONAL TESTBED TO IMPROVE MODELS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESSES ON THE U.S. COASTS.

THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY OPERATING FUNDS REQUEST

ASTROPHYSICAL TESTS OF FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS

THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY OPERATING FUNDS REQUEST

PIERRE AUGER PROJECT - OBSERVATORY'S OPERATING COSTS

THE 2011 JOINT ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK PHYSICISTS AND THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PHYSICISTS

THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY OPERATING FUNDS REQUEST -THE HIGHEST-ENERGY PARTICLES EVER OBSERVED IN THE UNIVERSE ARE CALLED ULTRAHIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS (UHECRS). THEY CARRY TENS OF MILLIONS OF TIMES MORE ENERGY THAN THE PARTICLES PRODUCED BY THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL PARTICLE ACCELERATORS. DESPITE MORE THAN 60 YEARS OF RESEARCH, SCIENTISTS STILL DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THESE PARTICLES COME FROM OR HOW NATURE ACCELERATES THEM TO SUCH EXTREME ENERGIES. UHECRS ARE EXTREMELY RARE, WITH FEWER THAN ONE PARTICLE STRIKING A SQUARE KILOMETER OF EARTH'S SURFACE EACH YEAR. HOWEVER, THEY PROVIDE A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY PHYSICS AT ENERGY LEVELS THAT CANNOT BE REACHED IN ANY LABORATORY. UNDERSTANDING HOW THESE PARTICLES ARE ACCELERATED BY POWERFUL OBJECTS IN SPACE, SUCH AS EXPLODING STARS OR ACTIVE GALAXIES, WILL IMPROVE OUR KNOWLEDGE OF FUNDAMENTAL PROCESSES INVOLVING MAGNETIC FIELDS AND TURBULENT PLASMAS. THESE PROCESSES ARE ALSO IMPORTANT IN AREAS SUCH AS FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH, INCLUDING UNDERSTANDING THE BEHAVIOR OF THE SUN. WHEN UHECRS COLLIDE WITH ATOMS IN EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE, THEY ALSO CREATE PARTICLE INTERACTIONS THAT ALLOW SCIENTISTS TO TEST THE LAWS OF PHYSICS UNDER CONDITIONS THAT CANNOT BE REPRODUCED ON EARTH. THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY HAS SHOWN THAT UHECRS ARE ATOMIC NUCLEI, RANGING FROM LIGHT ELEMENTS TO HEAVY ELEMENTS SUCH AS IRON, AND POSSIBLY EVEN RARER ELEMENTS LIKE KRYPTON AND GOLD. DETERMINING EXACTLY WHAT THESE PARTICLES ARE MADE OF AND WHERE THEY COME FROM IS ESSENTIAL FOR UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY ARE PRODUCED. THIS PROJECT WILL IMPROVE MEASUREMENTS OF THEIR COMPOSITION AND THE DIRECTIONS FROM WHICH THEY ARRIVE, PROVIDING IMPORTANT CLUES ABOUT THEIR SOURCES. UHECRS ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO PRODUCE EXTREMELY HIGH-ENERGY NEUTRINOS, NEARLY MASSLESS PARTICLES THAT TRAVEL ACROSS THE UNIVERSE WITH VERY LITTLE INTERACTION. DETECTING THESE NEUTRINOS WOULD PROVIDE AN ENTIRELY NEW WAY TO STUDY THE POWERFUL COSMIC ENVIRONMENTS THAT GENERATE UHECRS. THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY (PAO), LOCATED IN MALARG?E, ARGENTINA, IS THE LARGEST COSMIC-RAY DETECTOR EVER BUILT. DEVELOPED WITH STRONG LEADERSHIP FROM THE UNITED STATES, IT IS OPERATED BY AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION INVOLVING SCIENTISTS FROM 17 COUNTRIES. SINCE BEGINNING OPERATIONS, THE OBSERVATORY HAS DETECTED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ULTRAHIGH-ENERGY COSMIC RAYS, TRAINED MANY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, GRADUATE STUDENTS, AND POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS, AND SHARED ITS DISCOVERIES THROUGH A PUBLIC DATA PROGRAM. THE OBSERVATORY RECENTLY COMPLETED A MAJOR UPGRADE CALLED AUGERPRIME, WHICH ADDED NEW DETECTORS AND IMPROVED ELECTRONICS TO EVERY DETECTOR STATION. THESE UPGRADES GREATLY IMPROVE THE OBSERVATORY'S ABILITY TO DETERMINE THE TYPE OF PARTICLE THAT PRODUCED EACH COSMIC RAY. THIS NEW CAPABILITY IS CRITICAL FOR IDENTIFYING THE SOURCES OF UHECRS AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY REACH SUCH EXTRAORDINARY ENERGIES. FUNDING FROM THIS AWARD WILL SUPPORT THE CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE OBSERVATORY AND ENABLE U.S. SCIENTISTS TO FULLY USE ITS UPGRADED CAPABILITIES. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

SACNAS MINORITY PHYSICISTS SUPPORT PROJECT; NSHP/SACNAS NATIONAL CONFERENCE SEPT/OCT 2012-2014 AT SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITIES RESEARCH ASSOCIATION

THE HELIOPHYSICS EDUCATION CONSORTIUM BRINGS TO NASA SMD A PREEMINENT HELIOPHYSICS RESEARCH CENTER COUPLED WITH NATIONAL LEADERS IN STEM EDUCATION AN

ADVANCING COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE AT MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS WORKSHOP

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) WORKSHOP IN NUCLEAR PHYSICS

IPAC'15 - STUDENT AND TEACHER SUPPORT - THE INTERNATIONAL PARTICLE ACCELERATOR CONFERENCE (IPAC'15) WILL HOLD IT'S SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING IN RICHMOND,

A STRATEGIC GOAL OF NASA THE SMD SCIENCE ACTIVATION PROGRAM AND NASA HEAT IS TO EXPAND TO THE STEM WORKFORCE ACHIEVE NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS AND INTENTIONALLY IMPROVE DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY (DEIA) IN STEM EDUCATION. THIS WORK WITH NSHP DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE GOALS OF DEIA WITHIN THESE ORGANIZATIONS. WORK WITH NATIONAL SOCIETY OF HISPANIC PHYSICISTS (NSHP) WILL BRING MORE AWARENESS OF SPACE SCIENCE AND HELIOPHYSICS TO A MINORITY AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY. THROUGH THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SACNAS (SOCIETY FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHICANOS AND NATIVE AMERICANS IN SCIENCE) THE NSHP WILL ENABLE THE WORK OF NASA HEAT AND THE HELIOPHYSICS COMMUNITY TO BE MORE RELEVANT AND OPEN TO THE LATINX AND NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES. THIS HELPS TO STRENGTHEN THE DIVERSITY OF HELIOPHYISCS AND THE STEM WORKFORCE.