A Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

This project will partially support the next decadal survey for plasma science. Conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies), the report produced through this project will provide valuable information and guidance on issues that pertain to plasma science to federal policy makers in both Congress and the Administration, the agencies and their programs that support this field, research communities, and the general public. The report will discuss progress that has taken place in plasma science over the past ten years and will identify new opportunities and compelling scientific questions for the field over the next decade. The report will also discuss the benefits of the technological capabilities enabled by advances in plasma science for other fields of research as well as in meeting broader national needs. Portions of the report will be written with the goal to enhance the public understanding of plasma science and the role that it plays in other sciences and society at large. To carry out this project, a panel of approximately 15 members will be assembled by the National Academies. Committee membership will include not only a spectrum of plasma science expertise but also expertise from neighboring research fields with which plasma science is intrinsically and increasingly interconnected. In the process of developing the report, the committee will hold multiple meetings and workshops, including town meetings at professional society meetings, at various locations in the United States so as to engage the plasma science community in the survey process. The committee will then produce a report: 1) assessing the progress and achievements of plasma science over the past decade; 2) identifying the major scientific questions and new opportunities that define plasma science as a discipline, noting connections to and the influence on other disciplines; 3) discussing the nature and importance of the U.S. role in multi-national plasma research activities; 4) discussing how plasma science has contributed and will likely contribute to U.S. national needs both in and beyond plasma science, including economic prosperity and national defense; 5) assessing whether the present plasma science workforce and training opportunities are commensurate with future workforce needs; 6) assessing the present role of, and future opportunities for, universities within large national programs organized around major research instruments or community assets (i.e., user facilities, satellites, telescopes, etc.); and 7) assessing whether the structure, program balance, and level of the current U.S. research effort in plasma science across the federal and private efforts are best positioned to realize the science opportunities. 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.