Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the Universe has changed dramatically over the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics continue to create new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise. Basing its deliberations on the decadal survey of astronomy and astrophysics, "New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics", the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics (CAA) identifies issues of concern to the astronomy and astrophysics community and provides guidance to federal agencies regarding their astronomy and astrophysics research programs in order to encourage the field's scientific progress. A primary function during this award is to enable the next decadal survey. The CAA is under the auspices of the Board on Physics and Astronomy and the Space Studies Board of the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences. Committee membership is drawn from experts from across a diverse field, and the CAA is thus able to identify and assess issues and trends that can lead to fresh insights and new perspectives on key questions at the forefront of scientific research. The activities of the CAA serve to disseminate information from the supporting agencies into the broader community, as well as to provide the agency officials with community-based input. The CAA routinely gathers input from the astronomy, astrophysics, and physics communities, and members of the committee converse with agency officials, the administration, congressional staff, and community members. Most reports and analyses are available to the broader public. Staff and committee members also participate in annual meetings of the American Astronomical Society and, occasionally, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. The CAA is supported by NASA and NSF. 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.