tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post2321059240621785532..comments2023-03-14T07:39:38.863-04:00Comments on Astro Lunch: NSF Budget CutsJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17388318970024671898noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post-1453684490954344682011-10-31T00:12:30.165-04:002011-10-31T00:12:30.165-04:00Well, it would be nice to rectify the problem soon...Well, it would be nice to rectify the problem sooner rather that later although we may be too late for this round of cuts.<br /><br />I think private institutions are going to be key in this. A lot of the telescopes on Kitt Peak are at least partially owned by universities rather than NOAO itself. So maybe there a chance that people will cobble together something, but it seems that there are a lot of universities that are cutting back too.<br /><br />P.S. Does anybody else read this? haha.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17388318970024671898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post-43117263513542335902011-10-30T01:33:11.593-04:002011-10-30T01:33:11.593-04:00Hmm... but is it too late to rectify this issue? A...Hmm... but is it too late to rectify this issue? Are we to divert funding to generate PR positions now with the explicit hope that it will benefit O/IR astronomy in the future? Or, with current potentials for funding cuts, is it too late to expand PR by hiring professionals? <br /><br />I also wonder what role private institutions will play. They can purchase telescope time (not ideal, but possible) and they probably have a bit larger pockets for creating professional PR positions. Is it time that private institutions start funding these types of positions instead of the government in order to preserve the visibility of their research programs?stellar astronomerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07013008658197521298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post-60143071971804594432011-10-30T00:45:33.433-04:002011-10-30T00:45:33.433-04:00Re: PR for ground based O/IR astronomy:
We don...Re: PR for ground based O/IR astronomy:<br /><br />We don't do a good job with PR for ground based O/IR astronomy because we don't hire professionals to do the PR. For example, I think there were only 2 Education/Public Outreach people (and 1 graphics person) at NOAO Tucson when I did my REU there. Now, 1 of those people has been laid off (brought up at the discussion). As much as I think it's important for astronomers to communicate directly with the public, sometimes the field of astronomy is probably best served by letting professionals handle the PR.Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17388318970024671898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post-83101330463290128142011-10-30T00:24:03.367-04:002011-10-30T00:24:03.367-04:00I think you raised two interesting points. The fir...I think you raised two interesting points. The first being that everything is fair game in the current portfolio review. While bigger projects may seem to be the obvious places to cut, they are also usually supported by an international effort. If the US bails, then international relations may be strained. In that respect, smaller national programs might be a bit more attractive to diplomatically conscience reviewers.<br /><br />As for getting people on board - it is crucial! I am definitely of the opinion that the American public as a whole should be involved. If sites become only an interest to a small subset of people in the country politicians and bureaucrats might find more of a reason to cut funding. Scientifically, Kitt Peak has a lot to offer the public, it's just a matter of making the public aware. For instance, where would the public excitement for Kepler be without ground based follow up to actually confirm the presence of an exoplanet? It was interesting that during our discussion at Astro Lunch, a point was raised that ground based O/IR astronomy doesn't seem to be very good at PR and getting the public at large excited about the work being done.stellar astronomerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07013008658197521298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122508365469151101.post-60795209726009360582011-10-29T00:32:57.394-04:002011-10-29T00:32:57.394-04:00Just to throw my 2 cents in:
I agree that it'...Just to throw my 2 cents in:<br /><br />I agree that it's not time to panic about this issue. I'm not sure anybody should panic even if Kitt Peak is closed. However, I found the most illuminating part of this whole discussion to be that it appears that everything is on the table for NSF AST budget discussions ---not just big projects like JWST. Maybe other people already knew this, but I was not so keenly aware until hearing about this.<br /><br />I had an interesting discussion this week around the KP dinner table about how "saving" Kitt Peak may require a method analogous to that which saved Hubble. Basically, get the American (not just Arizonan) public involved. One large difference (and hindrance) is that STSci was equipped with people whose sole job was to do PR for Hubble. Kitt Peak/NOAO Tucson does not have that kind of staffing. And no, Kitt Peak is not Hubble, but there is plenty of good, approachable science done at Kitt Peak to excite public support. Right?Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17388318970024671898noreply@blogger.com