The NSO Users' Committee met on 10 June at the AAS meeting in Madison. We were fortunate to have the participation of Hugh Van Horn, Director of the NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences, and Ken Schatten, Director of the NSF Solar Terrestrial Research Program. A report from the Users' Committee Chair, David Rust, appears below.
The annual NSO/Sac Peak summer workshop was held during the week of 17 June. This year, NSO hosted the workshop for SOLERS22 (Solar Electromagnetic Radiation Study for Solar Cycle 22). With nearly 100 attendees, it was the largest summer workshop yet and featured wide-ranging discussions of the variability of the solar output and its effect on the terrestrial environment. Look for a full report in the next Newsletter.
On 8 and 9 July, both NSO sites were visited by representatives of a panel convened by the NSF to evaluate AURA's proposal to continue its operation of NOAO under a cooperative agreement. The same panel reviewed the omnibus "Renewing NOAO" proposal that includes the SOLIS (Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun) suite of instruments. Despite a hectic schedule, the panel focused effectively and constructively on key issues. The report of the panel should be available some time this fall.
Doug Rabin