NSF's National Optical-infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory: Management and Operations of the Directorate, Mid-Scale Observatories, and the Community Science and Data Center

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ABSTRACTThe National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and operated by a managing organization under cooperative agreement with NSF. Under this award, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. will manage and operate NOAO for the period 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2020.During the award period, AURA will lead NOAO into an era that focuses on Data Science; helping astronomers obtain and use extremely large and complex data sets containing observations of millions to billions of celestial objects. These data sets and the follow-up observations based on them will be generated by facilities in Arizona and Chile operated by NOAO as well as other ground-based and space- based facilities. AURA will execute its plan in partnership with university-based scientists, other leading federally funded national centers for astronomy and physics, and international collaborations. Based on an ongoing dialogue with its partners as well as the NSF, AURA will update its plan on an annual basis to ensure that NOAO is delivering the services and capabilities needed by the community and most likely to maximize the scientific return-on-investment.Intellectual Merit: Via the NOAO envisioned by AURA, highly qualified scientists from around the world will use rich data sets as well as individual, targeted observational data sets obtained at NOAO-operated facilities in Arizona and Chile to investigate a broad range of research problems such as the detection and characterization of small (10s of meters in diameter) asteroids near Earth that are potential threats to humanity, untangling the assembly history of the Milky Way, measuring small ripples in the cosmic fabric of space-time in order to learn more about the mysterious dark matter, and creating a more accurate map of how space-time unfolded and expanded since the Big Bang under the influence of dark energy. Much of this research will require adopting, adapting, and using the Big Data visualization and analysis techniques now emerging in almost all areas of research, commerce, and government. Through NOAO, AURA will also continue to pioneer new, vigorous research and technology development collaborations with the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and NSF.Broader Impacts: Through the investment of federal funds, all citizens are stakeholders in the NOAO program. NOAO will continue to engage the diversity of its community from low-income primary school students local to NOAO facilities in Arizona and Chile, to postdoctoral scholars who begin their careers at those facilities, undergraduate students seeking research experiences, and the tens of thousands of visitors to NOAO?s mountain-based facilities in Arizona and Chile. AURA will continue its ambitious program to recruit, train, and retain scientists and engineers from underrepresented groups, encouraging them to be pioneers in new, vigorous research and technology development. Training students and early career scientists in the use of Big Data techniques is a major goal of this award.