Management and Operation of the National Astronomy and Inosphere Center (NAIC), Arecibo Observatory (AO) 2005-2010

康奈尔大学将根据与美国国家科学基金会（NSF）的合作协议，在2005 - 2009财年管理和运营美国国家天文与电离层中心（NAIC）。这一时期的前18个月将根据2000-2004财年合作协议的延期进行。nac于1973年由康奈尔大学成立，从那时起就一直由康奈尔大学运营，作为一个由美国国家科学基金会支持的多学科国家天文学和航空研究中心。NAIC的基础研究仪器是直径305米的阿雷西博望远镜，这是世界上最大的射电/雷达望远镜。国家天文研究中心的主要科学目标是执行由天文和航空研究界自己制定并在国家研究委员会的相关十年报告中阐明的共识性建议。由大学研究人员和NAIC科学家组成的联合小组操作的第一个NAIC“射电相机”，阿雷西博l波段馈电阵列，将创建供所有天文学家使用的档案数据库。nac将继续运营其非常成功的游客中心，该中心每年吸引的游客（12万）比参观所有其他NSF天文设施的人数总和还要多。2003年，Cornell/NAIC在天文台建立了公众理解科学办公室（OPUS）。在本次颁奖期间，OPUS的目标是成为向西班牙裔社区开展科学推广工作的领导者，西班牙裔社区在数学、科学和工程领域的代表性不足。

ABSTRACTCornell University will manage and operate the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) under Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the period FY2005 - 2009. The first 18 months of this period will be carried out under extension of the FY2000-2004 cooperative agreement. The NAIC was formed in 1973 by Cornell and has been operated by Cornell since that time as a multidisciplinary national center for research in astronomy and aeronomy supported by the NSF. The cornerstone research instrument of the NAIC is the 305-m diameter Arecibo telescope, the largest radio/radar telescope in the world. The NAIC seeks to implement as its primary scientific objectives those consensus recommendations formulated by the astronomical and aeronomical research communities themselves and articulated in the relevant decadal reports of the National Research Council. The first NAIC "radio camera", the Arecibo L-band Feed Array, operated by joint teams of university researchers and NAIC scientists, will create archival databases for use by all astronomers. NAIC will continue to operate its highly successful Visitor Center, which attracts more people annually (120,000) than visit all other NSF astronomy facilities combined. In 2003, Cornell/NAIC established the Office for the Public Understanding of Science (OPUS) at the Observatory. The objective of OPUS in the period of the current award is to become a leader in scientific outreach efforts to the Hispanic community, a community that is underrepresented in the fields of mathematics, science and engineering.