What are the exciting science opportunities of the 2020s?
What challenges do we need to meet to accomplish the science?
How can NOAO help make it happen?

NOAO welcomes your input on the exciting scientific opportunities of the coming decade in areas in which NOAO can play a role in providing critical resources and/or areas that offer opportunities to strengthen the US ground-based OIR system.

Join us at a community workshop 20-21 February 2018 in Tucson to discuss community needs and to work toward an integrated development program that NOAO will present to the Decadal Survey committee. Input received online through the NOAO Decadal Planning website will inform the workshop discussion.

Scope: We welcome a broad range of science ideas that motivate the need for resources such as:

  • Large science programs that use existing facilities at KPNO, CTIO, Gemini Observatory, and LSST
  • Community access to observing time on non-NOAO facilities
  • Community access to archival datasets not currently in the public domain
  • Resources for the exploration and analysis of large datasets and the time domain
  • New investigations and instrumentation at the mid-scale level ($2M-$100M)
  • New observing facilities
  • Other

The scientific opportunities may build on the science and resources described in the recent studies “Optimizing the US Ground-based OIR Astronomy System” (the Elmegreen report) and the report from the Kavli Futures Symposium “Maximizing Science in the Era of LSST: A Community-based Study of Needed OIR Capabilities”, but they are by no means restricted to these. Concepts may include NOAO as a major or minor partner with universities and/or other federal agencies. An updated “Dear Colleague” letter provides additional details on the planning process.

Format: The workshop will feature plenary talks on major science themes and break out discussions centered on resource themes (facilities, software, archives) aimed at identifying important science and technical directions for the coming decade.

Registration is now closed. There is no registration fee for the meeting.