Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee

The US research enterprise in astronomy and astrophysics is a remarkably productive activity with great visibility to the public, both in the nation and worldwide.

A National Academy of Science (NAS) Committee on the "Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics" (COMRAA) recommended the establishment of an advisory committee to deal with the increasingly important interfaces between the agencies involved in supporting astronomy and astrophysics. Support for this by the Executive Branch and Congress led to the establishment of the "Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee" (AAAC) under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Authorization Act of 2002 to:

1) assess, and make recommendations regarding, the coordination of astronomy and astrophysics programs of NSF and NASA, and

2) assess, and make recommendations regarding, the status of the activities of NSF and NASA as they relate to the recommendations contained in the National Research Councils 2001 Decadal report, and the recommendations contained in subsequent National Research Council reports of a similar nature.

3) submit a report to the Director of the NSF, the Administrator of NASA, and the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate not later than March 15 of each year.

The AAAC's role broadened in 2005 with the formal inclusion of DOE.

Full text of enabling legislation.

2006-2007 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Garth D. Illingworth, (Chair) University of California Santa Cruz/UCO/Lick Observatory
• John E. Carlstrom, (Vice-Chair) University of Chicago
• Neta A. Bahcall, Princeton University
• Bruce Carney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Scott Dodelson, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
• Wendy Freedman, Carnegie Observatories
• Katherine Freese, University of Michigan
• Daniel Lester, University of Texas at Austin
• Rene A. Ong, University of California at Los Angeles
• E. Sterl Phinney, California Institute of Technology
• Marcia Rieke, University of Arizona
• Keivan Stassun, Vanderbilt University
• Alycia J. Weinberger, Carnegie Institution of Washington

2005-2006 COMMITTEE MEMBERS

• Garth D. Illingworth, (Chair) University of California Santa Cruz/UCO/Lick Observatory
• John Carlstrom, (Vice-Chair) University of Chicago
• Neta Bahcall, Princeton University
• Bruce Carney, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Wendy Freedman, Carnegie Observatories
• Katherine Freese, University of Michigan
• Robert P. Kirshner, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
• Daniel Lester, University of Texas at Austin
• Angela V. Olinto, University of Chicago
• Rene A. Ong, University of California at Los Angeles
• E. Sterl Phinney, California Institute of Technology
• Catherine A. Pilachowsky, Indiana University
• Abhijit Saha, National Optical Astronomy Observatories