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5 The NSF Geospace Section Portfolio Recommended by the ICCGS
Pages 22-39

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From page 22...
... The 2013 solar and space physics decadal survey1 makes a variety of recommendations to accomplish the program, recommendations, and priorities with which the ICCGS report2 is well aligned, with some exceptions. For the purposes of this chapter, the recommended program is grouped into five major sections: actions for current GS facilities; the evolution of facilities programs; competed grants -- including core, targeted, and strategic programs; workforce development and diversity; and partnerships and opportunities.
From page 23...
... NOTE: Acronyms are defined in Appendix E SOURCE: National Science Foundation, 2016, Investments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025, Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Science, February 5, https://www.nsf.gov/geo/adgeo/geospace-review/ geospace-portfolio-review-final-rpt-2016.pdf, Table 9.1, p.
From page 24...
... • ICCGS Recommendations 7.2, 7.3, and 9.9 summarized: Terminate funding for the Sondrestrom ISR ($2.5 million annually) when the current continuing contract for its management and operation ends in December 2017, or via ramping down of funds, and allow ancillary instruments to compete for funds through a peer-review process from the core and targeted GS grants programs.
From page 25...
... The combination of unknown factors regarding the futures of Arecibo and Sondrestrom led the assessment committee to draw two conclusions. Conclusion: Details concerning the actual costs of supporting geospace sciences at Arecibo Observatory and Sondrestrom, including the ISRs and ancillary instrumentation, are not provided in the ICCGS.
From page 26...
... would be redirected to "strategic grants programs to address DRIVE initiatives recommended by the Decadal Survey."11 According to Figure 5.1 (ICCGS Table 9.1) , the strategic grants to address DRIVE initiatives appear to be the IGS program that includes Space Weather Modeling and Grand Challenges Projects.
From page 27...
... A potential Midscale Projects Program is also discussed; however, ICCGS was not able to recommend beginning this program within GS's current budget. 5.2.1 Midscale Projects Funding The recent decadal surveys for astronomy and astrophysics13 and for solar and space physics14 both called for an NSF midscale program to support development of ground-based facilities and experiments that are too small for the NSF MREFC account's recently adjusted lower limit of $70 million,15 but too large for the NSF MRI program's upper limit of $4 million.16 The solar and space physics survey's DRIVE initiative emphasized the need for a diverse portfolio of observational platforms, including midscale programs.
From page 28...
... Conclusion: Funding a program for midscale projects currently lies outside the means and ability of the NSF Geospace Section alone. Recommendation: The Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences should work with the Directorate for Geosciences and the National Science Foundation to implement the 2013 solar and space physics decadal survey recommendation for a Midscale Projects Program to address midscale priorities.
From page 29...
... . Its relation to the strategic grants programs, especially space weather modeling and Grand Challenges, needs clarification.
From page 30...
... Recommendation: To begin implementation of the Investments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025 recommendations to create distributed arrays of small instruments (DASIs) with the goal of starting new Class 2 facilities, the National Science Foundation should support community efforts to establish requirements for future DASI-type sensors and projects -- by organizing targeted community workshops, for example -- within a wider Geospace Section strategic framework.
From page 31...
... The first of these mandates is being addressed today through the Core Grants Programs, and to some extent through contributions from the Strategic Grants program. The ICCGS-recommended GS Grants Program detailed below addresses the second mandate by proposing specific portfolio adjustments to advance integrative science and predictive science that underlie space weather applications and cross-disciplinary science.
From page 32...
... Instead, the ICCGS recommends initiating Grand Challenge Projects with a budget of $1.5 million per year by 2020, a new strategic grants program that, together with the current SWM program, would reside under Integrative Geospace Science by 2020 (ICCGS Recs.
From page 33...
... Finding: Evolution of the strategic and targeted grants programs emphasizes the continuing transition of geospace sciences from distinct strategic areas to an integrative approach to address more optimally geospace science as a complex dynamical system. The share of the overall GS budget remains stable for the core grants program and increases modestly for strategic grants.
From page 34...
... Recommendation: The assessment committee endorses the Investments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025 recommendation to seek partnerships for CubeSats outside of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Geospace Section.
From page 35...
... Furthermore, the ICCGS emphasized the importance of data collection in assessing the effectiveness of these efforts to increase participation of African Americans, Latino/as, Native Americans, and women in geospace science. At the undergraduate and graduate student levels, the ICCGS explicitly mentions the Center for Integrated Space Weather Modeling and incoherent scatter radar summer schools, student attendance at the GEM, CEDAR, and SHINE summer meetings, and the research experiences for undergraduates (REU)
From page 36...
... Although some progress has been achieved at increasing the participation of women,39 particularly at the undergraduate and graduate levels, the lack of progress in recruiting and retaining minorities at all levels is concerning and must be addressed.40 Recommendation: The assessment committee recommends that to realize Recommendation 4.6 of Invest ments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025 fully, the lack of diversity and representa tion in solar and space physics should be attacked aggressively. The National Science Foundation Geospace Section should identify best practices and provide guidance for new approaches to diversifying geospace.
From page 37...
... Given that Arecibo Observatory has been funded through a partnership, and that the ICCGS recommends (ICCGS Recs.
From page 38...
... SOURCE: National Science Foundation, 2016, Investments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025, Geospace Section of the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Science, February 5, https://www.nsf.gov/geo/adgeo/geospace-review/geospace-portfolio-reviewfinal-rpt-2016.pdf. on the Arecibo Observatory as a whole may be substantial.
From page 39...
... However, when considering the implementation of the portfolio recommended by Investments in Critical Capabilities for Geospace Science 2016 to 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) Geospace Section should continue to maintain an awareness of and explore opportunities to leverage measurements available from international programs.


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