About the event
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee is a federal advisory committee chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act at the recommendation of the Presidential Committee on the Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (COMRAA).
The purpose of this meeting is to provide advice and recommendations to the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on issues within the field of astronomy and astrophysics that are of mutual interest and concern to the agencies.
This is a virtual meeting that will take place on December 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Online meeting requires advance registration: Zoom registration form.
The committee will hear presentations by representatives from NSF, NASA, DOE and other agencies relevant to astronomy and astrophysics. The primary purpose of these presentations includes a discussion of current programming and potential areas of cooperation between the agencies, as well as recommendations for continued and new areas of cooperation and mechanisms for achieving them.
For additional assistance with accessibility and reasonable accommodations, contact rarequest@nsf.gov or call 703-292-8020 to request support. Please contact NSF at least 14 days before your meeting or event date for sessions lasting one day or less and 30 days in advance for sessions lasting two or more consecutive days to allow sufficient time to coordinate arrangements.
Meeting Agenda (All times Eastern Standard Time)
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Welcome, Opening Remarks
10:00 – 10:05 a.m.
Sign-in (Tiana Faulcon), Logistics, Conflicts of Interest, (Louise Edwards)
10:05 – 10:15 a.m.
Chair Remarks - Approval of Minutes (from September 2025)
10:15 – 10:45 a.m.
NSF Update - Chris Smith, NSF Acting Astronomy Division Dir
10:45 – 11:00 a.m.
Q&A
11:00 – 11:40 a.m.
NSF-Simons AI Institutes - Stella Offner, Director of CosmicAI, Vicky Kalogera, Director of SkAI
11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Q&A
12:00 – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
DOE Update - Kathy Turner, DOE High Energy Physics, Bryan Field, DOE High Energy Physics
Q&A
Budget Perspectives
1:15 – 1:55 p.m.
Jacob Taylor, AIP Science Policy
1:55 – 2:10 p.m.
Q&A
Dark and Quiet Skies
2:10 – 2:50 p.m.
Jonathan Williams, NSF Astronomy
2:50 – 3:10 p.m.
Q&A
3:10 – 3:20 p.m.
Break
3:20 – 3:30 p.m.
Public Comment period
Committee Discussion or Other
3:30 – 4:25 p.m.
Individual Member Perspectives / Writing Assignments
4:25 p.m.
Adjourn
Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed by guest speaker(s) are those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.