A team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting molecular activity in comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)—the largest and second most distantly active comet ever observed from the Oort Cloud.
Recent News
Unusual stellar nurseries near our galaxy’s center puzzle scientists
New research led by Dr. James De Buizer at the SETI Institute and Dr. Wanggi Lim at IPAC at Caltech revealed surprising results about the rate at which high-mass stars form in the galactic center of the Milky Way.
ALMA Reveals Lives of Planet-Forming Disks
An international team of astronomers has unveiled groundbreaking findings about the disks of gas and dust surrounding nearby young stars, using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
CORFO Selects AUI to Build and Manage the Chilean Institute for Clean Technologies

Associated Universities, Inc. has issued the following in response to being selected to build and manage the Chilean Institute for Clean Technologies:
AUI is honored by today’s decision by the Corporación de Fomento de la Producción de Chile (CORFO) to award the Chilean Institute for Clean Technologies (ICTL) construction, management, and operations contract to our team. AUI is committed to creating an institute that will impact Chilean mining, renewable energy, lithium battery manufacturing, and related industrial sectors; provide services to support entrepreneurship and Macro Zona Norte; and help develop the workforce that will be needed in the north of Chile to deliver sustainable mining, renewable energy, and enhanced value chain for critical materials such as copper, lithium, and other minerals. AUI looks forward to providing additional information about our team’s plans exciting plans for ICTL subsequent to the notice to proceed from CORFO.
The CORFO announcement is available online.
About AUI
At AUI, we make scientific breakthroughs possible. AUI was created in the public interest of as a non-profit organization to establish and manage one of the first Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, Brookhaven National Laboratory. We pioneered the user facility model allowing the research community to tackle science projects at a scale that no single institution could afford individually. User facilities are the backbone of today’s national lab system, providing access to cutting edge facilities to enable new technologies that push the boundaries of science. We continue to be the trusted manager of the US radio astronomy assets for over 70 years. We lead an international coalition to develop, build, and operate the groundbreaking ALMA observatory. Through our incubator initiatives we continually expand our focus to address national challenges and secure critical infrastructure through cybersecurity, elearning, and social science initiatives. AUI is committed to realizing the broadest public benefits that flow from vigorous scientific research. As part of this commitment, AUI supports effective programs of education and public outreach, and seeks to help build a scientific enterprise that is broadly diverse and representative of our society.
Recent News
Largest Oort Cloud Comet Ever Observed Reveals Its Secrets with ALMA’s Powerful Gaze
A team of astronomers has made a groundbreaking discovery by detecting molecular activity in comet C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein)—the largest and second most distantly active comet ever observed from the Oort Cloud.
Unusual stellar nurseries near our galaxy’s center puzzle scientists
New research led by Dr. James De Buizer at the SETI Institute and Dr. Wanggi Lim at IPAC at Caltech revealed surprising results about the rate at which high-mass stars form in the galactic center of the Milky Way.
ALMA Reveals Lives of Planet-Forming Disks
An international team of astronomers has unveiled groundbreaking findings about the disks of gas and dust surrounding nearby young stars, using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).