Towards the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers have discovered 10 monstrous neutron stars. These particular stars, called pulsars, reside together in globular cluster Terzan 5, a crowded home for hundreds of thousands of different types of stars. In one of the most jam-packed places in our Milky Way, many pulsars in Terzan 5 have evolved into bizarre and eccentric forms.
Recent News
Old Data, New Tricks Discover Pulsar in Galactic Plane
A team of astronomers has found a new tool to discover pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars that blast out pulses of radiation at regular intervals ranging from seconds to milliseconds. Named the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE), the tool was made possible by a collaboration between the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
AUI and the NRAO Announce Recipients of the 2024 NAC Bridge Scholarship Award
In its fourth year, the AUI Board of Trustees NAC Bridge Scholarship Award recognizes the academic accomplishments of National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) alums and assists them in the transition from undergraduate to graduate programs.
AUI Statement on Racial Equity
As many know, June 10 has been identified as a “strike” day for academic institutions. We acknowledge many of our employees may choose to join the Strike for Black Lives, and we support them in their decision. We have cancelled all standing meetings for the day and have provided employees with options for reading and self-reflection. We support these actions as we fully believe that all lives can only matter when Black Lives Matter too.
At AUI, given that we run national and international facilities, we have a particular interest and focus on ensuring equal access – especially by underserved and underrepresented communities — to the facilities, opportunities and careers in R&D. AUI deeply values and prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion, and we understand the strength and value that they bring to R&D, and that they are integral to our mission and our operations. However, we must recognize and address the reality that while we strive for equal access, often access is experienced unequally across racial lines in our country. When left unaddressed or under-addressed, inequitable treatment of people has a destructive, toxic effect on our culture. Ending these inequities must be an integral part of our mission and our daily work. We have made good progress, but we have a long way to go. We must and will do better – always.
We are committed to providing a safe, non-discriminatory workplace for all our workforce, collaborators, users of our facilities, contractors, students and visitors. Our work conduct policies exemplify and reinforce our on-going commitment to maintaining an atmosphere where everyone is treated with respect. We are committed to our policies and improving them as needed to ensure that every one of us is heard and respected. We strive to proactively address inequity internally and to redouble our efforts with our partners and external stakeholders.
NSBP-AUI Partnership: Over the past decade, AUI has partnered with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) on various STEM education projects and outreach initiatives. AUI and the observatories we manage have benefited significantly from this partnership, becoming more aware of issues facing persons of color in physics and astronomy and working together to implement solutions. We remain committed to our enduring partnership and our shared set of values. While there are many ways to make a positive difference for a more inclusive world in our scientific communities, we encourage those seeking to make an impact to contribute to NSBP programs, or to another organization of your choice with the mission of enhancing diversity in the R&D and STEM fields. AUI is a proud supporter of the NSBP Scholarship for Minority Students Majoring in Physics, and we hope you will consider contributing as well. For more information, visit https://www.nsbp.org/ and click on the Donate tab.
Recent News
Telescope Tag-Team Discovers Galactic Cluster’s Bizarre Secrets
Towards the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, in the constellation Sagittarius, astronomers have discovered 10 monstrous neutron stars. These particular stars, called pulsars, reside together in globular cluster Terzan 5, a crowded home for hundreds of thousands of different types of stars. In one of the most jam-packed places in our Milky Way, many pulsars in Terzan 5 have evolved into bizarre and eccentric forms.
Old Data, New Tricks Discover Pulsar in Galactic Plane
A team of astronomers has found a new tool to discover pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars that blast out pulses of radiation at regular intervals ranging from seconds to milliseconds. Named the VLA Low-band Ionosphere and Transient Experiment (VLITE), the tool was made possible by a collaboration between the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
AUI and the NRAO Announce Recipients of the 2024 NAC Bridge Scholarship Award
In its fourth year, the AUI Board of Trustees NAC Bridge Scholarship Award recognizes the academic accomplishments of National Astronomy Consortium (NAC) alums and assists them in the transition from undergraduate to graduate programs.