In the News
The U.S. Rare Earth Predicament
Alvin Camba, a research adviser on critical materials at AUI, comments on the United States’ strategy for diversification of its supply chains for critical minerals from China.
Indonesia’s planned curbs on nickel production more than about raising prices
Alvin Camba, a research adviser on critical materials at AUI, discusses Indonesia’s recent decisions surrounding nickel production due to environmental problems and dwindling reserves.
Donald Trump expected to step up chase for critical minerals as China restricts exports
Alvin Camba, a research adviser on critical materials at AUI, provides insight on the U.S. supply chain strategy for critical resources, especially in regard to defense and technology.
NA-ROAD Announces 2024 Cohort of 10 Women and Girls in Astronomy for Development Projects
Newswise,
The North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) announced the selection of 10 astronomy for development projects as part of the 2024 cohort. These projects will receive funding as part of the Women and Girls in Astronomy Program (WGAP). This is the second year that NA-ROAD has offered funding for WGAP projects thanks to generous funding from the Heising-Simons Foundation. WGAP is managed by the NA-ROAD, which is a partnership of Associated Universities Inc. (AUI), Adler Planetarium, and the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).
Five New Ways to Catch Gravitational Waves — and the Secrets They’ll Reveal
Nature,
Observatories, including the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, are being developed to spot ripples in space-time at frequencies that currently can’t be detected.
A Very Large Project in the Works for the VLA
Pasatiempo Magazine,
The Very Large Array (VLA) is undergoing a major upgrade. The VLA, over time, will yield to the ngVLA, which stands for Next Generation Very Large Array, and construction on a prototype antenna dish will begin in January.
2023
The University of Texas at Dallas will receive $30 million over three years from the DOD to develop and commercialize new battery technologies and manufacturing processes, enhance the domestic availability of critical raw materials, and train high-quality workers for jobs in an expanding battery energy storage workforce.
United States Department of Defense, September 18, 2023
The Department of Defense’s Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) office, has awarded a three-year, $30 million project to establish an energy storage systems campus. The project will accelerate transition and scaling of next generation batteries, while reducing dependence on scarce critical materials.
New York Times, June 28, 2023
Radio telescopes around the world, including the Very Large Array and Green Bank Telescope, picked up a telltale hum reverberating across the cosmos, most likely from supermassive black holes merging in the early universe.
Revolutionary New Radio Array Will Capture Unprecedented Images
Forbes, March 3, 2023
The NRAO’s ngVLA, which would replace the observatory’s existing Very Large Array (VLA), would have ten times the sensitivity and ten times the resolution of the existing VLA whose 27 dishes have been operational since 1980.
2022
AUI and NRAO Announce 2022 NAC Bridge Scholarship Recipients
NRAO, July 5, 2022
AUI and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) have announced the recipients of the 2022 AUI Board of Trustees NAC Bridge Scholarship Award…
2021
The Guide for the Next Decade of Space Research Just Dropped
Wired, Nov. 4, 2021
The Astro2020 Decadal Survey’s top priorities include new telescopes, the search for habitable exoplanets, and far-infrared and x-ray probe missions.
Dome Fest West Film Festival 2021 Award Winners
Dome Fest West, Oct. 14, 2021
Big Astronomy won the Best Science Film Award at the 2021 Dome Fest West Film Festival!
Aim Higher for Women in Space
ABC 13 News, Oct. 4, 2021
A giant Earthwork portrait of a NASA Artemis Astronaut will be displayed in downtown Atlanta on Monday, October 11 in celebration of World Space Week and International Day of the Girl.
DCA Live’s 2021: Non Profit Star CFOs
DCA Live, Sept. 30, 2021
AUI’s Luther Lau was honored as a “Non Profit Star CFO.” DCA Live is pleased to honor a group of DC-area Non Profit CFOs who have made extraordinary contributions to the growth and health of their organizations over the past 12 months in this challenging health and economic environment.
Landmark infrastructure spending must address climate change crisis to prevent further damage
Utility Dive Op/Ed, Sept. 27, 2021
Contributed article by Tim Lieuwen, executive director of the Strategic Energy Institute, Georgia Tech; Adam Cohen, former deputy undersecretary for science and energy (DOE), president of Associated Universities; and Rich Simmons, research/studies director of the Strategic Energy Institute, Georgia Tech.
Harvard scientist uses astrochemistry to understand the birth of planets
C&EN, Sept. 11, 2021
Karin Öberg combines lab experiments, theoretical models, and telescope observations to investigate the reactions that give rise to solar systems. Karin Öberg serves on the AUI Board of Trustees.
AUI and Accumen Partner to Increase Crisis Resilience to Natural and Manmade Disasters for Healthcare Sector
Healthcare Dive, Jul. 14, 2021
New programs will ensure that healthcare organizations are better prepared to handle security threats, and power, water/waste management or supply chain disruptions.
ITL Development Director: “We are convinced that our proposal is solid and meets all the requirements”
Neuva Mineria y Energia magazine, May 3, 2021
In an interview with Nueva Mining and Energy Magazine, Ricardo Raineri, Director of Development of the Chilean Institute of Clean Technologies (ITL) refers to the criticisms that have hovered over Corfo’s decision, arguing that “it is essential to understand and emphasize that our proposal is based on an open platform model ”.
ACEAP Alumna Selected as Astronaut for SpaceX
NOIRLab, Apr. 6, 2021
Sian Procter, a participant in the Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP) in 2016, has been selected as an astronaut by SpaceX. The Inspiration4 mission, scheduled to launch sometime after 15 September 2021, will orbit Earth for three days and conduct a variety of experiments.
Nueva Mineria covers the importance of ICTL’s Open Science model pioneered by AUI
Neuva Mineria y Energia magazine, April 2021
The ICTL is a Chilean clean technology institute that is committed to developing innovations in the mining, power, battery, manufacturing, and related industrial sectors. Read this interview with ICTL Development Director, Ricardo Raineri.
Radio Telescope is So Powerful it Can See the Surface of Other Worlds
The Byte, Feb 9, 2021
Thanks to a new upgrade to the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia, the world’s biggest fully steerable radio telescope, scientists are able to get an unprecedented look at the surface of near-Earth celestial objects.
Adam Cohen, president of the entity that won the Corfo tender: “Our goal is to generate between 25 to 50 new companies in 10 years”
La Tercera, Jan 13, 2021
In this interview, the president of AUI, Adam Cohen, speaks for the first time on the subject and points out that his proposal is beneficial for the country and also for those who did not win, since it will be an open development platform, just as they do with the ALMA observatory, which is also managed by AUI.
CORFO Awards Institute of Clean Technologies to a Consortium Led by AUI
Corfo, Jan. 4, 2021
The Corfo Council today awarded the Clean Technologies Institute (ICTL), the largest Research and Development (R&D) center and which will be located in the Antofagasta Region, to a consortium led by AUI (Associated Universities, Inc.).
2020
Industrial Cybersecurity: A Culture Change
Update magazine, Utah Petroleum Association, Issue 4, 2020
Reliable operational technology (OT) or industrial control systems (ICS) underpin every facet of American lives. Without them, our defenses, our economy, and our national security engine would grind to a halt.
Naperville bioscience lab taking aim at creating system to dramatically cut COVID-19 test processing time
Naperville Sun, Dec. 30, 2020
A Naperville-based bioscience laboratory could help address the backlog of COVID-19 testing across the country and eventually assist the United States in more quickly confronting a future virulent pandemic.
Cybersecurity in a fishbowl: How North Carolina’s Board of Elections handled it
SC Media, Dec. 14, 2020
Election security has never been more scrutinized than the 2020 presidential elections. It left election boards fighting not only to protect the election from outside influences but also to justify the legitimacy of their own work.
How would Trump or Biden deal with grid hacking threats?
E&E News, Nov. 3, 2020
President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden have a few competing plans for the nation’s cybersecurity — though experts say they largely expect the next U.S. president to stay the course.
Why North Carolina outsourced election cybersecurity to a ‘CISO-as-a-service’
StateScoop, Aug. 21, 2020
Faced with mounting cybersecurity needs headed toward the presidential election, but lacking the financial resources to build out a more robust internal IT staff, the North Carolina State Board of Elections last year hired a third-party vendor to provide the functions of a chief information security officer as a service, rather than an individual official.
Grid Security And Cyber Defense Cannot Fall On Deaf Ears, Experts Warn
Forbes, Aug. 17, 2020
If the electrical grid is knocked out for long periods, the damage to the American economy would be insurmountable. And the country’s enemies know that. That is why its brain trust is dedicated to insulating the transmission network from both physical and cyber-attacks.
Opinion: A cyber-risk we’re not prepared for: What if the power grid collapsed and America went dark?
The Washington Post, Aug. 15, 2020
EVERY CATASTROPHE comes as a shock, but many shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just as we knew a pandemic was a possibility yet failed to plan for it, power-grid collapse is a threat we should be prepared for — but aren’t.
Grid security group calls for declassified threat information, new federal agency focused on resilience
UtilityDive, Aug. 14, 2020
As attempts to disrupt the power grid become more sophisticated, NCGR’s analysis views this as a necessary tradeoff to better inform the industry of the growing threat.
2019
Consortium AUI highlights Proposal for Lithium Institute: “It’s a Great Team”
El Mercurio, Jun. 23, 2019
Alta Ley, Fundación Chile, Fraunhofer/CSIRO and Associated Universities, lnc., are the entities in the race. CORFO listened to the proposals and will soon start the second phase.
2018
Billion-dollar telescopes could end up beyond the reach of US astronomers
Nature Journal, Aug. 20, 2018
Change the funding system and approaches to international partnerships for US-led big science projects, urge Matt Mountain and Adam Cohen.