News Releases
Professor John E. Carlstrom Delivers 2026 NSF NRAO Jansky Lectures
Carlstrom will present his talk: “What Do We Know About The Big Bang?” to the public on three dates, along with a recording that will be shared on the NSF NRAO’s YouTube channel.
Cosmic Cocktail: Exotic Methanol Discovered in Planet-Building Zones
New results from the ALMA COMPASS Large Program (Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys) show that young, still-forming stars are surrounded by a surprisingly sophisticated “chemical starter kit”, including organic molecules such as methanol that may one day enrich planets.
Proctor Foundation for Art and Science Offers Stellar Guitar to Space Camp Auction
To celebrate the Inspiration4 Mission’s 5th Anniversary, mission pilot Dr. Sian Proctor is choosing to celebrate in a fitting way — raising funds to send community college students and faculty to Space Camp.
NA-ROAD Announces the 2026 Women and Girls in Astronomy Program Cohort
The Women and Girls in Astronomy Program (WGAP), led by Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI), under the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD), is proud to announce the selection of ten regional projects to receive funding through the 2026 cycle.
AUI by the Numbers
75+
Years of Experience in Managing
Federally Funded Research and
Development Centers (FFRDCs)
30
Active Research Patents
1,130+
Doctoral Dissertations Supported by
National Radio Astronomy
Observatory Facilities
Highlights
- AUI is laying the groundwork to upgrade the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to become the Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA).
- AUI led efforts to create the $1.4-billion Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the world’s largest radio telescope, as part of an international consortium.
- AUI has joined with LEAP Manufacturing in support of the UT-Dallas Batteries and Energy to Advance Commercialization and National Security (BEACONS) Center. Funded by a $30-million agreement by the U.S. Department of Defense, BEACONS will 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.
- AUI maintains over a dozen STEM education and public engagement efforts and programs that seek to inspire people of all ages, and to prepare the next generation STEM workforce.
Leadership
Who We Are
AUI is an independent, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1946 that builds, manages and operates large research and development (R&D) facilities for the federal government, including the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) facilities, the Center for American Supply Chain Resilience (CASCR), and the AUI Center for Advancing Therapeutics. AUI also develops and implements innovative approaches to education, outreach and workforce development.
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