News Releases

Astronomers Catch Supermassive Black Hole in the Act of ‘Waking Up’
This discovery offers new insights into how these cosmic giants begin to influence their environments and could help solve longstanding puzzles about galaxy evolution.

Comet’s Water Holds Clues to Life on Earth
New research has uncovered compelling evidence that water from a comet is strikingly similar to that found in Earth’s oceans, offering fresh support for the idea that comets may have played a crucial role in delivering water—and possibly some of the molecular ingredients for life—to our planet.

The Universe’s Secret Harvest: ALMA Sheds Light on ‘the Cosmic Grapes’
Astronomers have discovered a remarkably clumpy rotating galaxy that existed just 900 million years after the Big Bang, shedding new light on how galaxies grew and evolved in the early universe.

Groundbreaking Magnetic Field Discovery Near Massive Protostar
Using data from the National Science Foundation’s Very Large Array, an international team of astronomers has for the first time detected circular polarization in radio emission originating from a massive protostar, IRAS 18162-2048 — unveiling fresh clues about the cosmic forces shaping our universe.
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.

Media Contacts
Matt Schaub
Director of External Affairs and Strategic Communications
[email protected]
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