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October 13, 2022, San Juan, Puerto Rico - On September 9, 2022, Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón led a bipartisan letter to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Director, the Honorable Sethuraman Panchanathan, requesting additional information about the pending cooperative agreement for the Arecibo Observatory (AO) in Puerto Rico. The current agreement expires in March 2023.
Today, NSF published a solicitation for a new cooperative agreement and shared their intent to realign the AO site as STEM educational and research center. The new agreement would have a term of (5) years and $5 million in federal funding for the Arecibo Center for STEM Education and Research (ACSER).
"I support any proposal that promotes STEM education and seeks to train our students and professionals on the Island, who have the potential to lead these fields," said Rep. González-Colón, Puerto Rico's sole representative in Congress.
"However, I am disappointed that NSF did not immediately address the possibility for reconstruction of a new radio telescope to replace the 305-meter legacy telescope, which contributed to scientific research and investigations in multiple STEM fields for close to 6 decades. I will continue supporting the Observatory in these next steps, and advocating for the facility and all its instruments, including the potential reconstruction of the former radio telescope", the Congresswoman concluded.
The Arecibo Observatory is a federal installation owned by the National Science Foundation and administered through a cooperative agreement between the University of Central Florida, Ana G. Méndez University, and Yang Enterprises.
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Background information:
On December 1st, 2020, after a series of cable failures, the 900-ton platform above the 305- meter radio telescope at the Arecibo Observatory sustained an uncontrolled collapse that destroyed this instrument.
Exactly one year after the collapse, González-Colón introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the contributions made by the 305-meter legacy radio telescope. It was introduced in the US Senate the following day by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. The resolution includes language in support of NSF exploring opportunities to expand the observatory's role on the Island through education, research, and technology at the facility. The bill was incorporated into Public Law 117-167, known as the "CHIPs and Science Act".
On July 31, 2021, González-Colón and Congressman Michael Waltz, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology at the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, led a Congressional Delegation visit to the Arecibo Observatory to survey the damaged telescope, asses the state of cleanup efforts, interact with students participating in educational programs hosted by the facility, and attend a forum to hear from different experts and members of the community.
González-Colón, in collaboration with Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy from Florida, secured the inclusion of report language in support of the Observatory in H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, Public Law 116-260, directing NSF to report on the extent of the damages made by the collapse, status of clean-up efforts, and the process for determining whether to establish comparable technology at the site. This report was published by the agency in March 2021.
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