President's Blue Ribbon Panel Information (reverse date order)

10-1-01 -- The AAS has released an endorsement statement of the COMRAA Report.

9-12-01 -- The High Energy Astrophysics Division of the AAS has released an endorsement statement of the COMRAA Report.

9-4-01 -- The COMRAA report, overseen by the Board on Physics and Astronomy and the Space Studies Board, is now public. A PDF pre-publication version is available.

8-30-01 -- A short report on the work of the COMRAA appeared in today's issue of ScienceNow a password protected service for subscribers of Science Magazine. The report title and tag line are available through this link.

4-26-01 -- A short article on the COMRAA appeared in the Washington Post on April 26, 2001.

4-20-01 -- The Blue Ribbon Panel, now known as the Committee on the Organization and Management of Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics or COMRAA, now has a web page. The provisional membership list is also posted on this page for 20 days for review and input.

4-9-01 -- The membership of the Blue Ribbon Panel is expected to be announced within 2 weeks. Check back here for the names of the members as soon as they are made public.

3-16-01 -- The AAS has been informed that the Blue Ribbon Panel will be carried out under the auspices of the National Research Council, specifically the Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) and the Space Studies Board (SSB). More information will become available early next week.

3-15-01 -- The AAS has released an Informational Email on the Blue Ribbon Panel.

The President's budget blueprint, released on February 28, included a potential reform measure for the NSF that directly impacts astronomy and astrophysics research in the US.

Specifically, the potential reform calls for a blue-ribbon panel to be formed to assess the organizational effectiveness of Federal support of astronomical sciences and, specifically, the pros and cons of transferring NSF's astronomy responsibilities to NASA. The panel may also develop alternative options. This assessment will be completed by September 1, 2001.

Check back for more information as the situation develops.