ALMA Ambassadors Program

Charlottesville Hands-on ALMA Outreach Event (Apr 26-27 & May 9-10, 2011)

The North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) supports the ALMA Ambassador Fellows Program in preparation for each year's ALMA Call for Proposals. The ALMA Ambassador Program provides training and up to $10,000 research grant (details below) to postdoctoral researchers, senior graduate students, and early career researchers interested in expanding their ALMA/interferometry expertise and sharing that knowledge with their home institutions. ALMA Ambassadors will:

  • Organize and support a proposal preparation workshop or a data processing/analysis workshop,
  • Participate in a workshop hosted by the NAASC to receive training on proposal preparation and/or data analysis, as well as presentation techniques. This workshop will also include a science symposium for Ambassadors to present their research to the Charlottesville astronomical community,
  • Support their local community with ALMA proposal preparation and data analysis,
  • Assist the NAASC in supporting the North American ALMA community. This may include activities such as: participation in ALMA proposal reviews (e.g., review of Student Observing Support applications, serving as Technical Secretaries for ALMA Review Panels) and participation in the NRAO Synthesis Imaging Workshop

ALMA Ambassador proposal preparation events for Cycle 11 are listed on the Community Events page. Data processing workshops will be held in September–November 2024; dates for those are listed on the Community Events page.

ALMA Ambassadors Cycle 10 Group Photo
Members of the Cycle 10 ALMA Ambassador cohort visited the NRAO Headquarters and the NAASC in Charlottesville, VA for training in February 2023.
 

Program Objectives

ALMA Ambassadors have focused on training the North American community in the preparation of observing proposals for the main ALMA proposal call, including discussion of radio interferometry basics and the updated capabilities of ALMA. Continuing this cycle, Ambassadors will also have the option to support the ALMA user community via training in data processing and analysis techniques.

ALMA Ambassador Training Workshop

The NAASC will sponsor selected Ambassadors for an event in August 2024 and February 2025 to receive in-depth training. These mandatory trainings will include topics related to ALMA proposal writing, including interferometry basics, ALMA science capabilities, recent ALMA results, and use of the Observing Tool, as well as guidance with speaking on these topics. The selected Ambassadors must host a proposal preparation workshop at either their home institution, or an institution they propose, (similar to an abbreviated version of Community Day and NRAO Live! events) in advance of the ALMA proposal deadline in April. Ambassadors will also make themselves available to help their local community between the call for proposals and the deadline. Ambassadors may also be asked to provide support for NRAO events (e.g., the Synthesis Imaging Summer School) and to participate in proposal evaluation processes.

Ambassador Science Symposium

To promote the Ambassadors' own science among the local astronomical community, Ambassadors will be asked to participate in a poster session during the training. The poster session will be hosted by the NAASC and will be open to NRAO scientific staff and UVa astronomers and students.

Program Support and Grants

The NAASC will provide travel support for the training, as well as all talk materials, supplies, and infrastructure for the ALMA Ambassador workshops, including live support from NAASC staff during the workshops themselves. Up to a \$10,000 monetary grant is offered in support of the selected Ambassadors' independent research programs. If the awardee is not able to receive the monetary grant, the NAASC can offer up to \$10,000 in science travel reimbursement (must be used within 12 months of training) or up to \$10,000 to support students or summer researchers.

Eligibility and Requirements

Applicants may be postdoctoral researchers, senior graduate students, or other early career researchers (i.e., within 1-2 years of starting a permanent position) based at an institution in North America. We will also consider multiple applicants from the same institution/region, especially from geographic regions with high density astronomical communities. Applicants may propose to organize a workshop at their home institute or another institute. Proposals for non-home institutes should include a justification in the application. Experience with radio or sub-mm interferometry is preferred but not required.

Previous Ambassador Events

Current ALMA Ambassadors and Community Day events (as well as information on past events) can be found here.  Although the NAASC aims to host Community Day events in new locations each year, ALMA capabilities are continuously evolving and so revisiting a location is always a possibility; we encourage all interested scientists to apply.

Connect with NRAO

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Green Bank Observatory are facilities of the U.S. National Science Foundation operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities, Inc.

Founded in 1956, the NRAO provides state-of-the-art radio telescope facilities for use by the international scientific community. NRAO telescopes are open to all astronomers regardless of institutional or national affiliation. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is available on a competitive basis to qualified scientists after evaluation of research proposals on the basis of scientific merit, the capability of the instruments to do the work, and the availability of the telescope during the requested time. NRAO also provides both formal and informal programs in education and public outreach for teachers, students, the general public, and the media.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..."

AUI collaborates with the scientific community and research sponsors to plan, build, and operate cutting-edge facilities. We cultivate excellence, deliver value, enhance education, and engage the public.