Consortium FAQ

How much observing time does each member school get every year?
The Consortium is guaranteed 120 nights every year, distributed evenly between quarters and moon phase. With typical Consortium membership, each school gets about one week per year. However, many schools do not use their entire allocation each year, so there are often extra nights available.

How is the observing time scheduled?
NURO members send their requests to Northern Arizona University (NAU) each quarter. The administrative staff collates the requests, resolves any conflicts and keeps track of the number of nights, and then forwards them as a unit to Lowell Observatory. The requests do not require a scientific justification.

Will I be able to collaborate with other schools?
Yes. Sometimes there are "key projects" available to work on; sometimes two or more schools collaborate on a particular project.

How much is the annual membership fee?
Currently the membership fee is $3300 per year. Most years the Steering Committee authorizes a small increase of $100 for the following year, trying to avoid big jumps in cost.

What do I get for my membership fee?
In addition to guaranteed observing time, members are provided with technical support for start-up and on-call service. This support is provided through NAU, not through Lowell. Lowell provides the maintenance of the telescope and building.

What other costs will I incur?
The membership fee covers neither travel nor living costs while the observers in Flagstaff. There are no dormitory facilities available for the observers, so visitors use hotels or motels. One very popular option is the Arizona Mountain Inn, which rents rustic cabins on the road out to the observatory. Since a vehicle is required for the observers to go to the telescope, and since air travel into Flagstaff is very expensive, most groups fly to Phoenix and then rent a car.

What other responsibilities will my school have?
A primary responsibility of Consortium members is to send a representative to the annual Steering Committee meeting. This meeting is held in conjunction with the winter AAS meeting, usually from 9 to 4 on Sunday the day before the AAS meeting starts.

What funding is available?
Many Consortium members discover that the Space Grant Consortium in their state is an excellent source of funding. Some schools are funded entirely on internal funds, and some members put both the membership fee and travel expenses into their own proposals. The Arizona Space Grant Consortium has very limited funds available through NAU as matching funds for travel.

What kind of commitment does my school have to make?
We ask that if you plan on leaving the Consortium that you let us know by March of the last fiscal year you plan to belong.

What types of schools belong to NURO?
NURO provides observing opportunities to students at primarily undergraduate institutions, so most of our members are from liberal arts colleges or universities with no graduate programs in astronomy. However, some of our members are from departments at universities with graduate programs, which send only their undergraduates to NURO. A few of our members have been from community colleges, as well.