Gemini Strategic Science Plan

Request for Community Input

Now open - Submission deadline September 13, 2024

The International Gemini Observatory has initiated the process of shaping its long-range strategy for the next decade. This is a unique and exciting opportunity to chart the course toward enhancing Gemini's capabilities, setting priorities, and fostering community collaboration well into the 2030s.

As we envision the future of Gemini Observatory, we recognize the importance of engaging with diverse voices within the astronomical community. To facilitate this dialogue, in May 2024 we hosted two Virtual Town Halls. During these town halls, we reviewed the upgrades to be completed by Gemini Observatory by 2028 and seek input on new instrumentation and major capabilities upgrades to continue advancing scientific discovery in the upcoming decade. A copy of the presentation can be found here. A recording is available at this link

In addition to the Town Halls, we invite the submission of Community Brief Recommendations. These concise reports, no more than two pages in length including figures, should address areas of growth and development that Gemini should consider, such as:

1. Over the next 10–15 years, should Gemini develop new workhorse instruments for its two sites, or maintain a broad range of specialized instruments? What are the critical capabilities that the next generation of Gemini instruments should have?
2. What synergies with other space- and ground-based missions should Gemini prioritize? What technical capabilities should be optimized to guarantee the success of these initiatives?
3. What data and/or archive improvements would increase Gemini’s scientific return in the 2030s?
4. How can Gemini pave the way for the US-ELTP and the Habitable Worlds Observatory?
5. Gemini North is in the process of developing a new LTAO/GLAO adaptive optics facility (GNAO) in preparation for GIRMOS. What other instrument could Gemini develop to take advantage of the new AO capabilities?

Submissions should be sent to gemini-community-papers@noirlab.edu by 13 September 2024. Authors may be contacted for clarification or further input by the Gemini Chief Scientist, Elena Sabbi. Your participation and feedback are invaluable as we shape the future of Gemini. Thank you for your support of our strategic planning process!

A Working Group of Gemini users, representative of all the Observatory Partners, will review the Recommendations and provide input and guidance to Gemini's Strategic Science Plan. The members of the Gemini Strategic Science Plan Working Group are: Gisella De Rosa (Space Telescope Science Institute, USA) - Chair; Breann Sitarski (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, USA); Jennifer A. Burt (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, USA); Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy (Mc Gill University, Canada); Dustin Lang (University of Waterloo, Canada); Tomas Puzia (Pontificia Universidad Catolia, Chile); Marianne Takamiya (University of Hawaii, USA); Luan Ghezzi (Federal University of Rio der Janeiro, Brazil); Victoria Reynaldi (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina); Ho Seong Hwang (Seoul National University, Korea). For the Gemini Observatory: Elena Sabbi, Siyi Xu, Monika Soraisam, Bryan Miller

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2024 Strategic Vision Survey

Survey is now closed  – the results are available here

Gemini Observatory has begun the process of formulating its long-range strategy for the next decade and we are looking for broad feedback from both our users and the astronomy community at large.  This process is a chance to set a path for building the capabilities, priorities, and community of Gemini in the next decade and beyond. The new, upcoming formulation of Gemini’s Strategic Vision will require us to plan for the 2030s and anticipate the needs of our community in the next decade.  We would like to encourage any member of the astronomical community, including students and scientists at all career stages, and both frequent Gemini users and those who have never used Gemini, to help us by filling out the survey below (direct link here).

The questions are designed to solicit your opinions on Gemini’s role in overlapping or complementary science with upcoming facilities, the next big instrumentation project(s) that Gemini should undertake, other areas of potential Gemini infrastructure development (data reduction, scheduling, proposals, etc.), how Gemini can better engage with its user community, and how it can better serve diverse and under-represented communities — including both astronomers and the general public. General comments are also greatly appreciated.

The survey will be accepting responses from January 1st to February 15, 2024.  We greatly appreciate any feedback you are able to provide.

Strategic Goals

Guided by the Gemini Strategic Vision and Gemini Strategic Science Plan, the Gemini Directorate and Department Heads have in February 2019 agreed on strategic goals across the Observatory as follows:

Science Productivity: Build on our strengths to achieve recognized high scientific productivity and impact in the broad range of science areas pursued by our user community. Be the go-to large aperture observatory for complementary time-domain and multi-messenger astronomy. Capitalize on wide-field AO capabilities nightly to enable new science and improve performance for a wide range of science cases.

Management and Culture: Be a model organization for diversity in the STEM workforce and inspire others. Enable and engage a diverse staff so they are working at their best to contribute to our mission.  

Partnership: Be an engaged partner with our user, local, organizational, and mountain communities and foster collaboration and growth, while respecting individual priorities.

Broader Impacts: Be actively engaged with our local, national and international public audiences in our exploration and expressions of the wonders of the Universe.