» Search forum


Index :: The Projects :: MilkyWay@home lost its funding


Pages: [1]
Dr Who Fan
BAM!ID: 1075
Joined: 2006-05-31
Posts: 980
Credits: 159,070,773
World-rank: 8,599

2015-06-19 17:29:46

From MilkyWay@home's Facebook Page:
Bad news Not only has MilkyWay@home lost its funding, but now Newberg's other project, a collaboration with the Chinese LAMOST project, has also lost its funding (though it had the highest possible reviewer ratings). The NASA program that could have funded MilkyWay@home was canceled this year due to lack of funding. The purple part of the graph shows the projections for NSF funding for individual astronomers as a function of time. What it does not show is that NASA has also reduced science funding, research costs have gone up, and that the fraction of proposals funded has dropped fairly steadily from 50% in 1990 to 13% in 2014/15. We will be running another funding campaign this year. Look for more information in late summer.


Guest

2015-06-22 04:32:27

Dr Who Fan wrote:

From MilkyWay@home's Facebook Page:
Bad news Not only has MilkyWay@home lost its funding, but now Newberg's other project, a collaboration with the Chinese LAMOST project, has also lost its funding (though it had the highest possible reviewer ratings). The NASA program that could have funded MilkyWay@home was canceled this year due to lack of funding. The purple part of the graph shows the projections for NSF funding for individual astronomers as a function of time. What it does not show is that NASA has also reduced science funding, research costs have gone up, and that the fraction of proposals funded has dropped fairly steadily from 50% in 1990 to 13% in 2014/15. We will be running another funding campaign this year. Look for more information in late summer.





My apologies for my remarks to start with for I do not wish to offend you Doctor (I am also a Fan). I only have a High school education and I have never been much good interpreting charts. I have no idea how to read this for I do not know to start with LSST, Individual Investigator + Mid Scale, DKIST or ALMA means for they are meaningless to me. From your Text however, I understand that No Funds, No Project. When I read the initial request for Volunteer Donations I was led to believe that unless Milkyway reaches their target budget, it will be forced to close. Looking at their needs, I was amazed that the project expected us volunteers to fund the following:

1. Salary for Students, $20,500.
2. travel to conferences to present Science results. $4,800.
3. Page charges for Publishing pages $5,000.
4. Travel for two students to present a Poster $3,000.

Whilst I am aware that this is included in the overall context of the budget, I am wondering if we are wasting our time donating funds either directly or via Bitcoin Utopia. BU to date have sent thousands of dollars to Milkyway and is continuing to canvas for volunteers to donate their time. It seems obvious to me that we as Volunteers can not keep maintaining this project forever apart from helping the other 60+ projects that have equal needs. What is the use donating ,money directly or via BU if that is not sufficient to keep the project alive for any meaningful time?

I suggest, if the University is not interested in funding the project and if it is not sufficiently high on the agenda of NASA or any other Federal Agency than we might as well close the project. Surely, there should be sufficient interest amongst University students and staff to volunteer their time instead of asking for funds to take a poster somewhere, or pay student to run the project. I had to pay a fee to get my education, I never received a cent for doing something for the school let alone receive wages for working for the school whilst I was a student. Finaly, may I ask for donations to pay for my $800+ monthly costs that I spend on running my computers for the purpose of helping Researchers. I am just a retired old Ambulance Officer on a pension that hops that my time and cost will help all of usin time. I am just Dreaming...
Pages: [1]

Index :: The Projects :: MilkyWay@home lost its funding
Reason: