Mission and Vision
Credit: Dark Energy Survey/DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
The Next Frontier in Astronomy
From the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to the Cosmic Microwave Background Stage 4 (CMB–S4) experiment, astronomical surveys of unprecedented scale promise transformational advances in astrophysics and cosmology. Boundary-pushing discoveries will be realized across astronomy, from stars and black holes to galaxies to the largest scales and the earliest moments in the universe. Fulfilling this promise requires overcoming enormous challenges in analyzing very large, heterogeneous datasets; in developing physically accurate simulations that span a vast range of scales to interpret those data; and in designing ever-more-complex astronomical instruments and surveys. Addressing these emerging challenges requires that we leverage the fast-paced revolution in artificial intelligence (AI).
“Astronomy has incredibly rich and open data sets and is poised for more deep and profound inquiry. AI offers novel tools that can use this data both to produce transformative results and to develop tools that can have impact in other fields.”
– David Spergel, President of the Simons Foundation
Mission
The mission of the NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI Institute) is to unleash the discovery potential of revolutionary sky surveys and solve fundamental and emerging multiscale problems at the forefront of astrophysics and foundational AI. This mission is being achieved through the following values:
- Innovation: Leveraging and advancing AI capabilities to harness and advance astronomy data, simulations, and experiments.
- Collaboration: Fostering interdisciplinary teams to support collaboration across the SkAI Network and foster emerging leaders in research, teaching, and art.
- Broadening participation: Broadening participation in various fields represented in the Institute through education and mentoring programs.
- Sustainability: Aims to contribute to the long-term impact on astronomy, AI, and other communities by cultivating open-source community software, datasets, and educational training materials and, ultimately, by fostering emerging talent for the future workforce.
Vision
The SkAI Institute brings together 24 partner organizations. We serve as a cross-disciplinary nexus that is synergistically accelerating Astro-AI research and helping educate the future Astro-AI workforce. Centrally located in Chicago and the Midwest, with research and education bridges to Georgia, Hawaii, and Alaska, SkAI brings together astrophysicists, foundational AI researchers, educators, AI ethicists, software engineers, and artists to:
- Confront the challenges posed by transformative multiwavelength and multimessenger surveys;
- Develop innovative, trustworthy AI tools for the research community; and
- Seed and nurture a new generation of interdisciplinary leaders in science and engineering to ethically apply and extend AI within and beyond academia.
Funding Partners
The SkAI Institute is one of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Simons Foundation.
SkAI Institute
875 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60611
skai-institute@u.northwestern.edu
(Get to the SkAI Hub via the 172 E. Chestnut St. entrance)
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