NSF Appoints NJIT's Wenda Cao to Its Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has appointed Wenda Cao, physics professor and director of the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) of NJIT’s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR), to its Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC). 

The AAAC is comprised of 13 distinguished astronomers from U.S. universities tasked with advising the NSF, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy on emerging issues within the fields of astronomy and astrophysics. 

In particular, the Committee will assess and make recommendations related to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey Report — the National Academy of Science’s assessment concerning the future of astronomy and astrophysics research. The report has identified three important science themes for the next decade, including “investigating Earth-like extrasolar planets, the most energetic processes in the universe and the evolution of galaxies.”

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said that Cao’s appointment to the Committee will run through June 2024.

“It is a great honor for me to serve on the AAAC,” said Cao. “This is also a significant recognition and matter of pride for NJIT’s perseverance in investing in the research of astronomy and astrophysics.”

For nearly two decades, Cao has been a leading figure in the fields of solar physics and space weather research. Since joining NJIT in 2002, Cao has published more than 120 scientific papers in high-impact journals such as Science, Nature Astronomy and Nature Communications. His research investigations have spanned fine structures in solar sunspots and granulation, dynamics of small-scale magnetic fields and jets, flares and filament eruptions, and coronal heating. 

Cao has also taken a leading role in the development of next-generation instruments and data analysis tools for high-resolution solar observations at BBSO, such as imaging spectrometers and polarimeters, adaptive optics and cryogenic infrared spectrographs. 

In 2016, Cao was named BBSO Director, overseeing funding and operation of one of the highest-resolution solar telescopes in the world — the 1.6-meter clear aperture, off-axis Goode Solar Telescope (GST) at Big Bear Lake, California. Since 2010, more than 200 scientific papers have been published resulting from the GST’s unique observations of the Sun’s photosphere, chromosphere and corona.

Since his appointment as BBSO Director, Cao has helped improved international collaboration within the space science community by actively advancing GST campaign observations with other ground-based solar optical/radio telescopes and NASA solar space missions.

Recently, Cao has been instrumental in securing the transition of NSF’s SOLIS facility to Big Bear Solar Observatory, which will soon give researchers richer observations of the Sun and explosive space weather events. SOLIS (Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun) is the most advanced solar telescope capable of long-term and consistent monitoring of the “Sun as a whole globe” over the complete 11-year solar cycle.   

Cao has been awarded grants totaling more than $25 million from the NSF, NASA, U.S. Air Force, AURA and overseas agencies for scientific research, BBSO personnel support, telescope and instrumentation development, and observatory routine operation. Cao is the principal investigator of a recently awarded $2.74 million NSF grant, “High Resolution Studies of Solar Activity Using the 1.6-Meter Telescope in Big Bear.”

Cao is a member of the American Astronomical Society (2002-present), Solar Physics Division (2002-present) and International Society for Optical Engineering (1998-present). He is serving on the Science Working Group of the 4-Meter Inouye Solar Telescope, which is the largest aperture solar telescope ever built. He also serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics (KIS), which operates Europe’s largest solar telescope, GREGOR.