Board of Directors Meeting

Mayda VelascoAug. 31, 2015

Changes in strategy (I)• Recommendation #1: Create closer links to the scientific and academic

community of P.R. and focus on international and continental USA partner later.

• Action taken: We have increased or made new connections with:

– Central administration of UPR:• Close collaboration in Network and Computer needs

– Puerto Rico Science and Technology Trust• Meet with director: Lucy Crespo and assistant Ivan Rios• Will help us with COFI 2016 summer school• Collaborating to bring Neil Degrasse Tyson for a public lecture

– Radio Telescope of Arecibo• Hilda Colon – meeting was today at this time, rescheduled• Part of the Ana G Mendez University system that we interacted with early on

Actions taken concerning Recommendation #1 continues

• Connections to other academic institutions pending or made but not positive– Pending: Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

– Not so positive:• UPR Medical School

– Interaction when hosting the May public lecture were inefficient » Lecture by Tali Figueroa Feliciano was fantastic… he gave one more lecture to an

all girls high school students, a seminar at the UPR-Rio Piedras and had dinner with potential donors

• Centro de Estudios Avanzados de P.R. y el Caribe» Formal meeting has not been possible despite effort from Nieves, Escalona and

Velasco (& Rubio)

• Connections to various UPR Campuses is going well

More details on Puerto Rico Connections (I)

• UPR – Rio Piedras– Interested in making joined appointment with COFI

• They are in the process of making a long range planning and have decided to make a PhD program

– Benefits of interaction with COFI already evident• Two of their undergraduate students where at NU this summer doing research• Tali Figueroa-Feliciano gave a seminar in Dark Matter when he came to P.R .

– Increased involvement from their part• Jose Nieves (Director of department) is now a member of the Scientific Advisory

Committee

– Several discussion with other faculty in both Natural Science Dept. and General Study Dept.• Carmen Pantojas y Mayra Negron (Astronomers)• Ethel Ríos Orlandi, former Interim Chancellor

More details on Puerto Rico Connections (II)

• UPR – Mayaguez– Increased involvement from their part

• Malik Sudhir – Co-director of the 1st COFI Summer School to be held in 2016• Will host the public lecture of Hitoshi Murayama in early December• Angel Lopez involved in the computing needs

– Benefits of interaction with COFI already evident• Help one of their undergraduates attend summer research in Columbia Univ.• Accepted one of the undergraduates, that meet in one of my visits, into our NU PhD

program First one in 25 years -- Already at NU this summer.

– Several discussion with other faculty ,like Hector Jimenez• their interest is in undergraduate education

• UPR- Arecibo– Abel Méndez, Director of Planetary Habitability Laboratory

• Really enthusiast. He is an all acquaintance from the 1989 FNAL URA summer program

Changes in strategy (II)

• Recommendations #2: Investigate how realistic it is to obtain federal funds for a project like COFI

• Action taken: – Several meetings with

• Frances Colón (Acting) Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State, John Kerry

• Franklin Carrero-Martinez - International Science and Engineering Program Director at National Science Foundation

Resulted in an invitation for a COFI delegation to go to Washington DC this fall

Washington DC Trip • Visiting team should include

– Members of the Board of Director– Sample of supporting entities from Puerto Rico– Distinguished scientists

• We must be have– Science to be pursued– Possible location for the institute *

– Plans on how the science can be performed at the institute• Network and computing *

• We will request– Support for manpower for the initial 5 years– Cost in the backup* Progress on these 2 areas to be described

Progress in Networking & Computing(Escalona & Weerts)

• Assumptions: – Will use Computing and Storage facilities at the UPR-Rio Piedras and other

computing facilities around the world– Need 2-10 Gbps connection from institute to UPR facilities– Need 10-100 Gbps between P.R. and ESNET lines in the continental USA

and other scientific/academic networks

• Actions taken:– Several options investigated– A clear line-of-action recently defined after visit of Joe Mambretti (Director

of “International Center for Advanced Internet Research” at Northwestern University, StarLight, etc.)• UPR Inter-campus and COFI fiber connections -- G. Escalona• Puerto Rico to outside world connections, best done via “CERN” – J.Ellis, P.

McBride & J. Incandela• Adding redundancy to SJU-UPR connections using antennas -- Velasco

Data/Connecti on Challenge Microwave (5 GHz) point-to-point antennas can

relay data at high speeds over large distances (100 km)

Up to 2 Gb/s speeds per radio pair Test of 2 pairs of devices at Northwestern (traffic

performance, interference, weather…) ~ $6Ko First set of results expected in early Oct.

Plan to have up to 5 pair of antennas

9

20 km

100 Gb/s

Evanston Chicago

Chicago Campus Evanston Campus

10 km

Search for COFI location - Old San Juan(Carlos Rubio & Antonio Pabon)

Many options pursued, some examples: Property own by the Catholic Church of P.R.*

– Centro de Estudios Advanzados de PR y el Caribe – Colegio de Parvulos – Palacio del Arzobispo

Property own by Government, an example– Cuartel de Ballaja

Property privately own as well…

* Vatican approved us as potential costumer

None of the properties worked out

• What we have learned– At the moment difficult to make business with the church– P.R. government busy dealing with the economical crisis– Rental properties of the size we need are more common

in commercial area

Purchasing a property rather than renting is a better option>> 2.5-3.5 Million US Dollar will be needed if the property is

in good condition (assume 7,000 – 10,000 ft2)

Requirements to be able to purchase

• Funds– Barbara Algarin

• Meeting with members of the P.R. fund raising committee from Friday afternoon delayed due to Erika

– We need a plan– Some of us think it is easier to ask for funds, if we have a physical

location … world

• Find property appropriate long term– New opportunity (Rubio)– Time sensitive

• Will start discussion for funds with NU – getting advice from D. McBride (Associate provost and Dean of Graduate School) and J. Walsh (VP of research)

– Would like to have more BOD member inspect property before detailed discussion (~ 3 week)

Property: Block of Norzagaray-San Justo-San SebastianExact address: #251 Calle San Sebastian Viejo San Juan, PR

Cost: $2.35 Million

Total space 8,500 ft27,540 ft2 without patio and terrace

Some advantages• Historical building in great condition: – Move-in ready– Tax exempt

• Good size, structure for offices, conference and discussion areas• Easy access:– by car and public transportation– 3 large entry doors (north, south and west side of building)

• Tall building:– installation of antennas for internet access to UPR network is

possible– additional floor can be added

• Possibility of obtaining permit to reserve street parking• Besides affordable boutique hotel (Gallery Inn)

Other News

• Visit of Hitoshi Murayama scheduled for Dec.5-8– Barbara Algarin (COFI Executive Director) already working

on both Domain Dinner (Sunday Dec. 6) and Public Lecture (Monday Dec. 7)

• Preparations for the 1st COFI Summer School on going– Funds from Argonne, CERN and Univ. of Los Andes

Colombia already received. Other proposal to be submitted in Sept. and Oct.

– More details provided by school co-directors: Anne Dabrowski (CERN) and Sudhir Malik (UPR-Mayaguez) in backup

Summary

• Would like to meet before the end of Sept. • At that time we should to decide if

– Are we ready to go to Washington DC

– Should we go ahead an option the property in the Viejo San Juan

BACKUP MATERIAL -- BUDGET

Manpower (1st 5 years)• Scientific

– 3 permanent faculty– 5 (3-5 years) distinguished fellows– 15 PhD and visiting faculty

• Administrative– BofD

• Executive Director

– ScAdB• Academic staff

– Administrative staff• Secretary (2)• Physics facility and Maintenance (2)• Computing and IT• Accountant

Budget 1st 5 years – Scientific Staff• Assume 3 full faculty ($150k/faculty/year)

– 25% benefits and $500k startup funds– Max-Total per faculty: 5 x (150+37.5) +500 == 1.4 M– 3 faculty: 3 x 1.4 M == 4.3 M

• Assume 5 distinguished fellows ($100k/fellow/year)– 25% benefits and $500k startup funds– an annual salary competitive with a university assistant prof. (3+2 years) – Max-Total per fellow: 5 x (100+25) +500 == 1.1 M– 5 fellows: 5 x 1.1 M = 5.6 M

• Assume 15 PhD ($35k/student/year)– To be paid by their home institute– Assume 1/3 to be paid in full and the rest need a 10K supplement plus benefits– 5 x [5 x (35) + 10 x (10) + 15 x 8.75] == 2.0 M – Could replace PhD support for another distinguished fellow position

Total excluding startup: 6 M in 5 years or 1.2 per year Total: 12 M in 5 years or 2M per year

Budget 1st 5 years – Administrative Staff

• Executive Director – $60k/year + $15k/year in benefits

• Other positions – Assume that there are 7 position at an average of

$30k/year– $210K/year + $52.5/year in benefits

Total: $1.7 M in 5 years or $337.5k per year

Initial Needs

• Furniture & Lights• Computers and Web-server• Printers• Internet line and Wifi infrastructure• Phone lines• Video and conferencing system• Kitchen• Initial construction

Monthly budget

• Internet and phone provider• Electricity and water and any other utilities• Office supplies• Insurance

Yearly budget

• Travel and lodging expenses for scientific visitor.• Seminar series• Scientific workshops*• Summer Advanced Schools*• Public lecture series*

* Fraction of the cost to be covered by external funds

BACKUP MATERIAL – 2016 SUMMER SCHOOL REPORT

Some news from Anne Dabrowski and Sudhir Malik

• Proposed dates for the School: July 11th - 21th incl. students to arrive the day before and leave the day after. 10 full days lectures and 1 day of excursion.

• Timeline of ToDo list – September 7th form final IOC and IAC. – September 28th form LOC and finalize location and dates for the school– October 12th launch school website– October 26th with IAC, invite all lectures and finalize academic program of

the school– November 2nd finalize the poster for the school– December - open registration for the school– September-end November - with IOC and IAC apply for funding for the school