Mario Juric, the LSST Data Management Project Scientist has been awarded the 2014 AURA Science Award. The award recognizes Mario as an intellectual leader of the astronomical community, who contributes not only through his individual research, but also by enabling scientific research by others.
Mario has played a crucial role in helping to prepare the LSST Data Management System (DMS) for an anticipated construction start. His work has focused on a) Updating the data products and technical baselines to assure they are aligned with the Science Requirements Document (SRD) and community expectations; b) Finalizing the algorithm and software development needed to ascertain that DM can be constructed on time and within the allocated budget; and c) Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the DM team member institutions, and positioning them correctly for construction.
In addition to his LSST contributions, Mario was a principal developer of the SDSS Moving Object Catalog. He has held prestigious fellowships at Princeton University, the Institute for Advanced Study, and Harvard University. He also is a member of the astrophysics graduate faculty at Croatia’s University of Split. His papers have already collected over 8,000 citations, with an H-index of 30, and he is invited frequently to be a guest speaker at conferences and summer schools.
AURA’s annual Outstanding Achievement Awards recognize exceptional accomplishments by individuals, or groups of individuals in the areas of science, service, technology, and innovation. Mario is the second AURA Award winner from the LSST Project Office. Systems Scientist Chuck Claver won the 2013 Technology / Innovation Award.
Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Support Agreement No. 1202910, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515, and private funding raised by the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded Rubin Observatory Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The DOE-funded effort to build the the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an
independent federal agency created by Congress
in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
NSF and DOE will continue to support Rubin Observatory in its Operations phase. They will also provide support for scientific research with LSST data.
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