Federal Independent Agencies
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from federal independent agencies.
Featured Stories
USPS Issues New Stamp on Manatee Appreciation Day
SILVER SPRINGS, Florida, March 28 -- The U.S. Postal Service issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
It's Manatee Appreciation Day! The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the occasion by dedicating its new Save Manatees stamp here today beside a clear, warm spring that the marine mammals frequent.
"Postage stamps are miniature works of art designed to reflect the American experience," said Lisa Bobb-Semple, Stamp Services director for the Postal Service. "It is our hope that these stamps bring further awareness to the plight of this beautiful animal."
The West Indian manatee is a large,
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SILVER SPRINGS, Florida, March 28 -- The U.S. Postal Service issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
It's Manatee Appreciation Day! The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the occasion by dedicating its new Save Manatees stamp here today beside a clear, warm spring that the marine mammals frequent.
"Postage stamps are miniature works of art designed to reflect the American experience," said Lisa Bobb-Semple, Stamp Services director for the Postal Service. "It is our hope that these stamps bring further awareness to the plight of this beautiful animal."
The West Indian manatee is a large,gray aquatic mammal with a wrinkled face and whiskered snout. It has a flat, paddle-shaped tail and two flippers with three or four nails on each one. Its closest land relative is the elephant.
It is considered one of Florida's keystone species, whose behavior can alert researchers to environmental and habitat changes that may otherwise go unnoticed in the state's waterways.
"I am honored to be here celebrating this magnificent new manatee stamp," said Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, which has worked for more than 40 years to support and advocate for the mammals. "This adorable stamp will increase awareness and hopefully encourage people to learn how they can help save manatees, too."
Within the United States, manatees are concentrated in Florida in the winter. In summer, they can be found as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts, but summer sightings in the southern states are more common. They can be found in shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas -- particularly where seagrass beds or freshwater vegetation flourish.
Florida manatees were first protected under state law in 1893 and are covered by the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act. On a federal level, they are protected by both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Manatees were reclassified from endangered to threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in May 2017.
Threats
Though protected by laws, manatees still face considerable threats. They are often accidentally hit by motorboats in increasingly crowded waters and can sometimes become entangled in fishing nets. Water pollution is killing the sea grass they rely on for food.
Since 1974, more than 41 percent of manatee deaths have been human related -- 34 percent due to watercraft collisions.
Silver Springs Manatee Cameras
Save the Manatee Club has video cameras above and under the water in Silver Springs State Park. You can view the above water video feed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxnehowX-9Y and the underwater video feed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPqPFZMGTF8. A special highlight reel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bKfESuqkU.
Design
On this stamp, a West Indian manatee gently lolls underwater, just beneath ripples on the surface.
Many types of hungry freshwater fish clean algae off a manatee's skin, and the West Indian manatee on the stamp is accompanied by two such fish.
Illustrated by Nancy Stahl, the vertical stamp's art is predominantly aqua-colored, with the manatee's body rendered in shades falling between pale green and gray. At the top left of the stamp, the words "forever usa" appear in lowercase sans serif italics. "MANATEE" is printed in rounded capital block letters in pale aqua.
The booklet cover features an enlarged crop of the stamp artwork, with the words "SAVE MANATEES"
in white capitals.
Derry Noyes, an art director for the Postal Service, designed the stamp and booklet using Stahl's digital illustration.
Postal Products
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide. For officially licensed stamp products, shop the USPS Officially Licensed Collection on Amazon.
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The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.
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Original text here: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2024/0327-usps-issues-new-stamp-on-manatee-appreciation-day.htm
USAID Launches the Africa Trade Desk Through Prosper Africa
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman announced the launch of the Africa Trade Desk, a signature trade platform from Prosper Africa that links large U.S. food retailers to African producers. The announcement was made during the Atlanta Phambili: A Trade & Investment Gateway to Africa & South Africa event, an event highlighting the economic relationship between the United States and Africa, with a spotlight on South Africa.
The Africa Trade Desk, a public-private partnership
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WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The U.S. Agency for International Development issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman announced the launch of the Africa Trade Desk, a signature trade platform from Prosper Africa that links large U.S. food retailers to African producers. The announcement was made during the Atlanta Phambili: A Trade & Investment Gateway to Africa & South Africa event, an event highlighting the economic relationship between the United States and Africa, with a spotlight on South Africa.
The Africa Trade Desk, a public-private partnershipbetween Prosper Africa and Afritex Ventures, is set to facilitate at least $300 million in export sales between Africa and the United States within the next 18 months. The Africa Trade Desk bridges the gap between African suppliers and U.S. retailers by establishing a secure supply chain from Africa to U.S. retailers by consolidating logistics, insurance, and track and trace technology from farm to retailer. Initially, the focus will remain on specialty food products such as seafood, peppadews, stone fruit, citrus, and high-value herbs and vegetables. This initiative aggregates products from African suppliers, secures firm orders from its established network of U.S. buyers, and accesses financial resources to fund large orders. It supports U.S. retailers in diversifying their sourcing, reducing dependencies on traditional supply chains, and embracing high-quality, sustainable products from Africa, and also aims to mentor and scale African suppliers for success in the U.S. market. The Africa Trade Desk will help streamline business for African farmers by addressing hurdles including logistics and overseas marketing.
Prosper Africa is a U.S. Presidential-level national security initiative created to increase trade and investment at transformative levels. Prosper Africa is leading innovative approaches to U.S.-Africa trade relations and is changing the way we do business with Africa.
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Original text here: https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/mar-27-2024-usaid-launches-africa-trade-desk-through-prosper-africa
Southeastern Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta Award $270,000 Grant to Support Temporary Housing for Homeless Veterans
ATLANTA, Georgia, March 28 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news on March 27, 2024:
Southeastern Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) announced today that a $270,000 grant has been awarded to Golden Isles Veterans Village, a development of 30 tiny homes and a community center for homeless veterans in Brunswick, Georgia.
The funds from FHLBank Atlanta's Multifamily Housing Bridge Fund (Bridge Fund) were awarded to Golden Isles Veterans Village through Southeastern Bank, which is a member
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ATLANTA, Georgia, March 28 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news on March 27, 2024:
Southeastern Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta) announced today that a $270,000 grant has been awarded to Golden Isles Veterans Village, a development of 30 tiny homes and a community center for homeless veterans in Brunswick, Georgia.
The funds from FHLBank Atlanta's Multifamily Housing Bridge Fund (Bridge Fund) were awarded to Golden Isles Veterans Village through Southeastern Bank, which is a memberof FHLBank Atlanta. Once complete, this transitional community will provide low-cost rental housing for homeless veterans as well as physical and mental health services, job training, and assistance to determine benefits and entitlements.
"Southeastern Bank has a long history of serving our communities beyond our financial products and services," said Jay Torbert, CEO of Southeastern Bank. "Partnering with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta enables us to support housing needs in our area and deliver grants for initiatives like the Golden Isles Veterans Village."
FHLBank Atlanta introduced the Bridge Fund in 2023 to allocate a total of $8 million for multifamily affordable housing projects that are experiencing delays due to rising construction costs. Golden Isles Veterans Village is among 28 projects that received funding from FHLBank Atlanta through member banks like Southeastern Bank, which applied for Bridge Fund grants to support their communities.
"We introduced the Bridge Fund with the goal of helping projects like the Golden Isles Veterans Village reach the finish line and make more affordable housing available," said Tomeka Strickland, Senior Vice President and Director of Community Investment Services for FHLBank Atlanta. "We are proud of how Southeastern Bank leveraged the Bridge Fund and partnered with Golden Isles Veterans Village to make a positive impact on the lives of local veterans."
The Golden Isles Veterans Village is located at 1403 G Street, Brunswick, Georgia and is scheduled to open late 2024.
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About Southeastern Bank
Southeastern Bank, established in 1888, has a long history of serving its customers and communities. From deposit accounts and loans to investments and more, Southeastern Bank has the financial products you need most. Southeastern Bank has 11 locations throughout coastal Georgia and northeast Florida. Our online and mobile banking extends our reach and allows customers the opportunity to bank on their time 24/7. However, we have not forgotten that customer service, whether in person or via the phone, is the most important aspect of community banking. Southeastern Bank is a subsidiary of Southeastern Banking Corporation, a bank holding company headquartered in Darien, Georgia.
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About Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta
FHLBank Atlanta offers competitively-priced financing, community development grants, and other banking services to help member financial institutions make affordable home mortgages and provide economic development credit to neighborhoods and communities. The Bank's members are commercial banks, credit unions, savings institutions, community development financial institutions, and insurance companies located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. FHLBank Atlanta is one of 11 district banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. Since 1990, the FHLBanks have awarded approximately $7.6 billion in Affordable Housing Program funds, assisting more than one million households
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Original text here: https://corp.fhlbatl.com/who-we-are/news/southeastern-bank-and-federal-home-loan-bank-of-atlanta-award-270000-grant-to-support-temporary-housing-for-homeless-veterans
Social Security to Remove Barriers to Accessing SSI Payments
WOODLAWN, Maryland, March 28 -- The Social Security Administration issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, the Social Security Administration published a final rule, "Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Calculations." The final rule announces the first of several updates to the agency's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations that will help people receiving and applying for SSI.
"A vital part of our mission is helping people access crucial benefits, including SSI," said Martin O'Malley, Commissioner of Social Security. "Simplifying our policies
... Show Full Article
WOODLAWN, Maryland, March 28 -- The Social Security Administration issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, the Social Security Administration published a final rule, "Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Calculations." The final rule announces the first of several updates to the agency's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations that will help people receiving and applying for SSI.
"A vital part of our mission is helping people access crucial benefits, including SSI," said Martin O'Malley, Commissioner of Social Security. "Simplifying our policiesis a common-sense solution that reduces the burden on the public and agency staff and helps promote equity by removing barriers to accessing payments."
SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or blindness, and to adults aged 65 and older, who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits help pay for basic needs like rent, food, clothing, and medicine. People applying for and receiving SSI must meet eligibility requirements, including income and resource limits. Under our old rules, ISM includes food, shelter, or both a person receives - the agency counts ISM as unearned income, which may affect a person's eligibility or reduce their payment amount.
Under the final rule, beginning September 30, 2024, the agency will no longer include food in ISM calculations. The new policy removes a critical barrier for SSI eligibility due to an applicant's or recipient's receipt of informal food assistance from friends, family, and community networks of support. The new policy further helps in several important ways: the change is easier to understand and use by applicants, recipients, and agency employees; applicants and recipients have less information to report about food assistance received from family and friends, removing a significant source of burden; reducing month-to-month variability in payment amounts will improve payment accuracy; and the agency will see administrative savings because less time will be spent administering food ISM.
The agency continuously examines programmatic policy and makes regulatory and sub-regulatory changes as appropriate. Look for more SSI announcements in the coming weeks.
For more information on the SSI program, including who is eligible and how to apply, visit Supplemental Security Income (SSI) | SSA (https://www.ssa.gov/ssi).
To read the final rule "Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations," visit Federal Register: Omitting Food From In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/27/2024-06464/omitting-food-from-in-kind-support-and-maintenance-calculations).
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Original text here: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2024/#3-2024-4
IMLS Names Finalists for 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service
WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNScapv) -- The Institute of Museum and Library Services issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to announce 30 finalists for the 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. Since 1996, the award has honored more than 200 institutions that demonstrated extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service.
"The 30 National Medal finalists from across the
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WASHINGTON, March 28 (TNScapv) -- The Institute of Museum and Library Services issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is pleased to announce 30 finalists for the 2024 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries that demonstrate excellence in service to their communities. Since 1996, the award has honored more than 200 institutions that demonstrated extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service.
"The 30 National Medal finalists from across theUnited States showcase the tremendous abilities of libraries and museums to serve as trusted, dynamic public spaces that meet the needs of their communities," said IMLS Acting Director Cyndee Landrum. "The Institute of Museum and Library Services is honored to recognize these outstanding institutions. We congratulate them on their collective effort to respond to community needs, preserve diverse history and culture, and create a sense of belonging for all Americans."
Throughout April and May, IMLS will showcase the excellent community work of these institutions through its Share Your Story social media campaign. Anyone whose life has been touched by these museums or libraries is encouraged to share their memories and pictures and tag IMLS on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter) by using the hashtag #IMLSmedals.
IMLS congratulates the 2024 finalists of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and thanks all those who applied. This year's 30 finalists are:
Libraries
* Azalea Regional Library System (Sparta, GA)
* Chapel Hill Public Library (Chapel Hill, NC)
* DC Public Library (Washington, DC)
* East Brunswick Public Library (East Brunswick, NJ)
* Enoch Pratt Free Library (Baltimore, MD)
* Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library (Gloucester, MA)
* Griswold Memorial Library (Colrain, MA)
* Harris County Public Library (Houston, TX)
* Kent District Library (Comstock Park, MI)
* Lambertville Free Public Library (Lambertville, NJ)
* Mesa County Libraries (Grand Junction, CO)
* San Diego County Library (San Diego, CA)
* The Copper Queen Library (Bisbee, AZ)
* The Jane Stern Dorado Community Library (Dorado, Puerto Rico)
* Worcester Public Library (Worcester, MA)
Museums
* Children's Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
* Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (Tucson, AZ)
* Bay Area Discovery Museum (Sausalito, CA)
* California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco, CA)
* Discovery Museum (Acton, MA)
* El Paso Museum of History (El Paso, TX)
* Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (Powell, WY)
* Hocokata Ti (Shakopee, MN)
* Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago, IL)
* The Louis Armstrong House Museum (Queens, NY)
* The Mariners' Museum and Park (Newport News, VA)
* Museum of Idaho (Idaho Falls, ID)
* Museum of Us (San Diego, CA)
* Orlando Science Center (Orlando, FL)
* Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Pittsburgh, PA)
The 2024 National Medal winners will be announced the last week of May, and a national ceremony and celebration will be held in Washington, DC, in July.
To learn more about the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, visit the IMLS website (https://www.imls.gov/medals).
IMLS congratulates the 2024 finalists of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service and thanks all those who applied. This year's 30 finalists are:
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's libraries and museums. We advance, support, and empower America's museums, libraries, and related organizations through grantmaking, research, and policy development. IMLS envisions a nation where individuals and communities have access to museums and libraries to learn from and be inspired by the trusted information, ideas, and stories they contain about our diverse natural and cultural heritage.
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Original text here: https://www.imls.gov/news/imls-names-finalists-2024-national-medal-museum-and-library-service
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: Astronomers Unveil Strong Magnetic Fields Spiraling at the Edge of Milky Way's Central Black Hole
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, March 28 (TNSres) -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
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CfA astronomers led two new EHT studies that have produced the first polarized light image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration -- which includes scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) -- has uncovered strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius
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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, March 28 (TNSres) -- The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
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CfA astronomers led two new EHT studies that have produced the first polarized light image of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy.
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A new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration -- which includes scientists from the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) -- has uncovered strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the supermassive black hole SagittariusA* (Sgr A*). Seen in polarized light for the first time, this new view of the monster lurking at the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy has revealed a magnetic field structure strikingly similar to that of the black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy, suggesting that strong magnetic fields may be common to all black holes. This similarity also hints toward a hidden jet in Sgr A*. The results were published today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Scientists unveiled the first image of Sgr A* -- which is approximately 27,000 light-years away from Earth -- in 2022, revealing that while the Milky Way's supermassive black hole is more than a thousand times smaller and less massive than M87's, it looks remarkably similar. This made scientists wonder whether the two shared common traits outside of their looks. To find out, the team decided to study Sgr A* in polarized light. Previous studies of light around M87* revealed that the magnetic fields around the black hole giant allowed it to launch powerful jets of material back into the surrounding environment. Building on this work, the new images have revealed that the same may be true for Sgr A*.
"What we're seeing now is that there are strong, twisted, and organized magnetic fields near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy," said Sara Issaoun, CfA NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Einstein Fellow, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) astrophysicist, and co-lead of the project. "Along with Sgr A* having a strikingly similar polarization structure to that seen in the much larger and more powerful M87* black hole, we've learned that strong and ordered magnetic fields are critical to how black holes interact with the gas and matter around them."
Light is an oscillating, or moving, electromagnetic wave that allows us to see objects. Sometimes, light oscillates in a preferred orientation, and we call it "polarized." Although polarized light surrounds us, to human eyes it is indistinguishable from "normal" light. In the plasma around these black holes, particles whirling around magnetic field lines impart a polarization pattern perpendicular to the field. This allows astronomers to see in increasingly vivid detail what's happening in black hole regions and map their magnetic field lines.
"By imaging polarized light from hot glowing gas near black holes, we are directly inferring the structure and strength of the magnetic fields that thread the flow of gas and matter that the black hole feeds on and ejects," said Harvard Black Hole Initiative Fellow and project co-lead Angelo Ricarte. "Polarized light teaches us a lot more about the astrophysics, the properties of the gas, and mechanisms that take place as a black hole feeds."
But imaging black holes in polarized light isn't as easy as putting on a pair of polarized sunglasses, and this is particularly true of Sgr A*, which is changing so fast that it doesn't sit still for pictures. Imaging the supermassive black hole requires sophisticated tools above and beyond those previously used for capturing M87*, a much steadier target. CfA postdoctoral fellow and SAO astrophysicist Paul Tiede said, "It is exciting that we were able to make a polarized image of Sgr A* at all. The first image took months of extensive analysis to understand its dynamical nature and unveil its average structure. Making a polarized image adds on the challenge of the dynamics of the magnetic fields around the black hole. Our models often predicted highly turbulent magnetic fields, making it extremely difficult to construct a polarized image. Fortunately, our black hole is much calmer, making the first image possible."
Scientists are excited to have images of both supermassive black holes in polarized light because these images, and the data that come with them, provide new ways to compare and contrast black holes of different sizes and masses. As technology improves, the images are likely to reveal even more secrets of black holes and their similarities or differences.
Michi Baubock, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, said, "M87* and Sgr A* are different in a few important ways: M87* is much bigger, and it's pulling in matter from its surroundings at a much faster rate. So, we might have expected that the magnetic fields also look very different. But in this case, they turned out to be quite similar, which may mean that this structure is common to all black holes. A better understanding of the magnetic fields near black holes helps us answer several open questions--from how jets are formed and launched to what powers the bright flares we see in infrared and X-ray light."
The EHT has conducted several observations since 2017 and is scheduled to observe Sgr A* again in April 2024. Each year, the images improve as the EHT incorporates new telescopes, larger bandwidth, and new observing frequencies. Planned expansions for the next decade will enable high-fidelity movies of Sgr A*, may reveal a hidden jet, and could allow astronomers to observe similar polarization features in other black holes. Meanwhile, extending the EHT into space will provide sharper images of black holes than ever before.
The CfA is leading several major initiatives to sharply enhance the EHT over the next decade. The next-generation EHT (ngEHT) project is undertaking a transformative upgrade of the EHT, aiming to bring multiple new radio dishes online, enable simultaneous multi-color observations, and increase the overall sensitivity of the array. The ngEHT expansion will enable the array to make real-time movies of supermassive black holes on event horizon scales. These movies will resolve detailed structure and dynamics near the event horizon, bringing into focus "strong-field" gravity features predicted by General Relativity as well as the interplay of accretion and relativistic jet-launching that sculpts large-scale structures in the Universe. Meanwhile, the Black Hole Explorer (BHEX) mission concept will extend the EHT into space, producing the sharpest images in the history of astronomy. BHEX will enable the detection and imaging of the "photon ring" - a sharp ring feature formed by strongly lensed emission around black holes. The properties of a black hole are imprinted on the size and shape of the photon ring, revealing masses and spins for dozens of black holes, in turn showing how these strange objects grow and interact with their host galaxies.
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Additional Information
This research was presented in two papers by the EHT collaboration published today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters: "First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. VII. Polarization of the Ring" (doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df0) and "First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. VIII. Physical Interpretation of the Polarized Ring" (doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df1).
The individual telescopes involved in the EHT in April 2017, when the observations were conducted, were: the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), the IRAM 30-meter Telescope, the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano (LMT), the Submillimeter Array (SMA), the UArizona Submillimeter Telescope (SMT), the South Pole Telescope (SPT). Since then, the EHT has added the Greenland Telescope (GLT), which is operated by ASIAA and the CfA, the NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) and the UArizona 12-meter Telescope on Kitt Peak to its network.
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About the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT)
The EHT consortium consists of 13 stakeholder institutes; the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the University of Arizona, the University of Chicago, the East Asian Observatory, Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique, Large Millimeter Telescope, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, MIT Haystack Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Radboud University and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.
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About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between Harvard and the Smithsonian designed to ask--and ultimately answer--humanity's greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. The Center for Astrophysics is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with research facilities across the U.S. and around the world.
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JOURNAL: Astrophysical Journal Letters https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df0
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Original text here: https://pweb.cfa.harvard.edu/news/astronomers-unveil-strong-magnetic-fields-spiraling-edge-milky-ways-central-black-hole
GSA Announces New Pool of Online Commercial Platforms to Help Federal Agency Buyers Meet Mission Needs
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The General Services Administration issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, the U.S. General Services Administration awarded new contracts to eight commercial online platforms as part of a program that has helped federal agencies to more easily buy, get benefits from, and analyze spending when shopping online.
The additional platform offerings will provide federal agency buyers who use the GSA SmartPay Purchase card with even more choices while also offering agencies important insights into their online spend for the purchase of routine commercial
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 28 -- The General Services Administration issued the following news release on March 27, 2024:
Today, the U.S. General Services Administration awarded new contracts to eight commercial online platforms as part of a program that has helped federal agencies to more easily buy, get benefits from, and analyze spending when shopping online.
The additional platform offerings will provide federal agency buyers who use the GSA SmartPay Purchase card with even more choices while also offering agencies important insights into their online spend for the purchase of routine commercialproducts. The new expanded award pool includes:
* Amazon Business.
* e-Procurement Services*.
* Fisher Scientific.
* Grainger.
* Noble Supply & Logistics*.
* Pacific Ink*.
* Social Glass*.
* Staples.
"This is about meeting our customers where they are with a modernized user experience and streamlined process for government purchase cardholders," said Acting Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Tom Howder. "Since its implementation in 2020, the Commercial Platforms Program has grown to support close to 40 agencies, including over 55,000 buyers and accounting for 300,000+ annual orders in FY23."
According to Commercial Platforms Program Manager Keil Todd, all of the new awarded platforms offer a strong combination of commercially available best practices and features while meeting key government requirements related to mandatory sources, supply chain risk management, and a focus on small businesses and green products.
"This is a pivotal turning point in the Commercial Platforms Program as we expand the number of platforms available, including a number of small business awardees," said Todd. "We're excited to move out on the next-generation of this program to further our commitment to agencies in helping them get the products they need to support their missions."
GSA will be working closely with participating agencies to educate them about the expanded pool of new platforms, features, and benefits through a series of webinars and one-on-one touch points throughout the remainder of the fiscal year.
For more information on contract awards and the specifics of program participation, visit the Commercial Platforms Program (https://www.gsa.gov/node/132161) website.
* Denotes registered small business
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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $100 billion in products and services via federal contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA's mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people.
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Original text here: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/gsa-announces-new-pool-of-online-commercial-platforms-to-help-federal-agency-buyers-meet-mission-needs-03272024