CRESST research will initially focus on the study of neutron stars, black holes, and extremely hot gas throughout the universe. The Center also will work to increase the involvement of minority and women scientists in space science research and to facilitate university student participation in such research.

The Center will be supported through a five-year cooperative agreement from NASA with funding anticipated to be $7.5 million per year. A five-year extension is possible. The university partnership group will operate - and provide primary funding for - a management/scientist support office.

"The robust and wide ranging space science programs of the university partnership and our effective management of the Center will enable CRESST to achieve outstanding collaborative space science research and to extend the capabilities of the Goddard Space Flight Center, " said CRESST Director Lee Mundy, professor and chair of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Dr. Laurie Leshin, Goddard's Director of Sciences and Exploration, said, "At Goddard, we are excited to work with the talented scientists at the University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore County and the Universities Space Research Association to advance NASA's space science agenda. I know that together our work will fuel discoveries about our Sun, the Solar System, and the universe that will transform scientific understanding."

"This is a great day for Maryland," said Maryland Senator Barbara A. Mikulski. "The creation of CRESST is the kind of collaboration between our universities and government laboratories that fosters discovery, innovation, creates new technologies, new ideas and helps Maryland remain a world class center for space science and exploration. As the Senator that funds NASA and our other great federal science agencies, I applaud the creation of this institute and hope to expand cooperation among our universities and government laboratories to keep Maryland competitive."

"This is a fitting reward for UMBC's investment in astrophysics, and a great opportunity to expand the research and educational activities performed here," said Ian George, director of the Joint Center for Astrophysics and associate professor of physics at UMBC. "This award further bolsters UMBC's position in only its 40th year as one of the leading research universities in the mid-Atlantic region," George said.

USRA President David Black said, "We look forward to working with our partner institutions, UMCP and UMBC, to make CRESST a scientific enterprise that will help to achieve NASA's science goals while training the next generation of space scientists."

Space Science and Technology Research In support of NASA strategic science mission objectives, CRESST will carry out observational, experimental, and theoretical research in three general areas: a. The Sun and Solar System, stars, galaxies, and the universe at large; b. The informational and computational sciences related to the unique needs of data systems required to interpret space science data; c. The development of technology required to achieve these scientific challenges.

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