The first round of ACCent-sponsored proposals are currently being reviewed. Two workshops have been approved: The Astronomical "Great Surveys" Workshop and the Santa Fe 2008 Cosmology Workshop. Websites and other information will be available soon.

"Great Surveys" Workshop: (July/August 2008) In 2009, the next Decadal Review (DR) of Astronomy and Astrophysics will be carried out by the National Academy of Sciences. The purpose of the DR is to make recommendations for the nation's programs in astronomy and astrophysics, including observations of the large-scale Universe. A number of groups, including those led by researchers in New Mexico, will be submitting white papers and proposals to the review committee for consideration. Much of this preparation is going on now.

Looking ahead to the next decade and imagining the landscape of astronomy in 2020, it is clear that astronomical surveys, large and small, plus extensive follow-up projects, will play a key role. In fact, one might call the next 2 decades the "Era of Great Surveys". Surveys have long had a critical role in astronomy, from the pioneering Palomar Sky Surveys to the high-energy all-sky surveys from various satellites. Recently, the phenomenal success of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) carried out at the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico has kicked off a new generation of astrophysically and cosmologically motivated surveys that are widely accessible not only to researchers, but also to the public.

This workshop is aimed at building upon the wide interest in astronomical surveys in the community. This meeting will bring together the key workers in the field to exchange ideas, identify areas of cooperation, and to discuss plans for the future.

Santa Fe 2008 Cosmology Workshop: (July 2008) These workshops have been held for three weeks every year on the campus of St. John's College since 1999. They aim to cover the fast-progressing and expanding field of cosmology, addressing needs such as nucleating new collaborations, introducing new areas to experts in other fields, and giving graduate students and post-docs opportunities to learn from and interact with senior researchers over an extended period of time. The workshop is the only annual meeting of this kind in the US and continues to gain in popularity every year.

The Santa Fe workshops focus mostly on recent developments, especially those related to current and expected observational advances, including the cosmic microwave background (CMB), large-scale structure, dark matter, dark energy, and the early universe. The format emphasizes discussion with review material and other talks as appropriate. Since cosmology is a broad and fast-moving field, the combination of research workshop and summer school helps keep researchers abreast of the latest developments outside their own area of specialization (attendees range from observational astronomers to theoretical particle physicists).