Incoherent Scatter Radars (ISRs, also referred to as Thomson Scatter Radars) represent a powerful intersection of scientific innovation and engineering excellence. For over six decades, these sophisticated instruments have provided the space physics community with uniquely valuable observations of the ionosphere across a broad range of altitudes, latitudes, and time scales—from fleeting seconds to entire solar cycles. These observations have contributed to significant advances in fundamental plasma physics, space weather, and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. The uniqueness of modern ISR observations is an overlay of many individual strengths: height-resolution, configurable beam profiles, multi-angle simultaneous observing for retrieval of plasma parameters and derived vector quantities within a general region, and the capability of functioning regardless of cloud cover or time of day.

Despite their scientific value, there is a growing concern amongst the scientific community that ISRs are becoming under-utilized. The complexity of radar operations, the opaque nature of data processing, and a lack of accessible training and resources have led to a decline in engagement, particularly among students and early-career researchers. At the same time, the number of operational US-backed ISRs available to the community is declining, with no clear plan to replace, revitalize, or build new systems.

To address these pressing issues, a 2024 ISR Community and Research Workshop was convened at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside June 8 - 9, 2024, hosted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). The primary focuses of this workshop were to: 1) Assess the size and state of the community, 2) Develop a roadmap for training the radar community and the broader space physics community, 3) Provide a platform for disseminating research specific to the radar community, and 4) unify the US ISR community in order to be able to confront current and future problems in the field.

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