Authors: Shea Hess Webber (Stanford), Sushant Mahajan (Stanford), J. Todd Hoeksema (Stanford), The COFFIES Science Team (multi-institutional)

The COFFIES Drive Science Center seeks to understand the sources of solar activity. The Center expects to develop the capability to forecast solar activity cycles using observations and theory by bringing together scientists with expertise in helioseismology, dynamo theory, stellar convection, surface observations, and model integration. Teams from the 14+ institutions involved with COFFIES are investigating three primary themes – the tachocline at the bottom of the solar convection zone, the near surface shear layer of the Sun, and the emergence and transport of magnetic flux. The group will investigate the drivers of variable large-scale plasma motions in the Sun and stars, how flows and fields create varying activity cycles, and why active regions emerge when and where they do. COFFIES supports mentorship of STEM students, fosters public outreach and education, and works to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in heliophysics.