ALMA Science Advisory Committee Meeting 28-29 September, 2008, Charlottesville, Virginia

Face-to-face agenda 2008 Sept 28-29

ASAC Meeting, 2008-Sep-28-29, Charlottesville

ASAC members at the Chajnantor Site Sept 2001 ASAC members at the Central Cluster site (looking roughly South) in Sept 2001, and The Chajnantor Site of the ALMA Central Cluster (looking roughly North, with the AOS TB in the background) in August 2008the same site 2008 August 28 with earthworks beginning.

ASAC met in Charlottesville 27-28 Sept 2004 Sept 2004 Agenda.

 

Note that several presentations and some other background material have been added to the ASAC meeting documentation

INFORMATION ON ACCOMMODATION and TRAVEL will be found at the above link.
Practical Information (Restaurants, etc)

The Committee
I do not have the official CHARGE document from the ALMA Board
Discussion Wiki

27 September 2008

28 September 2008

Room 230 NRAO

8:30 am

8:30 am Organization (Closed session) (Gueth, Blain, Onishi)


9:00 am 1. JAO Management Reports (Hills)

  • Items: Extended configuration CRE
  • ACA 7m CDR, status of surface accuracy CRE.
  • B3 sensitivity CRE
  • Order of pad construction

9:30 am Discussion

10:30 am Break

10:45 am 2. Charge 2) ASAC should continue to review AIV/CSV activities and to recommend necessary and desirable changes. Any significant new issues in this area should also be included in thereport for the November 2008 meeting, but the Board expects a more detailed examination of these topics after the ASAC meeting in Chile in early 2009. (Hills, Peck)

  • Current version of Commissioning and Science Verification Plan (Hills, Peck, Laing)

11:30 am Discussion

13:00 pm Lunch

13:45 pm 3. Charge 3) The ALMA Board has charged the Project to draw up a long-term ALMA Development Plan in consultation with the international astronomy community. The plan should set out the scientific context for transformational science with ALMA in the next two decades, in the era of for example JWST, ELTs and SKA, and recommend developments necessary to achieve this vision. The ALMA Board views this plan as having a high strategic priority, and is coordinating its development across the entire ALMA partnership. The process of generating the ALMA Development Plan should be led by the JAO Project Scientist and the ASAC (with support from the Executives). The first stage will involve an examination of the scientific drivers by a team of astronomers, chosen to be representative of the broad astronomy community that is expected to use ALMA. It is therefore important that the proposed team include people with a broad perspective and expertise at wavelengths outside the range that will be observed by ALMA as well as people with experience of mm-wave interferometry and instrumental development. This team should take time to work with the community, e.g. by sounding their own 'networks' and holding local discussions, before making a first-order draft of potential long term developments, grouping them in high, medium and low scientific priority, and identifying the ones which require long-lead technical developments. The ASAC should review and comment on the report (again with members taking soundings through their networks) before submitting it to the Board. The Board would like to receive a progress report on this at its November 2008 meeting and, if possible, the full report by March 2009. The Board suggests that it would not be appropriate to hold a large community workshop devoted to this topic, but recommends that discussion sessions be planned as part of other workshops (e.g. at one of the annual ALMA-oriented science workshops, or at more general meetings on future astronomical facilities). It is anticipated that a larger-scale activity will follow after the start of Early Science. (Blain)

14:50 pm Discussion

16:00 pm Break

16:15 pm 4. Sundry items of Science Concern

16:45 pm Discussion

18:00 pm Close

19:00 pm Dinner together


29 September 2008

08:45 am Closed Session (if needed)

9:00 am 6. Charge 1) ASAC should continue to monitor and assess the readiness of ALMA software, in particular to review the outcome of software CDR number 6 July 14-16 and the ongoing work on detailing the software requirements for Early Science. These topics should be covered in the ASAC’s written report for the Board’s November 2008 meeting.

  • Implicit within this charge is CASA testing. (Brogan)
  • Experience at the ALMA Test Facility (Peck, Laing)

10:30 am Break

10:45 am

        - EASAC Meeting Report (Onishi)

        - ANASAC (Blain)

        - ESAC Meeting Report (Gueth)

        - General Discussion

11:15 am Charge 5

  • Charge 5) Noting that 2009 is the International year of Astronomy, the ASAC should examine the Project’s activities in the area of outreach, both to the general public and to the astronomical community, and make suggestions as to how they and the ALMA Project could enhance these activities. (Stoke)

11:45 am Charge 4.Science and Operations Review

  • Charge 4) The ASAC should review the plans for provision of ALMA Regional Centers and report to the Board’s March 2009 meeting. (Hibbard, Testi Morita)

        - Reports from perhaps Hibbard or Lonsdale, Testi and Morita

        - Ops Plan Vers D distributed in November.

        - SCO Ops Status(Who?)

        - JP ARC Status(Morita)

        - NA ARC Status(Lonsdale, Hibbard)

        - EU ARC Status(Testi)

12:15 pm Discussion

        - General Discussion

13:00 pm Lunch

13:45 pm 6. Drafting of report (Closed Session)

16:00 pm Presentation of Findings (All)

17:30 pm Adjourn
1) Attendees expected


EU: Aalto Gueth (Vice Chair) Hogerheijde (perhaps attending by audio/video) Cernicharo (perhaps attending by audio/video) Afonso (perhaps attending by audio/video)
NA: Blain (Chair) Johnstone Bally Johnson Williams
J: Onishi (Vice Chair) Kohno Yamada
Chile: Nagar
JAO: Hasegawa Hills Peck
Executives: Lo, T. Wilson
PS: Morita, Testi, Wootten IS: Laing
Guests: Stoke, Lonsdale, Hibbard, Brogan

-- AlWootten - 17 Jul 2008 -- AlWootten - 18 Sep 2008
Topic revision: r11 - 2008-09-29, LeonardoTesti
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