Meeting Minutes (27 Oct 2011)

• Helpdesk: we had previously reviewed helpdesk tickets after the August 2011 deadline but there are two issues related to the review process since that time that JoanWrobel noted.
  • Entering Reviews: Some reviewers are not happy with entering reviews into the PST. One suggestion is to be able to download a template and upload the reviews. Enhancements could also be made to the UI. JoanWrobel will discuss this with TimBastian.
  • Problems with Conflicts: In some cases the chair would begin their work before a reviewer would self-declare and this was causing some confusion. We need some mechanism to mitigate this problem. One suggestion was to not allow a chair to start until all reviewers have self-declared. Also, sometimes a conflict status changes when a reviewer realizes they have made a mistake. We need to communicate this information properly to the chair.
• Resources:
  • EVLA
    • WIDAR Setup: There have been some problems selecting the correct mode or understanding the available modes in the PST. In particular, the sub-bands. This is a problem for both the user and the technical reviewer. At the very least we should add the bandwidth to the cover sheet. MarkClaussen will think about how we can make improvements to the PST. Better defaults? Better documentation?
  • GBT
    • Invalid Backend Modes: There are invalid backend modes that are not captured in the PST. OpenSky will use the sensitivity calculator code as a starting point to improve the validation. Also, the validation should occur when the resources are selected and not at proposal submission.
    • W-band: There will be significant changes to this receiver but they will not be known until a later time.
    • Ku-band: The frequency range will need to be updated.
  • VLBA
    • Cover Sheet: Some parameters are not being displayed on the pdf cover sheet.
    • Aggregate Bit Rate: An aggregate bit rate is allowed that is not supported. We need to fix this.
    • C-band: The C-band receiver is being updated (wider range of frequencies). Need some checks for HSA.
    • HSA: We need to be able to search HSA proposals related to the GBT.
• Misc.:
  • Resubmitted proposals: There is some confusion about related proposals and resubmitted proposals. Currently there is only one field that is called "Related Proposals". This is being interpreted in different ways. Some people are assuming this is for proposals that failed and are being submitted again, whereas others are including proposals that have been accepted but are connected in some way to the current proposed research. JoanWrobel will take the lead on this and provide some requirements on how to move forward.
  • Stub Accounts: We need to make sure there are no issues with stub accounts and the DSS. OpenSky will discuss this with the software folks in GB. There should be no problems with the OPT.
• Other Issues:
  • Technical Justification: Currently the technical justification is included with the scientific justification which has page limits. We would like the GBT sensitivity calculator output to be included in the proposal but this can be significant in some cases and cause page limit problems. ToneyMinter will provide some requirements. It was discussed that in the future we may want to separate the technical justification from the scientific justification for all telescopes but this should be considered carefully and we should not do this for the current cycle. There may be something we can do now, however, for the GBT.