MMA Imaging and Calibration Group

Minutes for meeting Tuesday, 29 Oct 2002 at 4:00pm EDT.

Date: 29 Oct 2002

Time: 4:00 pm EDT (2:00 pm Socorro, 2:00 pm Tucson)

Phone: (434)296-7082 (CV SoundStation Premier Conference phone 3rd floor).

Past minutes, etc on MMA Imaging and Calibration Division Page
 


 The Science IPT Organization Chart (Image courtesy E. van Dishoeck)
 

Agenda


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Science IPT News - Wootten

News from my point of view.
 Draft Level 3 Milestones were enhance and revised during the face to face meeting 21 October in Tucson.
 
 The VertexRSI antennais up!
 
  • Project News -
      Dick Sramek has agreed to replace Peter Gray as the new North American Lead for the Systems Engineering IPT effective December 1, 2002. The JAO is pleased to announce the appointment of Dick Sramek as Lead of the Systems Engineering IPT.
     Clint Janes, who has been head of VLA/VLBA Electronics, will be serving as Acting Lead of the Back End IPT effective December 16, 2002.
     Effective November 1, Joe McMullin will become the AIPS++ Project Manager. Athol Kemball is stepping down to join the Basic Research staff.
     New Administrative assistant Dottie Kennedy at Ivy Road
     New ALMA Offices on Old Ivy Road, to be occupied ca. late November
     New Systems guy located at Ivy Road
     Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Chile and ESO for Establishing a New Center for Observation in Chile - ALMA - signed. NSF/AUI already have an agreement, so necessary agreements are nearly complete.
     ACC or ALMA Board meeting 2002 29-30 October Santiago.
      ESO Workshop: Science Operations with ALMA, ESO, Garching 8 Nov 2002
     ALMA Frontend/LO Reviews 18-22 November Charlottesville.
     Carla Beaudet and Galen Watts of NRAO/GB conduct RFI tests at Chajnantor 3 - 20 December 2002
    &
      European ALMA workshop in Leiden 18-20 December
     
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    Calibration - All


      Absolute Calibration BIMA testing plans were relayed from Bryan.
      Milestones with descriptions as submitted to the JAO.
     John Payne notes the interesting report in Electronics Letters V. 38, No. 15, p 798 on a device similar to plans for the photonic calibration device.
     Update on this: John has gotten an NRAO-NTT contract to pursue this. There will be tests at SRON, and with Moseley's Herschel device TBD.
      Telecon minutes from last week.
      List of the status of the reviews/reviewers. The key is: "C" - already submitted a review; "U" = submitted an unsolicited review; "Y" = agreed to review the memo; "N" - declined to review the memo; "NR" - no response. Links are provided to reviews; please consult the archive for subsequent discussions.
      1 - Memo 423 - Steve Myers (Y), Matt Carter (N), Geoff Blake (Y)
      2 - Memo 422 - Douglas Bock (Y), Lee Mundy (NR), Jeff Mangum (C), Dave Woody (U) (Memo withdrawn)
      3 - Memo 427 - Robert Lucas (C), Ed Fomalont (NR), Craig Walker (C)
      4 - Memo 372 - Jeff Mangum (C), Larry D'Addario (C), Mark Gurwell (N), Bryan Butler (U)
      5 - Memo 415 - Jose Cernicharo (NR), Mark Holdaway (C), John Richer (Y)
      6 - Memo 404 & 403 - Mel Wright (N), Dave Woody (Y&C), John Richer (Y)
      8 - Memo 402 - Richard Hills (Y), Peter Napier (NR)
      9 - Memo 352 - Dave Woody (C), Chris Wilson (C), Dick Plambeck (N)
      10 - Memo 434 - Stephane Guilloteau (C)
      so, as yet no response from:
      Lee Mundy - 422
      Ed Fomalont - 427
      Jose Cernicharo - 415
      Peter Napier - 402
     
      and awaiting agreed upon reviews from:
      Steve Myers - 423
      Geoff Blake - 423
      Douglas Bock - 422
      John Richer - 415, 404, 403
      Richard Hills - 402
     
     
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    AIPS++ -

      Athol is doing what we all wish to do again...basic research...and Joe has taken over.
     
     
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    Configuration - Holdaway

      Please see Holdaway's Conway ASAC presentation.
     The JAO approved the configuration plan. The JAO document was entered into sitescape, though there are several problems which Jaap noted:
  • The document mentions 214 pads but gives positions for 172 and states 170 in the beginning.
  • The table has 36 occupancy columns, while the heading reads 35 configurations. Column one is repeated.
     
     
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    Meetings Past and Future - Wootten


     The ASAC held a telecon on 9 October. Its report was submitted to the ACC. It will become public tomorrow, after presentation to the ACC.
     The Site Infrastructure Review was held last week in Tucson. Al's notes are available.
     The Transporter Review was also held in Tucson. An image is available.
     
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    Other


     A monthly report for October is due to the Science IPT. A monthly report for the October monthly report will be submitted to the JAO by the Science IPT. Please send materials to HAW for NA.
      A bimonthly report for Aug-Sept was submitted by the NA Science IPT to the Project Management for inclusion in its report to NSF. The next one will be for Oct-Nov. (Whew!).
      In four weeks, another report will be due the Science IPT and the JAO.
     
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     SMA News...
      Laurie Strommer is scheduled to ask a question on NPR Car Talk. Catch her on SAT, OCT 12, at 11 am on WBUR, 90.9 MHz. [Al was listening while driving back from Green Bank and didn't hear her...]
     Novel idea ALMA should adopt Dept:
     TUE, OCT 8
      16:00 End-of-fiscal year celebration, M340.
     
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    Upcoming Meetings - Wootten

    JAN 5/9, 2003 201st Meeting of the American Astronomical Society

    JUL 13-26, 2003 Twenty-Fifth General Assembly of the IAU

    JUL 22/25, 2003 IAU Symposium (221): Star Formation at High Angular Resolution, Sydney, Australia. Tyler Bourke is a co-chair of the scientific organizing committee. Good opportunity to show ALMA capabilities.

    SEP 22-26, 2003 4th Cologne-Bonn-Zermatt-Symposium on The Dense Interstellar Medium in Galaxies

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    Travel

     Oh, always

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