ANASAC Telecon 23 May 2003

Present:  Dan, Jean, Chris, Phil, Al, Leo, Mark, Dick, Min, Fan, Dave Sanders, Darrel Emerson

1. Dick Crutcher has been elected Chair of the ANASAC for one year.
2. Face-to-Face meeting.  The suggested date of 2003-June-16 conflicted with travel plans for
certain key committee members. 

New Business -- Agenda
1.  ALMA Project News.  Wootten summarized some items relating to the ALMA Project.  
2. ANASAC Face to face meeting (Crutcher, Wootten)
     Discussion on the purpose of this meeting ensued.  Wootten stated that major purposes
     would be to discuss the form of the US ALMA Science Center, the discussion for the
     AAS town meeting, and the science meeting next year.  Roles of the RSC were discussed. 
     Astronomers could go to the Center, with support, to massage their data.  It could act as a
     mechanism to incorporate Americans into the ALMA verification and commissioning
     phases.  LB stated that the STScI provided a good model for an ALMA RSC.  We should
     think about ways that we have interacted with it and what we would like to change.  The
     actual ALMA site is not unlike the HST ops center, which may not be at the STScI, while
     the latter is an independent academic unit with an interest in interaction with local
     universities.  Although expensive, the scale of operations at the ALMA RSC may not be
     so great.  NRAO would like Jansky Fellowships to be more similar to Hubble
     fellowships.  Emerson stated that an Operations Group had begun meeting to discuss just
     these items with regard to the overall ALMA project.  The discussion sounds very much
     like the discussion we are having now--this group has about ten people on it.  Radford,
     Janes, Kingsley, Emerson. Sramek.  Two meetings have occurred so far.  Crutcher noted
     that the ANASAC is nearly all potential ALMA users, and as such would have a different
     slant.  Emerson noted that his group will not hesitate to make scientific comments. 
     Discussion moved to the time for the meeting, with interest centering on the end of
     August.  ACTION Wootten to send around possible dates.  One possibility is around the
     time of the ASAC meeting, 4-5 September.

3. ALMA/AAS - Town Meeting January 2004? (Crutcher, Wootten)
           Topical Session Jan 2005?
Wootten noted that we have officially requested a town meeting for the next AAS.  Some
presentations on the state of ALMA and audience participation are expected.  This committee
should be involved and seek input, perhaps along the lines of the questionnaire circulated by
ESO at the meeting in Garching last November. 
4. Science Workshop 2004  (Wootten)
An ALMA Science Workshop will be held in Charlottesville, along the lines of one held in
Europe last Fall (ESO Workshop: Science Operations with ALMA, ESO, Garching 8 Nov 2002;
see also Survey from November ESO Meeting).
Probably a single day is not long enough so that people attending can begin to network.  AAS
meetings are good places to recruit enthusiasm,  but this also depends on how well we advertise
it to the community.  It depends upon capturing people's interest.  Certainly should do an AAS
meeting.  But a separate meeting for those of us more interested in the meeting would be good.
especially if it is to have a focus for the RSC.  ALMA is still quite far away for the average
person attending the AAS.  We'd get dropins there but not likely would they travel to a special
meeting for a far off.

5. Operations Plan Discussion/Role of Regional Support Centers (Wootten)
Wootten led a short introduction to Chapter 6 of the Project Plan, containing the description of
ALMA operations.

In other business, it was noted that the aips++ consortium jointly disbanded.  It was suggested
that we ask Brian Glendenning to join next month.  Ask him what plans for user software and
pipeline processing are, whether they involve what currently is called aips++.  Also his views on
RSCs.  DE sent out link to ops group page.  People should look at initial documents from 
Stephane Guilloteau with a comprehensive list of issues pertaining to science.

Next Meeting: 20 June was discussed at the same time.  However, owing to a conflict, the date of
27 June was substituted.