CHARGE II --------- Terms of Reference for ANASAC. An issue that has arisen in the latest ANASAC meetings is the question of the interaction between the ASAC and the ANASAC - should the ANASAC provide more input to the North American members of the ASAC on charges to the ASAC from the ALMA Board? This duty is not currently in the ANASAC terms of reference. Does the ANASAC want to expand its role to include a closer connection to the ASAC and the ASAC charges? Note that this would be in addition to the existing NRAO terms requesting that the ANASAC provide detailed input into North American ALMA User-related and science issues. RESPONSE -------- We note that the charges laid by the board at ASAC are routinely discussed by the ESAC prior to ASAC meetings, and hence the European members of ASAC have a more formal sampling of their community's views at the meeting and when preparing their reports. It seems very sensible for the ANASAC chair and North American Project Scientist to arrange for the ASAC charges to be distributed to the ANASAC, and for a telecon to be arranged to provide wider input to the North American ASAC members ahead of their meeting. The role of ASAC is to provide the best scientific advice to the ALMA board. This necessarily includes being sensitive to regional tensions or disagreements within the project. The more formal involvement of ANASAC would help the ASAC members in representing the full views of their community in the discussion of such charges. On a wider front, the structure of ANASAC seems to be working fairly well, with the structure of the committee as a `users' group' advising the director of NRAO about the North American community's views on ALMA operations both within North America and project-wide. The existing terms of reference are sufficiently non-specific that ANASAC should be free to consider a wide range of issues within the project, and to offer proactive advice to the director of NRAO, without breaching its charter. However, adding a formal term about discussing issues before the ASAC would be very sensible. Asssociated material ANASAC terms of reference http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/anasac/ANASACTermsofReference.pdf ASAC charter http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/asacreport/node10.html