[DUSELScience] Solicitation 1 status and milestones

[Bernard Sadoulet]

Solicitation 1 status (September 1, 2005)

After the announcement by the NSF of its decision for the S2 site 
studies, and the Minneapolis workshop at the end of July, there have 
been a number of discussions in the community on the potential 
consequences for the DUSEL process but there have been little news 
about what is going on with the site independent  (Solicitation 1) 
study. I just would like to summarize the current status (and various 
deadlines).

It is clear that it is essential for the DUSEL process and for the S2 
selected sites that we complete as rapidly as possible the 
Solicitation 1 tasks:
1) Based on our discussions so far, we have to complete the writing 
of the glossy brochure. This 20 page plus figure document (similar to 
"The Quantum Universe") is directed at generalists in Washington.  We 
have constituted a writing group, formed so far of the S1 PIs, Judy 
Jackson and Hitoshi Murayama. Hamish Robertson will be the 
coordinator. We are particularly happy that Judy and Hitoshi accepted 
to participate, as together with Hamish they have the experience of 
the writing of the Quantum Universe. Our time scale is the end of the 
year.
2) The working groups are working towards finishing the 
infrastructure matrix (due now) and the technical document for their 
sub_discipline (due at the end of September). These 15-20 pages, 
web-based documents are written for specialists (colleagues and 
program officers) and will provide the detailed justification for the 
statements made in the glossy report. Several groups are close to 
final documents
3) We are drafting the common technical documents: education and 
management are nearly finished. We are starting a second iteration of 
the detailed infrastructure requirement document to be circulated to 
the working groups and sites within 2 weeks. This document may 
generate healthy discussions within the community, but it is clearly 
essential to provide fairly detailed specifications very rapidly to 
the S2 sites. The time scale for finishing this document is the end 
of October.
4) We will be starting the external reviews of the technical 
documents as soon as we have them available.
5) We are penciling in a "roll-out workshop" at the end of January in 
Washington to present our conclusions to the agencies. The date will 
be announced as soon as it is firmed up.

We have been asked by various members of the study, whether they 
could join one or the other selected S2 sites. It has been our policy 
that the working group coordinators could be associated with a 
particular site. We would like however the coordinators to finish 
their S1 work before getting fully immersed in the S2 studies; in the 
past, it has been difficult to keep S1 moving when S2 deadlines were 
looming. As far as the S1 PI's, we believe that it is important that 
we maintain our neutrality till the site independent study is 
completed and will attempt to provide advice equally to the two 
sites. We are convinced that the best way we could help the two sites 
is to get our work finished promptly.

For the DUSEL site independent PIs

Bernard Sadoulet


-- 
Bernard Sadoulet
Berkeley Cosmology Group
Department of Physics
University of California - Berkeley 94720-7304
Tel: 510 642 5719. Fax:510 642 1756
Cell: 510 703 3840
sadoulet at cosmology.berkeley.edu
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