NPSS procedures

Organization and Procedures for the National
Nuclear Physics Summer School


 

The annual Nuclear Physics Summer School is supported by the NSF and the INT
and is managed by a Steering Committee with rotating membership drawn from the
nuclear physics community at large, with input from the DNP of the APS.


I. Steering Committee:

The present Steering Committee (established approximately January 1, 1995)
has the following membership:

        1. Jorgen Randrup, Chair 
        2. Bruce Barrett, Vice-Chair
        3. Holder of the NSF grant (currently George Bertsch)
        4. Virginia Brown
        5. Walter Henning
        6. Berndt Mueller
        7. James Vary
        8. Steve Vigdor
        9. Vic Viola

The members of the SC are in rotating positions, except for the NSF grant PI,
whose membership is by virtue of being grant holder.

   The normal tenure of a SC member will be four (4) years, so each year two (2)
members will be replaced.  The intention is to each year replace one theorist
abd one experimentalist, so that an approximate parity between theorists and
experimentalists is preserved.

Comments:
1) The NSF proposal suggested three year terms, but four-year terms are better,
        if the Chair and Vice-Chair are to have terms of two years each.
2) A person is appointed as Vice Chair after serving for two years on the SC
        would serve as Vice Chair for years 3-4 and then as Chair for years 5-6,
        ie for a total of six years on the SC; the annual rotations would then
        need to be adjusted appropriately, either by someone rotating off before
        the full term of four years or by postponing a replacement.


II.  Organization of each year's Summer School:

   It is envisioned that the Summer School will take place at different locations
from year to year, being organized by 'volunteers' from the NP community as it
has in the past.

   In the spring of each year, a notice is placed in the DNP and INT newsletters
inviting potential organizers for the next year's Summer School to submit
informal proposals, indicating possible sites and anticipated funding schemes.
The deadline for proposals to organize will be August 15 of the year preceding
the School.

   The Steering Committee will discuss the proposals and select an 'Organizer'
(which may be a team of people) and one of the proposed sites.

Remarks:
1)      The NSF grant provides funds for student support and advertising.
2)      The host institution will be expected to assume responsibility for the
        transportation and living costs of the speakers.
3)      The INT has agreed to serve as a default host institution, with the
        site being the UW Seattle campus, on the understanding the the Organizers
        of such Schools would ordinarily come from outside the INT.
4)      The INT is supporting the School by providing secretarial assistance,
        including mailing out the posters, assembling the applications, and
        carrying out the correspondance, if needed.
        
Comment:
        The years 1995 and 1996 were anomalous and should not be seen as typical.
        Ordinarily, the Organizer would have no particular relation to the INT,
        and the site could be anywhere in the country.

        Subsequently, the SC will compose the lecture program for the School,
in close consultation with the designated Organizer, and with due attention
to topical balance and recent programs.

Remarks:
        There are usually five major lecture series, with time and material for
        study provided, as well as 'office hours' where the students can ask
        questions and have in-depth discussions with the lecturers.  There is
        also a possibility for the students to present seminars, plus
        occasionally a few special seminars.

The Organizer (who may be a team of more than one person) invites the lecturers,
negotiates the practical arrangements regarding the site, prepares the poster,
selects the students, and runs the school.  After the School is completed, a
report must be filed with the SC and a financial statement made to the grant
holder.

Remarks:
        Ordinarily, the target group consists of applicants who are at most
        one year away from the PhD (plus or minus), with the priority falling
        off rapidly in both directions.  In a steady state, it should then be
        possible for any student to take part in one Summer School at some point.



Summary of duties
-----------------

    A. Chair of the Steering Committee:

        a) Chairs the Steering Committee.
        b) Places the ad in the DNP and INT newsletters.
        c) Leads the discussions with the SC members regarding
            i) selection of the Organizer(s) and site from the proposals,
           ii) composition of the lecture program,
          iii) the rotation of the membership, including the solicitation of
                suggestions from the DNP Executive Committee, and
           iv) the selection of the new Vice-Chair.
        d) Serves as main contact person between the SC and
            i) the Organizer of the School,
           ii) the grant holder, and
          iii) the INT.

    B. Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee:

        a) Serves as the principal adviser to the SC Chair.
        b) Serves in place of the Chair, when necessary.
        c) Is the designated successor of the SC Chair.

    C. Grant Holder:

        a) Serves as the principal liason with the NSF.
        b) Oversees the budgetary aspects of each year's School.

    D. Member of the Steering Committee:

        a) Help advertise the Summer School and encourage applications.
        b) Help recruit potential Organizers.
        c) Participate in the process of identifying an Organizer and a site.
        d) Help compose the lecture program.

    E. Organizer(s) of the Summer School:

        a) Submits a proposal to organize next year's Summer School,
           containing proposed possible sites and the anticipated
           funding scheme.
        b) Takes active part, with the Steering Committee, in the composition
           of the lecture program.
        c) Is responsible for all the organizational and practical aspects
           of the particular School, including
             i) inviting the selected lecturers (if an invited lecturer cannot
                accept, the program process is iterated with the SC),
            ii) preparing the poster,
           iii) selecting the students for admission to the school,
            iv) making the practical arrangements regarding the site,
             v) running the school,
            vi) preparing and submitting a report on the school to the SC,
                including student questionaires, and a financial accounting
                to the grant holder.

----------------------------------------------------------
COVER LETTER:
----------------------------------------------------------

To:     Dirk Walecka, Chair, DNP Executive Committee

From:   Jorgen Randrup, Chair
        Bruce Barrett, Vice Chair
        Steering Committee for the Nuclear Physics Summer School

Copy:   Ben Gibson, Secretary-Treasurer, DNP Executive Committee

Date:   30apr96
About:  Nuclear Physics Summer School

We thought that the upcoming DNP meeting would be a good opportunity to draw
your attention to the information below regarding the National Summer School
on Nuclear Physics, since the School is intended to serve the DNP community at
large and will depend on input from the DNP for its continued success.

The Nuclear Physics Summer School started about ten years ago on the spontaneous
initiative of a group of theorists that had gathered for informal discussions at
the Capra Ranch outside Los Angeles.  The School has been very successful and,
in order to ensure its long-term continuation, we have recently tried to firm up
the associated procedures.

We are enclosing the current draft describing the (intended) organization of the
School and we are inviting your comments.  The envisioned role of the DNP is
primarily two-fold: 1) To suggest names for the annual replacements on the
Steering Committee, and 2) to help advertise each year's School and solicit
proposals for organizing the following year's School.

We feel that the support and involvement of the DNP is an important element in
the Summer School and that it will help to ensure that it be responsive to our
filed's needs for timeliness and diversity, as they develop over time.  Please
do not hesitate to contact us for for discussion/information.

Finally, since it so happens that Wick Haxton will be coming to the DNP meeting
(while we will not), we have asked him to make himself available to you to try
answering any questions you might have about the School.  We are grateful to Wick
for agreeing to help in this manner, even though he has rotated of the Steering
Committee.  Wick is very familiar with the development of the School, since he
was one of the originators and served on the Steering Committee until recently;
he also coorganized the 1990 NP Summer School in Santa Cruz.

Yours Sincerely,
        Jorgen Randrup, Chair           Steering Committee for the
        Bruce Barrett, Vice Chair       Nuclear Physics Summer School


 

 

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