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A New Science Opportunity: Key Projects at KPNO (1Mar94)
(from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 37, 1 March 1994)

Kitt Peak National Observatory is initiating a program whereby large
observing projects or sets of projects with broad implications can be
supported at Kitt Peak.  We will call these "key projects".  While
there may not be a complete consensus on the definition of a "key
project," we provide the following guidelines as a starting point.

A key project is an observing program which is expected to make
significant progress in answering a scientific question of general
interest.  For operational reasons, it requires no more than about 20
nights per semester on any combination of Kitt Peak telescopes (with
any instruments) and may last up to three years.  It may be a single
large project, it may be a series of related projects all aimed at
addressing a single important issue, or it may be a sequence of
projects in which the outcome of each specifies the observing strategy
for the next.  These rules are not rigid; they are open to modification
if a strong case can be made.

In order to evaluate the community's interest in this kind of access to
the KPNO facilities, we are planning to fund a small number of
workshops to be organized by prospective proposers of key projects.
Our idea is to bring small groups together for a day or two in Tucson
to explore a strategy for a key project.  We will provide travel funds
and pay room and board expenses.  We will provide access to local
expertise in the capabilities of any of the Kitt Peak telescopes and
instruments.  We would hope the outcome of such a workshop would be a
proposal for a key project to be submitted for the fall 94 or spring 95
semester.  We are prepared to fund several such exploratory workshops,
based on a short proposal (less than one page) which would indicate the
nature of the problem to be addressed, the general approaches to be
explored, the makeup of the proposing team (limited to six participants
from outside Tucson), and the dates desired for the meeting. We point
out the desirability of including a KPNO collaborator, but will not
insist that one be included.

We will accept proposals until 1 July 1994, for groups to meet in July,
August, or September to assemble proposals for the 30 September 1994
deadline for the spring 1995 semester. After 1 July 1994, we will
choose up to three proposals to be funded for small project development
workshops.

Please submit proposals by mail, FAX, or e-mail to:

        Caty Pilachowski
        Kitt Peak National Observatory
        P.O. Box 26732
        Tucson, AZ 85726-6732
        (catyp@noao.edu)      602-325-9360 (FAX)

Proposals for Key Projects on KPNO telescopes will also be accepted
from individuals and groups which are not funded for project
development workshops or which do not apply for such funding.

Proposals for Key Projects will be reviewed through our normal
Telescope Allocation Process.  Use the new, standard form for KPNO
proposals (a copy accompanies this Newsletter), but the scientific
justification can be increased to two pages.  Please indicate that your
proposal is a Key Project on the line describing long term status.

Criteria in addition to scientific merit for reviewing Key Projects
will include the following:

1)  The scope of the project is such that access to significant amounts
    of telescope time are necessary to make progress on the scientific
    question.

2)  KPNO telescope time will comprise most of the observing for the
    project, and is not just a component of a larger project.

3)  Key projects will be selected to provide for us experience on several
    KPNO telescopes, and not all will be assigned to the 4-m.

4)  The proposals should address how the large body of data collected will
    be made available to the community.  (NOAO resources can be provided
    to assist with this in some cases.)

Caty Pilachowski, Dave De Young

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