The membership of the CTIO Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) has changed significantly in the past year, as various members have completed their "tours of duty" and new ones have come on board.
We thank former TAC members You-Hua Chu (Illinois), Eric Persson (OCIW), Mark Phillips (CTIO), Maria Teresa Ruiz (Chile), Verne Smith (Texas) and Charles Steidel (Caltech) for lending their expertise and judgment to the service of CTIO and the astronomical community. Recent additions to the TAC are Gary Bernstein (Michigan), Luis Campusano (Chile), Ron Probst (CTIO), and Joseph Shields (Ohio). Continuing members are David Crampton (DAO) and Nick Suntzeff (CTIO) serving as Chair. The alert reader will note that flux has not been conserved; we are seeking two additional members for the next TAC review in April-May 1998.
The TAC reviews all proposals received by CTIO, on the basis of scientific merit, and recommends time allocations to the Director. All members read and evaluate all proposals (conflicts of interest excepted), submit written comments, and participate in joint discussion of every proposal at a group meeting. This can be a scientifically stimulating, horizon-broadening experience; it is also demanding, at times grueling, and takes members away from their work and homes for several days twice a year. All of us who operate and use the NOAO facilities owe a large debt of gratitude to the TAC members for their professional service.
Nick Suntzeff (nsuntzeff@noao.edu),
Malcolm Smith (msmith@noao.edu)