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CTIO Observing Proposal Instructions (1Sep94) (from CTIO, NOAO Newsletter No. 39, 1 September 1994) Observing time at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory is allocated via peer review twice a year. Proposals must be received by 31 March for the following August through January, and by 30 September for February through July. Proposal forms may be obtained either electronically (see below) or by writing the CTIO Director's Office, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile or Chile Office, NOAO, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson AZ 85726-6732. Electronic submission is encouraged using the LaTeX version (only) of the form. Use anonymous ftp to ctio.noao.edu (139.229.2.3), log in as "anonymous" (password=your e-mail address), cd pub/ctioforms, mget *, bye. The README file describes the various files. Alternatively, the files will be automatically e-mailed to you if you send a (blank) e-mail message to ctioprop-request@noao.edu. Prepare your proposal following the instructions, referring to the sample proposal as needed. Encapsulated PostScript (eps) figures may be included through a two-step process; follow the example given. Run LaTeX on your proposal, adjusting your file as needed until there are no significant errors and you are happy with the look of the output document. Please make sure you check your proposal by printing out the final version; we process proposals as received and make no attempt to clean them up. E-mail the LaTeX version (NOT the PostScript or dvi version) to ctioprop-submit@noao.edu. You will receive an automatic acknowledgement, along with instructions to e-mail any eps figures. Send questions to ctioprop-help@noao.edu. Complete electronic submissions, including figures, must be received before midnight ChST on 31 March or 30 September. For paper submissions, complete the form and send one copy each to: 1) CTIO Director's Office, Casilla 603, La Serena, Chile (airmail only) or Mariategui 2432, Providencia, Santiago, Chile, telephone 2047394 (courier service only - allow 4 working days minimum for delivery). 2) Chile Office, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson AZ 85726 or 950 N. Cherry Ave., Tucson AZ 85719. Paper versions must be received in La Serena by the end of the working day on 31 March or 30 September. Vagaries of the Post Office and "courier" delivery services are, alas, unpredictable, so please allow sufficient time for us to receive the proposal on time. We do not accept proposals by telefax. Do not send duplicate paper and/or electronic submissions. Instructions Ph.D. Thesis. The faculty advisor must send a letter citing (a) the amount of the graduate student's observing experience, (b) the student's academic standing, including whether the project has been accepted as a PhD thesis, and (c) how this particular observing proposal fits into the overall thesis plans. Is other telescope time being used as part of the thesis, and how many additional runs on what telescopes will be required to finish the thesis? This letter must be received by the proposal deadline. A similar letter must be provided for any proposal where a graduate student is PI or will be sole observer. This letter may be e-mailed to ctioprop-letter@noao.edu. For letters only, telefax is acceptable. Observing runs. Specifying as generous a range as possible for "acceptable dates" will facilitate scheduling your run. See the most recent March or September issue of the Newsletter for a complete list of telescope and instrument combinations; these are also listed in the current version of the LaTeX template. Visitor instruments. If you are planning to bring a visitor instrument, you must send a separate letter (CTIO Director's Office) or e-mail (ctioprop-letter@noao.edu) prior to 15 October or 15 April to describe the instrument and its interfacing requirements more fully than what is possible on the form. Scientific Justification. Please try to limit yourself to one page of prose; figures and references may run to a second page. Do not use type fonts smaller than 12 characters per inch. Remember that the TAC is composed mostly of specialists in fields other than yours. Explain the context and significance of your program clearly. Questions? E-mail ctioprop-help@noao.edu or call the CTIO Director's Office (56-51-22-5415 or Fax 56-51-20-5342). Special Note: The actual LaTeX commands in the CTIO proposal form are almost the same as in the KPNO proposal form, and in fact a KPNO file will produce an acceptable CTIO proposal if the ctioprop.sty file is used for the documentstyle. Since telescopes, instruments and policies do differ at the two sites, please read the CTIO instructions carefully before using the kpnoprop.tex file to produce a CTIO proposal.
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