Electronic Proposal Submission

As usual, we are encouraging all observing proposals for the upcoming semester to be submitted electronically, although we are not actually requiring this. Last semester nearly all of our proposals arrived via e-mail, and most users seemed to find this fun and convenient. On this end, we've encountered few problems, with the largest time-waster being fixing the handful of proposals that were apparently never run through LaTeX and printed at the user's end. (We do not guarantee to do this in the future, so make sure the proposal looks the way you want the TAC to see it before submitting it!)

We've made a few changes to the form this time around to facilitate the automatic transferring of data from the electronic versions into the database used for the TAC and scheduling process. It would thus help us if you use the most recent copy of the form.

To submit an observing proposal here's what you do:

1. Obtain the proposal package by e-mailing kpnoprop-request@noao.edu. You will have to fill out the LaTeX proposal template. Alternatively, these forms are available via anonymous ftp to ftp.noao.edu in the subdirectory kpno/kpnoforms. You can similarly obtain the files via the World Wide Web. (The NOAO home page is http://www.noao.edu/).

2. Fill out the LaTeX proposal template with a scientifically exciting, well-reasoned, and clear program. Include whatever figures are needed to make your case in the form of Encapsulated PostScript files. (See the example provided with the package.)

3. If you are applying for WIYN time you will also need to fill out the queue-observing form that specifies all the parameters necessary to carry out the observations (analogous to HST's Phase II proposal).

4. Submit the observing form to kpnoprop-submit@noao.edu. You should immediately receive an acknowledgement message telling you what your proposal ID is. (If you don't, send e-mail to kpnoprop-help@noao.edu or give Judy Prosser a call at (520)318-8279.) Included will be instructions for submitting the figures and queue observing form.

5. Submit the figures and/or WIYN queue form following the instructions received in the acknowledgement. You should also receive acknowledgements for each of these.

6. In the case of thesis students, the advisor should send the "thesis letter" via e-mail (also to kpnoprop-submit@noao.edu) explaining how the present proposal fits into the overall scheme of the thesis, what other observing time might be required, and so on. It would help if the proposal number given in the acknowledgement message above were mentioned.

Electronic submission of proposals has made our lives easier as well as making it easier for observers to submit their requests--we encourage everyone to submit their proposals this way. Questions or suggestions for improving the process can be directed to kpnoprop-help@noao.edu or the undersigned.

Phil Massey, Jeannette Barnes, David Bell, Pat Patterson, Judy Prosser