The Time Allocation Committee
Responsibility: The TAC process is charged with producing rank-ordered lists of all telescope proposals received, thereby providing the fundamental information needed for the telescope facility managers to build a telescope schedule with compelling and competitive science.
Roles
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Announce the availability of telescopes and and their capabilities for each semester, for NOAO-operated facilities, Gemini, and facilities for which NOAO has access through other opportunities (e.g., TSIP)
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Recruit 6 panelists to serve on each of the 6-7 review committees each semester
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Collect technical comments from facility experts for proposals that may be challenging to support, either logistically or technically
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Support the panels during their meetings in Tucson, as well as the follow-up merging and Director's discretionary panels, providing software tools, web site access, for proposal distribution, collection, and grades
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Support the facility managers with specific details of the proposals as they construct telescope schedules
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Send letters to proposers describing the outcome of their proposals, along with comments from the TAC panel.
Important Information
Available Capabilities and Instruments
NOAO Newsletter Article Describing TAC process (Letizia Stanghellini, March 2009)
