Roughly 4 - 6 weeks before each semester begins, the WIYN Queue Experiment team meets to review what programs have been assigned to the WIYN queue experiment. Using the WIYN Queue Rules as a guideline, programs are separated into two groups: programs likely to be initiated during the first month of the semester and programs unlikely to be initiated during that period.
The PIs of programs likely to be initiated are then sent standard form letters customized to the two WIYN facility instruments: MOS/Hydra and the Imager. These letters inform the PIs that their programs are likely to become active soon and then outline what information the WIYN queue team needs to execute their program.
After every WIYN queue experiment run, the WIYN queue team meets to discuss queue progress and to plan future queue runs. At that time, the list of programs being actively tracked is re-evaluated. If a new program is added to that list (usually because some other program has been completed), the PI of that new program is issued the standard MOS/Hydra or Imager form letter as appropriate. Programs are not added to this list and further information is not requested from the PI unless we think there is a strong possibility that we will be able to start executing their program in roughly 4 - 6 weeks. Given the unpredictability of the weather, it is hard for us to predict what programs we will actually be working on much further in the future.
Of course, PIs are welcome to submit needed information (such as Hydra configurations) at any time. Since generating Hydra configurations is so time consuming, however, it did not seem desirable to request that PIs do that unless there was a high probability that we would actually execute their program.
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Last Updated: 8/2/99, wiynq@noao.edu