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Fwd: Request for Comments from Harry Brumberger
- Subject: Fwd: Request for Comments from Harry Brumberger
- From: "John D. Barnes" <john.barnes@nist.gov>
- Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 10:26:30 -0500
---------------- Begin Forwarded Message ---------------- Date: 1/24/2000 1:36 Received: 1/24/2000 1:35 From: jdbarnes, jdbarnes@bellatlaantic.net To: Myself@nist, john.barnes@nist.gov This message was submitted by jdbarnes <jdbarnes@bellatlaantic.net> to list sa_scat@nist.gov. If you forward it back to the list, it will be distributed without the paragraphs above the dashed line. You may edit the Subject: line and the text of the message before forwarding it back. If you edit the messages you receive into a digest, you will need to remove these paragraphs and the dashed line before mailing the result to the list. Finally, if you need more information from the author of this message, you should be able to do so by simply replying to this note. ----------------------- Message requiring your approval ---------------------- Sender: jdbarnes <jdbarnes@bellatlaantic.net> Subject: Request for Comments from Harry Brumberger Harry Brumberger has asked me to post this on his behalf because he finds that his e-mail is somewhat unreliable. January 18, 2000 Dear Colleagues, The triennial international conferences on small-angle scattering began in Syracuse in 1965, with about 130 participants and a modest 26 invited and contributed papers. Over the years, the number of participants has tripled, the number of papers and posters has risen to over 300 (at Brookhaven), and applications have multiplied. Thus the SAS conferences have become mature and major events, and there is considerable sentiment to put the organization of future meetings on a somewhat more orderly footing than it has been in the past. The Commission on Small-Angle Scattering (CSAS) of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)was created in 1996, with the mission of serving the international SAS community by providing improved communication, assistance in its various activities (of which the SAS conferences are certainly one of the most important), and gaining recognition of our field of research. CSAS would be a logical locus for providing a more orderly framework for the organization of future meetings. CSAS has asked me, as a "consultant" to the commission, to explore this further, and since I believe that the SAS community must ultimately decide whether such a framework is desirable and, if so, what form it should take, I am writing to ask for your help. In the past, initiatives for future meeting sites have come from active centers or individuals in the field who wished to host a conference(and felt they had appropriate facilities), and who brought their proposals directly to the current meeting; the participants then voted to decide the site of the following one. The accepted proponents had reponsibility for all the organizational matters --- fundraising, publicity, logistics, program etc. The process worked well for a number of years, but was rather haphazard, and resulted in occasional difficulties and surprises, especially as the meetings grew larger. Below, a possible scheme for a more structured process is outlined; I ask for your reactions, comments and criticisms. You may feel that what is suggested is reasonable (perhaps with major or minor revisions), or you may prefer to continue informally as we have done in the past, or you may have a different scheme altogether. But we need your ideas. I believe that what we should arrive at is a fair, open, but orderly and timely process, and some reasonable criteria for sound meeting proposals. A possible scheme, then, which brings the CSAS in as an advisory body, prepared to offer its services and past experience to prospective conference organizers, is this: An advisory committee for SAS conferences (which could be called the International Conference Advisory Board) is appointed by CSAS, with due care for providing an internationally diverse group of perhaps nine members. The ICAB could, for example, include the chairs of the past three conferences, a representative of CSAS, the top five vote getters on a ballot submitted to the SAS community. Nominations for these five positions would be solicited by CSAS the first time, and subsequently by the current ICAB. The ICAB wuold have the following tasks: 1. To act as recipient for detailed proposals for future conference sites. These would be submitted, say, a year prior to the next upcoming conference, so that they could be suitably revised, improved where needed, and put on a comparable basis for presentation to the participants at that conference. The advisory committee would work with the proponents in the preparation of their proposals, which should address the following: * Logistic details (accessibility by international participants, local transportation, lodging facilities, food services, meeting rooms of all needed sizes, audiovisual facilities etc) * Budgetary concerns, expected sources of financial support etc. * Programmatic aspects (invited plenary speakers, special topics, parallel sessions etc). Selection of an international scientific/program committee for the conference. * Publicity * Proceedings publication * Timing 2. Assist, if requested, with publication of proceedings 3. Act as liaison with IUCr through CSAS. For the current cycle of conferences, if this scheme or an alternative form of it is adopted by the SAS community, proposals for the meeting following Venice 2002 would be submitted to the advisory committee by about August 2001, and then presented by the proponents to the Venice 2002 participants and the general SAS community via the current mailing list for their choice of the 2005 site. If we as a community decide to adopt a plan such as the one presented above, we would need to do so soon. Lead times for organizing international meetings are very long, and the process of gathering all the information needed to put a good proposal together can be very slow indeed. I am, therefore, asking that you let me have your comments (and please do comment!) no later than February 15, 2000. I will very much appreciate your responses, and look forward to receiving them. Sincerely yours, Harry Brumberger Department of Chemistry Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 13244 USA Tel.: +315-443-5923 FAX: +315-443-4070 E-mail: hbrumber@mailbox.syr.edu ----------------- End Forwarded Message ----------------- Dr. John D. Barnes email: john.barnes@nist.gov Natl Inst of Stds and Tech Voice: 301-975-6786 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8544 FAX: 301-975-4977 Gaithersburg, MD 20899 URL: http://www.nist.gov/sas or http://polymers.msel.nist.gov/staff/detail.cfm?SID=110
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