Letters of Intent Invited for NOAO Survey Programs
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) Survey Program will be accepting proposals for new surveys to start in the 2014B and 2015A semesters for the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) Blanco 4-meter telescope only. Due to the previous time allocations awarded to ongoing surveys on the CTIO SOAR and KPNO Mayall 4-m telescopes, and the upcoming termination of NOAO access to the WIYN 3.5-m and KPNO 2.1-m telescopes, Survey Program proposals for those facilities will not be accepted.
As a general rule, new Survey Program proposals should allow the identification of complete, well-defined samples that can yield both conclusions based on statistical analysis of the survey data itself and also provide important subsets for more detailed observations with larger telescopes. In addition, surveys are expected to provide coherent datasets that will be useful for other researchers.
For more information, visit the NOAO Survey Programs webpage. Questions about the Survey Program may be addressed to [email protected].
Investigators must submit a letter of intent (LOI) to propose for the NOAO Survey Program to [email protected] by 14 February 2014 to be eligible to propose for an NOAO Survey Program commencing in the 2014B/2015A semester. The guidelines for the LOI are posted on the survey information pages. The deadline for receiving completed survey proposals is 31 March 2014 at 11:59 pm MST.
Note that letters of intent are intended to allow for the selection of the telescope allocation committee (TAC) with minimal conflicts of interest and maximum applicable scientific expertise. Secondly, the description of the proposed program will allow for a review of the program in light of technical and operational constraints. Please keep this in mind when composing a letter of intent to ensure that relevant material is included, as the LOI proposal description is not meant to be the scientific justification.
In summary, a letter of intent for an NOAO Survey Program proposal is due at [email protected] by 14 February 2014.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at NOAO ([email protected]).