User Guide
Would you like to perform an experiment at NSCL? Follow the six steps listed at right:
The procedure to obtain NSCL beam time for experiments is designed to achieve several objectives:
- To maximize the scientific effectiveness of this national user facility.
- To help users carryout successful and high-impact experiments.
- To formalize uniform criteria for considering all proposals for experiments and for selecting those to be granted beam time.
- To provide a relatively rapid turn-around time between the submission of a proposal and the performance of an experiment.
PAC Process
NSCL solicits written proposals for experiments from prospective users. These proposals are reviewed by the Program Advisory Committee (PAC) at meetings generally held about every 6-12 months. The PAC advises the NSCL Director (Brad Sherrill) on all matters relating to the scientific research program at NSCL. Recommendations, based on scientific merit, educational value, and optimization of the NSCL scientific program are made for allocation of beam time for proposed experiments. In the paragraphs and material linked below, details regarding the PAC process are described.
The PAC is comprised of 8 internationally recognized scientists. Each PAC member serves a term of six PAC meetings. The members of the PAC are generally senior scientists or senior faculty, and represent a broad range of nuclear science interests (nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, astrophysics, applications, etc). The current list of PAC members can be found here: http://nscl.msu.edu/users/members.html
A Call for Proposals is issued approximately 2 months prior to a proposal submission deadline (a past Call for Proposals can be found here http://nscl.msu.edu/users/call-for-proposals.html). The Call will be sent to the FRIB User Organization email list (to join, go here: http://fribusers.org/organization/join.html).
In order to encourage a concise statement of proposal goals and focus on key experimental issues, written proposals will be brief (no more than four pages of description), and there will be no oral presentations at the PAC meetings. Proposal forms can be obtained from the NSCL web site and completed proposals can be uploaded to an online PAC app. As the spokesperson is writing the proposal, they may find it useful to reference the Laboratory’s Equipment page (http://nscl.msu.edu/users/equipment.html), which gives a contact person for many devices. The spokesperson should feel free to contact any of the people listed on that website, or contact Jill Berryman, the Manager for User Relations and also the PAC Administrator, with any questions related to the proposal process or equipment needs.
