February 4th, 2005
Duffield Lecture Theatre, Mount Stromlo Observatory
9:30 Arrival, Coffee, Tea
10:00 Opening remarks - Brian Schmidt, Michael Drinkwater, Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer
10:10 Science WG reports (Driver, Burton, and Asplund)
10:40 Break out into groups to finalise scenarios
12:30 Lunch
1:15 Theory and Future Facilities - Melatos
1:40 Radio strategic plan presentation - Green
2:10 Optical strategic plan presentation - Couch
2:40 Airshower strategic Plan presentation- Clay
3:00 Gravity Wave strategic Plan presentation- Blair
3:20 Additional Discussion on strategic plans
3:45 Tea
4:00 Cesarsky Colloquium - ESO and OWL
For the February 4th meeting I would like groups (defined below) to prepare a draft strategic (described below) plan. These plans will be presented and debated at the Feb 4th meeting. This is going to require us to work across all working groups - University, National and International as it is not sensible to I think to break it up solely by our WG demarkations to think about a strategic plan that encapsulates all sectors. However, you, depending on your WG affiliation, are representing your WG on the various committees, so make sure than sensible things happen for this sector of facilities.
Groups:
1. Radio (lambda > 0.1micron and longer)
2. Optical/IR (0.1mm>lambda>100)
3. Gravity Wave
4. Airshower experiments
5. Theory/Computational
I have divided things up here this way as it is my perception that this is how facilities are grouped within the Australian Community. Is there anything that Australia wants to spend money on that is not covered by the above groups? I have excluded X-ray-Gamma Rays because I do not perceive any strategic issues that have arisen in our description of the various instruments that Australians are using which is relevant for a strategic plan.
Strategic Plan:
1. (<2 pages + useful things) Description of the current state of Australian funded facilities from International to University Level and how they interact to produce (This should be drafted before the 4th of Feb Meeting)
Science
Technology
Training
Useful things to include would be (Get as much info as you can before 4Feb and tell the WG chairs where we need to twist arms to get the information)
* Number of Australian Researchers using the various facilities
* Number of Australian PhD based around each facility
* Instruments, technology associated with each facility. Include contracts,
patents, spin-offs where relevant.
* Science Highlights of each facility
* Approximate capital value (cost to achieve identifical performing instrument
with modern technology) and current Expenditure in each area. Include facility
running costs only, not scientists salaries except the fraction of scientist
salaries which are used to run and maintain facilities.
I hope and expect you to use the material prepared for the December meeting here to help create these synopses, and recognise they may not be complete by 4 Feb.
2. (up to 2 pages) Critical issues in the next 10 years for this sub area. Describe in an international context where facilities are heading in this sub area, where Australia fits into this sub area, and the challenges/opportunities for Australia over the next 10 years (and beyond). (This should be rough-drafted before the 4th of Feb Meeting -your group can do some more work on this at the break out sessions)
3. Develop scenarios for funding of facilities within your group at three
levels (none are lower than current as Decade Plans are not about descoping).
You may (should) describe several relevant scenarios at each funding level.
(This should be discussed before 4 Feb, and tightened up at 4 Feb meeting)
a. Status quo. Amount of $$$ (CPI adjusted) going into areas is the same level
as is currently (average since 1990)
b. Moderate increase. Amount of $$$ going into area is 20% more than currently
c. High end increase. The most ambitious realistic scenarios you can come up
with.
Talk about the science (in framework of the questions that came with the terms of reference), technology, and training that each scenario brings.
These need to be presented at the Feb meeting to the group. Each group will need to appoint a person/(s) to present their groups material. Presentation will be roughly 1/2 hour and I expect the discussion to vary a lot between subareas but expect 1/2-1 hour each of discussion.
Allen, RSAA
Asplund RSAA
Bicknell RSAA
Blair, UWA
Boyle, ATNF
Briggs, RSAA
Burton, UNSW
Clay, UAdelaide
Da Costa, RSAA
de Blok, RSAA
Dickey (UTAS by Access Grid?)
Drinkwater UQ
Driver, RSAA
Freeman, RSAA
Graham, RSAA
Jackson ATNF
Jenkins, RSAA
Lovell, ATNF
McClure-Griffiths ATNF
McConnel, ATNF
Freeman RSAA
McGregor RSAA
Melatos UMelb
O'Byrne USyd
Robertson USyd
Sackett RSAA
Schmidt RSAA
Trampedach RSAA
Walsh UNSW
Wong ATNF/UNSW