LSST Discovery Alliance Committees

The Discovery Alliance has seven committees to help fulfill our mission. 

According to our bylaws, the Board may form committees, both standing and special, as is required for the conduct of business. Unless specified in the enacting motion, the Chair, acting on recommendations from the Nominating Committee, shall appoint the members of the committee. Each committee shall include at least one director. The Chair shall be an Ex Officio member of all committees.

See the charter and members of each committee:

Standing Committees Composition Guidelines

Last revised on June 29, 2016 

Article I: Willingness to Serve On Committees 

  1. All Executive Board Members, Institutional Member (IM) Directors, representatives, and other IM participants may serve on standing or ad hoc committees and task forces and will be considered available for appointment. 
  2. Exceptions to allow community at-large participants to serve on Standing or ad hoc committees and task forces will be made if needed and will be noted in the minutes of the Board. 
  3. To assist in committee appointments, LSST-DA member representatives will be given the opportunity annually to indicate any committees on which they would like to serve and to nominate people from their member institutions. 

Article II: Term Length and Rotation 

  1. Term length for all Standing Committees is two (2) years. Committee members are expected to serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms. Appointments typically begin on May 1. Roughly one-quarter of the membership will rotate off each year. 

Article III: Limits of Membership 

  1. Executive Board members shall serve on no more than two (2) Standing Committees at any time. Exceptions will be made if needed and will be noted in the minutes of the Board. 
  2. Member representatives shall serve on no more than two (2) Standing Committees at any time. Exceptions will be made if needed and will be noted in the minutes of the Board. 
  3. Every Standing Committee should have a minimum of one Executive Board member. 
  4. The LSST-DA Board Chair and the Executive Officer serve as ex officio members on all Standing Committees. 

Article IV: Committee Chairs 

  1. The Executive Board shall appoint the Chair in consultation with the committee members. 
  2. Committee Chairs shall not serve as Chair of more than one Standing Committee at any time. Exceptions will be made if needed and will be noted in the minutes of the Board. 
  3. An elected Committee Chair shall serve as Chair no longer than two (2) consecutive years. Exceptions will be made if needed and will be noted in the minutes of the Board. 
  4. LSST-DA Treasurer is the permanent Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee. 

Article V: Process for Selection of Committee Members 

The following process should be used to select committee members:

  1. The LSST-DA Board Secretary will publish a list of the number of anticipated vacancies for all Standing Committee representation for the next year. The anticipated vacancies will be presented at the annual October Face-to-Face Board meeting. 
  2. Where vacancies occur, the LSST-DA Board Secretary will request committee members and Institutional Member Directors and representatives to submit names of potential candidates to recommend for appointment to the committee(s). The deadline for submission is February 1. 
  3. The LSST-DA Board Secretary shall contact the nominated individuals, request their consent prior to recommendation for appointment, and obtain a short bio and information about why they would like to be considered to serve on a committee. 
  4. The Nominating Committee will consider candidates based on their interest and expertise and forward recommendations for appointment for the anticipated vacancies to the Executive Board Chair no later than March 1. A final slate of candidates shall be selected by the Executive Board no later than March 15. 
  5. Members will be notified in writing of appointments to Standing Committees. The LSST-DA Secretary will publish a roster of committee member names for all committees on or before the annual April Face-to-Face Board meeting. 
  6. Election results shall be announced publicly during the face-to-face meeting as well as electronically to all IM representatives. Once these announcements are completed, the election outcome will be posted to an appropriate LSST-DA web page. 

Article VI: Monitoring of the Guidelines 

  1. Monitoring of adherence to the Guidelines for Operation of Committees is the task of the Executive Board Secretary. The process should ensure continued rotation of membership at specified intervals to promote breadth of participation and renewal of committee vitality.