Science Collaborations Advisory Committee

The Science Collaborations (SC) Advisory Committee, a Standing Committee of LSST-DA, will represent the interests and expert opinions of the LSST Science Collaborations during the Commissioning and Operations phases of the LSST Project. The SC Committee will aid and support LSST-DA in fulfilling its mission to maximize science opportunities with LSST. Underlying this charter are the following points:

  1. The LSST Science Collaborations (SCs) were formed by the LSST Project in 2008 with the intent to provide a forum to engage the community in interacting with the LSST Project science team.
  2. SC Members were instrumental in helping to develop the science case for LSST (encapsulated in the LSST Science Book 2009) by refining the concepts for the survey and data processing and by educating other scientists and the public about the promise of LSST.
  3. At present, the LSST SCs are self-governed and set their policies for governance, admission, and publication.
  4. The LSST SCs continue to provide invaluable scientific insight in preparation for LSST Operations.
  5. As LSST-DA’s mission is to advance understanding of the dynamic universe by enabling LSST science through research and education, it is in the best interests of both the Science Collaborations and LSST-DA to have a strong relationship with a common goal to represent, advocate for, and guide LSST science.

Responsibilities

The SC Committee will identify ways for LSST-DA to enable the LSST Science Collaborations to do science with LSST data. The Committee will develop a case for activities and projects needed for SC members to carry out their research and present cases for support successfully to the LSST-DA Executive Board of Directors.

As an advisory committee to the LSST-DA Board, the SC community will participate in defining lines of communication between, and relative roles of, the Science Collaborations, LSST-DA, and the LSST Project and in defining policy and procedures affecting the LSST-DA-SC relationship.

Current Members

  • Will Clarkson, Chair, University of Michigan  
  • John Bochanski, Rider University  
  • Niel Brandt, Pennsylvania State University  
  • Renee Hlozek, Las Cumbres Observatory  
  • Henry Hsieh, Planetary Science Institute  
  • Sugata Kaviraj, Oxford University  
  • Rachel Street, Las Cumbres Observatory  
  • Aprajita Verma, Oxford University  
  • Ashley Villar, Harvard University  
  • Jeno Sokoloski, ex officio, LSST Discovery Alliance  
  • Beth Willman, ex officio, LSST Discovery Alliance

Membership

  1. The Science Collaboration Coordinator will be the Chair of the SC Committee and the spokesperson for the Committee but shall have no vote except in a tie-breaking vote. 
  2. The LSST-DA Director for Science will serve as an ex-officio member of the committee.
  3. The Committee shall include one (1) member from each Science Collaboration. The Committee shall select a Vice Chair from the membership to substitute for the Chair when he/she is unable to serve as Chair.
    1. Participating in the Science Collaborations Committee is the responsibility of the Science Collaboration Chairs or Conveners. A Science Collaboration can petition for a member other than the Chair/Spokesperson, democratically elected by the Science Collaboration, to represent the Science Collaboration and participate in the Committee in lieu of the Chair/Spokesperson. This must be done prior to the beginning of a serving term. The requests must be submitted in writing by the Science Collaboration Chair/Spokesperson on behalf of the Science Collaboration to the Science Collaboration Coordinator and approved by the existing members of the Committee. In addition, in exceptional cases, a designated Science Collaboration member can be delegated as a proxy to attend a single meeting(s) if the Science Collaboration representative is not available.
  4. Terms are two years. However, members of the Committee can serve up to two consecutive terms or four years.

To vote and pass a motion, the Committee must have more than 50% of its membership present.

Meetings

  1. The SC Committee will meet (in virtual meetings) at least four times a year to review the current Science Collaboration activities and the appropriateness of LSST-DA support and ensure the activities of the Science Collaborations continue to be aligned with the needs of LSST and LSST-DA.

Reporting

  1. The SC Committee will report regularly to the LSST-DA Board of Directors: the Chair will represent the SC Committee at the LSST-DA Board meetings, monthly telecoms, and two annual face-to-face meetings.
  2. The Committee shall prepare a written report to the LSST-DA Board of Directors one month prior to the bi-annual Face-to-Face Board meetings (April and October).