[asac] Up-coming meetings and telecons

[Richard Hills]

Happy New Year everyone!

We set the second Wednesday of each month (at 14:30 UTC) as the nominal 
dates for the ASAC telecons.  This would mean that we should have one 
next week on the Wed 12th Jan.  That will be somewhat difficult because 
many people will be at the AAS meeting.  It is also a bit too early in 
terms of having some things ready to discuss (most significantly the 
revised plans for phasing-up ALMA for VLBI).

I have discussed this with Frédéric and the proposal is that we move 
this to Wed 19th Jan (still at 14:30 UTC).  I am sure there are still 
some conflicts - I believe that some people will be at a workshop in 
Victoria for example - but I hope that this can be fitted in.  Is there 
some other problem that we are not aware of, in East Asia for example?

If 19th is OK, then the idea would be that we then do not have a telecon 
in the second week of February, but next meet for the face to face 
meeting on 28th Feb and 1st March.  This brings me to the second point, 
which is that we need to start the planning for that.

As usual, please make your own travel arrangements through "your" 
executives and let us here in Chile know of your plans.  There will be a 
visit to the site for those who would like it on 26th and 27th Feb.  I 
realise that quite a few of you were there recently but we would 
encourage those who missed that trip to go this time.  If the 26th and 
27th are no good, it could also be arranged after the face to face, but 
obviously it is better to do it before the meeting in terms of giving 
you the feel of what is going on.  Please aim to get to Santiago by the 
27th if you are not going to the site and if possible on the 25th if you 
are.  (It is of course possible to come in on the morning of the 26th 
and go straight up to the site and then come back on the evening of the 
27th but I don't think you will be feeling too lively in the meeting if 
you do that.)  Please don't plan to leave on flights earlier than 7pm on 
the 1st March.

I hope you have already received the announcement below but I am not 
quite sure which lists it went to so I have pasted it in, just in case.

Best Richard

Plan for Early Science Cycle 0

The Joint ALMA Observatory is very pleased to announce the plans of the 
JAO and the ALMA partners for the start of Early Science observing in 2011.
An announcement of the plans for Early Science Cycle 0 is available from 
the JAO website at

http://www.almaobservatory.org/en/announcements-events/250-plan-for-alma-early-science-cycle-0

We are all looking forward to a very exciting and productive year as 
construction and integration of the ALMA array reaches its peak, and we 
start scientific observing.

With best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2011.

Thijs

-- 
*******************************************************************
Richard Hills                Phone: +56 2 467 6175
ALMA Project Scientist       Mobile +56 97 608 1582
Alonso de Cordova 3107       Apmnt: +56 2 474 1642
Vitacura 763 0355            Fax:   +56 2 467 6104
Santiago de Chile            www.almaobservatory.org
*******************************************************************