Gemini staff contributions
On the Horizon
NSF grant program aligns well with the Gemini Visiting
Instrument Program. The OCTOCAM team and Gemini staff meet
in Hilo for the new workhorse instrument’s Conceptual Design
Review. And Gemini’s GHOST spectrograph is taking shape; to
date, 74 design requirements verification reports have been
submitted and accepted.
Opportunities for Visiting Instruments
The instrumentation community should note that the National Science Foundation’s
(NSF) Mid-Scale Innovations Program (MSIP) Call for Proposals has been announced with
a deadline of November 20, 2017. These grants can be used toward a variety of astronom-
ical activities, including the development of instrumentation and providing the commu-
nity with access to telescope capabilities.
The Gemini Visiting Instrument Program is the perfect complement to this NSF program,
as it provides astronomers with the opportunity to try out their own unique and innova-
tive instrumentation on a world class telescope, while allowing all interested parties to
propose for time. See the NSF Call for Proposals for more information about the MSIP.
Other programs that may be of interest include the Astronomy and Astrophysics Research
Grants and the Major Research Instrumentation Program. Unfortunately, Gemini facility
instrument and instrument upgrade proposals are not eligible for these grants.
We are planning an open videoconference discussion to present an overview of the Gem-
ini Visiting Instrument Program. If you are interested in finding out more about how you
might bring your instrument to Gemini, or how Gemini might support your instrumenta-
tion plans, please email us, and we will include you in the mailing list for this discussion.
— Alison Peck
October 2017
GeminiFocus
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