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Dear Australian astronomers,
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<div class="">Please distribute this update to others as appropriate.</div>
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<div class="">I’m writing as your ESO Users Committee (UC) representative. My role is to represent Australian ESO Users and act as a capillary link between ESO and the Australian community.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">ESO UC46</b></div>
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<div class="">As you may recall, the UC conducted its annual poll earlier this year. The report can be found at
<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/LtDvCjZ1N7ijwDBXvfWWa_L?domain=eso.org" class="">
https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/committees/uc/uc-46th/UC46_2022_UCreport.pdf</a>, including a summary of the ESO community followed by a ‘fact sheet’ from each country. <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">Thank you to
those who completed the poll! ESO takes the responses seriously, so</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class=""> please do continue to provide feedback in future iterations. The report indicates </span><font color="#000000" class="">high
rates of satisfaction overall, with mixed views about the quality of OPC feedback, </font><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">requests for more thorough documentation and flexibility for data reduction software, and highlighting
a need for improvement in the designated Visitor Mode tool.</span></div>
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<div class="">The special topic this year was "LPO visitor mode and remote participation in observations". The ESO community was 84% (16/19 in Australia) <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">likely or very likely to use Service
Mode, and 52% (7/19 in Australia) to use designated Visitor Mode in future, </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" class="">due to the efficiency, convenience and envionmentally-friendliness of these modes. </span>52% of ESO users
overall (but only 4/19 of Australian users) said they were likely to use classical Visitor Mode, and there was strong support for not replacing it with dVM. </div>
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<div class="">The ESO Users Committee met on 28-29 April in hybrid mode. The agenda, presentations and other documents are at <font color="#419cff" class=""><u class=""><a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/bHm6Ck81N9tnRAKjpSVfO4A?domain=eso.org" class="">https://www.eso.org/public/about-eso/committees/uc/uc-46th.html</a></u></font>,
though not all files are publicly available. I draw your attention to the final document on that page containing the approved minutes of the meeting, and in particular the UC recommendations on pages 17-19. ESO has since verbally responded to the recommendations
by teleconference in November. That response is not public, but ESO considered all recommendations and I am pleased to report that all are being acted upon.</div>
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<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b class="">P111 outcomes</b></div>
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<div class="" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The time allocation process for P111 has been delayed from the usual Christmas-time announcement, with outcomes expected to be announced around 1 Feb 2023. The observing period will still
commence on 1 April, so those receiving belated Christmas presents of successful observing proposals should plan for a fast turnaround when preparing Phase 2.</div>
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<div class=""><b class="">Interim UC rep</b></div>
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<div class="">I’m pleased to say that Devika Kamath will be acting as Australian ESO UC representative while I am on parental leave (9/1/2023 - 9/7/2023). Please get in touch with Devika (address in cc) if you have any concerns or feedback for ESO during that
time.</div>
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<div class="">Best wishes for a happy Christmas and New Year ahead,<br class="">
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Sarah<br class="">
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Dr Sarah Sweet (she/her)<br class="">
Lecturer in Astrophysics<br class="">
ARC DECRA Fellow<br class="">
School of Mathematics and Physics<br class="">
University of Queensland<br class="">
Mobile: +61 402 089 803<br class="">
<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/PAx_Clx1Njio3mV8vuytjNt?domain=sarahsweet.com.au/" class="">sarahsweet.com.au</a><br class="">
<a href="mailto:s.sweet@uq.edu.au" class="">s.sweet@uq.edu.au</a><br class="">
<a href="mailto:sarah@sarahsweet.com.au" class="">sarah@sarahsweet.com.au</a><br class="">
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<div class="">Regards,<br class="">
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Sarah<br class="">
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Dr Sarah Sweet<br class="">
Lecturer in Astrophysics<br class="">
ARC DECRA Fellow<br class="">
School of Mathematics and Physics<br class="">
University of Queensland<br class="">
Mobile: +61 402 089 803<br class="">
<a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/PAx_Clx1Njio3mV8vuytjNt?domain=sarahsweet.com.au" class="">sarahsweet.com.au</a><br class="">
s.sweet@uq.edu.au<br class="">
sarah@sarahsweet.com.au<br class="">
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