[ASA] Call for Gemini and Subaru exchange proposals in Semester 2015A

[Australian Gemini Office]

      2015A Call for Gemini and Subaru exchange proposals


Proposals for Australian access to the Gemini and Subaru telescopes for
Semester 2015A (1 Feb - 31 Jul 2015) are due by

*5:00pm AEST, Tuesday 30 September 2014*.


A separate call for Magellan proposals in Semester 2015A
(with a 7 October 2014 deadline) will be issued shortly.


What's new for Semester 2015A?
------------------------------

  * Astronomy Australia Ltd <http://www.astronomyaustralia.org.au/> and
    the International Telescopes Support Office (ITSO) have secured
    funding from the Australian government's NCRIS-2013 program to
    assist student Principal Investigators enrolled at an Australian
    institution who are awarded queue or classical time on Gemini by
    ATAC in Semester 2015A to travel to the telescope. Travel subsidies
    will be made available so that students can spend a week at
    whichever Gemini telescope their program is scheduled on, during
    which time they will work alongside the queue observer to learn how
    the queue process and various instruments work, and may get to
    execute sequences from their own program. Student PIs who would be
    interested in taking up this opportunity should indicate this in the
    Technical Description section of their proposal, and successful PIs
    will be contacted after the Gemini allocations are announced with
    details on how to arrange a visit and claim the subsidy.
    Independently of this scheme, the Gemini Observatory is also
    offering travel grants for students and early-career researchers
    <http://www.gemini.edu/node/12248?q=node/12225> when accompanying
    their supervisor or an experienced observer to a Gemini telescope.
  * Pending final commissioning in Semester 2014B the Gemini Planet
    Imager
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gpi/?q=sciops/instruments/gpi>
    is offered for community use in all modes in Semester 2015A.
  * New Hamamatsu CCDs <http://www.gemini.edu/node/12248?q=node/11395>
    have been commissioned with GMOS-South
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos-0>, offering improved
    and extended sensitivity out to 1 micron. Two new filters (Z and Y)
    for imaging and band limited spectroscopy in the far red are also
    now available. Applicants for 2015A should select "CCD Type =
    Hamamatsu array" in the GMOS-South Integration Time Calculator
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gmos/itc-sensitivity-and-overheads?q=node/10479>
    in planning their proposals.
  * The DSSI speckle imaging camera
    <http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/dssi-speckle-camera-north>
    is being offered as a visitor instrument on Gemini North in July 2015.
  * It is anticipated that at least 3 nights on the Subaru telescope
    will be available to the Gemini community, including shared risks
    use of the Hyper Suprime-Cam
    <http://www.naoj.org/Observing/Instruments/HSC/> (HSC) very wide
    field optical to far-red imager, and 4 visitor instruments (HiCIAO
    <http://www.naoj.org/staff/kudotm/SEEDSHiCIAOPVreport_final090923e.pdf>,
    Kyoto3DII
    <http://cosmos.phys.sci.ehime-u.ac.jp/%7Ekazuya/p-3DII/index.html>,
    Raven <http://web.uvic.ca/%7Eravenmoa/>, and SCExAO
    <http://www.naoj.org/Projects/SCEXAO/>) by arrangement with the
    instrument PI.
  * Proposals for new Large & long-term Programs (LPs)
    <http://www.gemini.edu/node/12248?q=node/12096> are not being
    accepted at this time. The next announcement for LP proposals will
    be made in early December for observations beginning with the 2015B
    semester.
  * Pending final approval from the Gemini Board, a trial of the
    Fast-Turnaround Program will begin in 2015A on Gemini North. This
    will provide monthly opportunities to submit proposals, with
    successful programs scheduled starting one month after each proposal
    deadline. A separate announcement with full details will be released
    in December 2014.


How to apply
------------

Gemini applications must be submitted using the 2015A release of the Phase I Tool (PIT) software. Subaru applications are also submitted using the PIT. For full details on instrument availability and application procedures, please see:

http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/cfp.html

as well as the official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals:

http://www.gemini.edu/node/12248?q=node/12242


Need help?
----------

For general enquiries about Australian usage of Gemini or Subaru, please contact the
International Telescopes Support Office (ausgo at aao.gov.au) at the AAO. For technical queries about a Gemini Phase I proposal, please use the Gemini Helpdesk:

http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/helpdesk/




Stuart Ryder
Head of International Telescopes Support
ausgo at aao.gov.au

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