McDonald Observatory - Mt. Locke Proposal Instructions

McDonald Proposals Online Submission Instructions

These instructions list the requirements for McDonald Proposals Online Submission, which opens two weeks prior to the posted deadline.

McDonald Proposals Online Submission consists of 4 web forms and a review/submit page. A single or multiple file attachment must be prepared separately and uploaded on page 4 of the forms as .ps or .pdf.

Page 1 - Proposal Information
- Proposal Title
- PI/Institution
- PI Email
- Co-I(s)
- Abstract
- Nights Requested
- Telescope/Mode
- Instrument Requested
- Detector
- Time Critical
- Target of Opportunity
- Lunar Constraints
- CCD Binning
- Gratings
- Filters
- Specification of Date Ranges
- Other Constraints (Dates you cannot observe)
- Request for Long-Term Status (UT personnel only)
Page 2 - Observer Information
- Name of Actual Observer
- Email of Observer
- Last Use (Date observer last used requested telescope)
- Last Instrument Use (Date observer last used requested instrument)
- Has observer been trained on the requested telescope and instrument?
- If no, how will observer be trained?
  - Name of experienced UT observer with this telescope/instrument who will accompany the actual observer for at least two nights
  - Name of graduate student experienced with this telescope/instrument hired to accompany the actual observer
  - Agreement to attend at least 2 nights of an observing run with this telescope/instrument prior to the requested run
- New user's observing experience
- New user's observing reference
Page 3 - Graduate Students Only
- Are these data being used by a graduate student for dissertation work?
- Grad Student Name
- Subject of Dissertation
- Grad Student Advisor
- Grad Student Year
- Estimated Completion Date
- Is this research part of the degree requirement?
- Estimate how much more telescope time will be needed to complete research
Page 4 - Uploads (PS or PDF)
Requests for observing time must include the following, uploaded as a single or multiple file .ps or .pdf attachment. Prepare in any text editor. Minimum 11pt. type, 1" margins. For LaTeX users: A template for preparing text in the proper format can be found here. Uploaded attachments must be black and white only. NO COLOR. Attachments are required for 107 inch proposals. Currently, on a trial basis, experienced observers on the 82 inch and 30 inch, with permission, may indicate "exempt from attachments." For exemptions, see Anita Cochran.
- Scientific Justification
  
  Up to 1 page text, and 1 page figures/references
- Description of Observations & Justification of Exposure Times
  
  Should include an object table with RA/Dec and Mag for each object -or- a representative list or description of sample
- Description and Justification of Special Constraints
- Results from Previous Observing Time at McDonald
  
  Up to 1 page
- Request for Long-Term Status
  
  UT observers only. Up to 1 page. Please indicate why your proposal needs long-term status, what milestones you expect to achieve by the end of the 1 year period and details of the numbers of nights you need in the current and following two trimesters.
Review and Submit
In addition to a web page review, "Preview Proposal" will create a pdf of your proposal, as it will be submitted to the TAC. Once submitted, you may continue to edit the proposal. The TAC will receive the version in the system at the close of the submission period.