Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Location:
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
Description:
STScI has implemented a dual-anonymous proposal system for the HST proposal review process. Under this system, not only are proposers unaware of the identity of the members on the review panel, but the reviewers do not have explicit knowledge of the proposal teams. The goal is to mitigate unconscious bias and allow reviewers to concentrate on the science rather than the scientist. Following the successful implementation with HST, the Director of the NASA Astrophysics Division, Paul Hertz, has directed all Astrophysics GO Programs to implement this process. This workshop will share STScI’s experiences in developing and implementing the dual-anonymous review process.
This is a one-day workshop. The morning will be devoted to talks and panel discussions covering the development and implementation of the HST process, including feedback from representatives of the community and the Telescope Allocation Committee panels. The afternoon will provide an opportunity for representatives from other observatories and missions to explore how the process can be adapted for their use.
Schedule and presentations
Morning: Facts and foundations – issues, actions and community reception
Time | Speaker(s) | Title |
08:30 | Ken Sembach | Welcome & introduction |
08:45 | Stefanie Johnson (Colorado) | |
09:15 | Neill Reid (STScI) | |
09:30 | Arvind Parmar (ESA) | |
09:45 | Louis Strolger (STScI) | |
10:15 | Christina Richey (JPL), Rupali Chandar (Toledo), Brian Williams (GSFC) | |
10:45 | Coffee | |
11:00 | Svea Hernandez, Crystal Mannfolk, Greg Snyder (STScI) | |
11:45 | Priya Natarajan (Yale), Saurabh Jha (Rutgers), Rupali Chandar (Toledo) | Panel chairs & panelist perspective |
12:30 | Jessica Kirk (Memphis) | |
13:00 | Lunch |
Afternoon: Spreading the word – adapting the process to other facilities
Time | Mode | Title |
13:30 | Molly Peeples (STScI) | |
14:00 | Breakout sessions: 3-4 sub-groups | Challenges for individual observatories – discussion |
15:30 | Plenary session | Challenges – report out |
16:00 | Plenary session |
Reference materials
Report from the Working Group for Anonymising Proposals
HST Cycle 27 Anonymous Proposal Reviews - documentation for submitting and reviewing Cycle 27 proposals
Letter to Astrophysics GO/GI programs from SMD/Director of Astrophysics
