NSLS UEC | Charter

UEC Charter

(last revision June 2011)

Name

This organization shall be called the Brookhaven Photon Sciences Users’ Association.

Purpose

The purpose of the Users’ Association is to promote and encourage research at Brookhaven’s world leading synchrotron user facilities, to provide opportunities for the user community to exchange ideas and concerns, and to communicate user needs to facility management. Facility management includes the Photon Sciences Directorate, Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. The Association also serves as a channel of dissemination of relevant information on facility plans and prospects to the user community.

Organization
1. Membership:
  
  The Brookhaven Photon Sciences Users’ Association (herein after referred to as the Users’ Association) membership shall be open to all scientists who are interested in research at BNL synchrotron facilities, including students, staff, and all researchers who have used these facilities in the past or may use them in the future.
  
  All facility users with active appointments and all members of Beamline Development Proposal Teams, Beamline Advisory Teams and Beamline Development Proposal Groups are automatically voting members of the Users’ Association.
  
  The Users’ Association shall also provide a mechanism for interested scientists that are not automatically registered to become members, and a mechanism for members to opt-out.
2. The Brookhaven Photon Sciences Users’ Executive Committee
  
  The Brookhaven Photon Sciences Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) shall consist of members together with a number of ex officio representatives. Four members will serve as the officers of the UEC (Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, and Secretary).
  
  Six members shall be elected each year at the annual Users' Meeting for two-year terms as described in Section IV.
  
  The slate of ex officio representatives shall be determined as needed by majority consent of a quorum of the UEC and should be modified to reflect current user needs, but must minimally include the Photon Sciences Directorate User Administrator. Majority consent of a quorum of the UEC will be used to define which specific ex officio representatives are given voting privileges.
3. Roles of UEC Officers
  
  The Chair serves for one year and is responsible for calling and preparing the agenda for all UEC and Town Hall meetings. The Chair becomes Past Chair for a subsequent one-year term, serving in an advisory role to the current Chair to foster continuity in conducting UEC business.
  
  The Vice Chair serves for one year and acts as Chair of the organizing committee for the annual Users’ Meeting. The Vice Chair becomes Chair the subsequent year.
  
  The Secretary is responsible for recording and preparation of the Minutes of meetings, which, after approval by the Chair, shall be distributed to all members of the Users’ Association promptly.
4. Roles of UEC Members
  
  UEC members shall serve as general points of contact for all Users’ Association members. They shall also agree to serve as points of contact for specific groups of users interested in advancing synchrotron research in a particular area. In this way, all Users’ Association members will be able to identify one or more UEC members representing their special interests, while each UEC member assumes responsibility for the interests of a particular subset of the Users’ Association.
5. Resignations
  
  The current Vice Chair shall assume the additional responsibility of Chair for the remainder of the term should the Chair resign, and then serve in the normal sequence of succession. The UEC shall elect a replacement should a vacancy of any other office occur.

UEC Nominations and Elections
1. Nominating Committee Membership for Election of Members
  
  The Nominating Committee shall consist of a chair, appointed by the UEC Chair, and at least two additional Users’ Association members. The Nominating Committee should be formed at least six months prior to the annual Users’ Meeting.
2. Rules for the Nominating Committee for Election of Members
  
  Nominations for election as members of the UEC shall be solicited from the Users’ Association. The Nominating Committee shall then prepare a slate of at least ten candidates from both solicited nominations and other identified Association members, if deemed necessary. The final slate of candidates shall be approved by the UEC. It is the Nominating Committee’s responsibility to ensure that the slate of candidates is balanced among various user interests, techniques, and scientific areas. The slate of candidates, with a brief biographical sketch of each nominee, shall be announced to the Users’ Association at least one month in advance of the annual Users’ Meeting.
3. Election of UEC Members and Officers
  
  The Users’ Association, through an electronic voting procedure, shall elect six members each year. The open election period shall precede the Users’ Meeting by no fewer than two weeks, and shall close during the Users’ Meeting. All members of the Users’ Association are eligible to vote.
  
  Following the election of the new members at the Users’ Meeting, the UEC shall elect a new Vice Chair from among the six incoming members and a Secretary from among all members.

Users’ Association Meetings

The Users’ Association, in collaboration with the Photon Sciences Directorate, shall organize an annual Users’ Meeting and shall hold periodic Town Meetings for the purpose of open discussion of current issues of interest to the community.

UEC meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Chair or as called for by a majority of UEC members, at a minimum of twice per year. The annual Users’ Meeting and UEC meetings shall have a prepared agenda disseminated in advance. Minutes of all meetings shall be recorded including results of deliberative discussions.

UEC Quorum, Charter Revisions, and Recommendations

A quorum of the UEC shall require the presence of more than half of its members. A simple majority of the quorum in attendance shall determine the sense of the Users’ Association.

Results of deliberations of the UEC and the Users’ Association may be in the form of recommendations to the Associate Laboratory Director for Photon Sciences, the Director of BNL, or the trustees of BSA.

This charter may be amended at the Users’ Meeting or by ballot (electronic or otherwise) as needs emerge. Two-thirds of the Users' Association membership responding to a proposed amendment shall be required for its passage.