DRAFT Minutes of the

GLAST International Finance Committee Meeting

23 May 2008

 

The GLAST International Finance Committee met 23 May 2008 by telephone.

 

In Attendance by telephone:

 

Members:

 

France – IN2P3: Stavros Katsanevas

Italy – ASI: Elisabetta Cavazutti

Japan – Hiroshima: Takashi Ohsugi

USA – SLAC: Steve Kahn

USA – DOE: Kathy Turner

USA – Stanford: Peter Michelson

 

Staff:

 

NASA: Rick Harnden, Julie McEnery, Steve Ritz

SLAC: Rob Cameron,  Richard Dubois, David MacFarlane, Linda Price, Harvey Lynch

 

Minutes 23 May 2008

 

Note: This was a compressed meeting, and all presentations are contained in http://www.slac.stanford.edu/exp/glast/doc/5_08/GLAST%20LAT%20IFC%20Meeting%20(5_23_08)%206.pdf.

References to specific discussions are made by page number of the pdf file.

 

Welcome and Goals – Steve Kahn

 

      This meeting of the IFC was originally scheduled to be held at the time of the GLAST launch in about January 2008.  Because the launch has been delayed until early June 2008, we needed to meet to discuss some urgent budget matters.

 

Mission Status – Steve Ritz

see p. 3

 

      The launch date has been set for 3 June 2008.

      A world-wide observatory naming suggestion box has been set up for recommendations to NASA headquarters.  NASA will make the decision.

 

Collaboration Status and Overview – Peter Michelson

see p. 10

 

      We have come a long way in 16 years, and we are now ready for the data to come in.

      Nicola Omodei of Pisa has been appointed deputy analysis coordinator.  He will succeed Julie McEnery.

 

Analysis Coordinator Report – Julie McEnery

see p. 17

 

      We are ready for launch. We have analysis tools in place and we have lots of practice working together on science analysis.

      We are prepared for the science we expect to obtain with the LAT in the first few months of the mission.  We have a well defined plan for producing the main science papers after launch. Not all papers and results can be predicted.

 

Computing Report – Richard Dubois

see p. 23

 

      We are ready for Launch with 800 cores, 150 TBy disk, and 250 TBy tape available.

      Projected computing needs for 2009 and 2010 are presented on p. 25.  Hardware costs for 2009 estimated at $575 k. 

      Propose using $25 k of the expected CY 2009 under-run (see Michelson’s presentation) be applied to fund upgrades to the event display and code development GUI.   see p. 28.

      Steve Kahn expressed concern of how competition for SLAC computing resources between GLAST and Atlas may develop.  We may need to explore other resources.

 

Proposed CY 2009 Budget – Peter Michelson

see p. 29

 

      Table 1 on p. 30 shows final budget expenditures for CY 2007.  There was an under-run of about $83 k.  It is proposed that the $83 k under run be applied to CY 2008.  Table 2 shows the current state of the CY 2008 budget and the proposed CY 2009 budget.

       The IFC took note of the CY 2009 budget proposal.  A final budget for CY 2009 will be offered for approval at the next meeting.

 

Round Table – All

 

Steve K     The 20% cut in SLAC’s HEP budget had a large impact over the whole lab, but the impact on GLAST was not large.  There is a potential problem that could arise from BaBar being shut down earlier than expected.  BaBar has borne the primary computing costs in the past.  It is not clear what the Atlas Tier-2 resource requirements will be like and how that could help GLAST.  NASA money at SLAC will end at launch + 60 days.  Personnel supported by NASA money will either transfer to Stanford NASA funding or leave the project.  We need to look at what functions these people serve now and how those functions are needed and served in the future.

 

Elisabetta  ASI is working with ISOC and exporting data.  We agree with the OCF table, but we would like to see a list of names of people to relate directly to the table.

 

Stavros      IN2P3 expects one more software engineer to be added to the project.

 

Takashi      The Japanese budget year 2008 has good financial support from the Japan-US agreement.  However, the general situation is getting worse each year.

 

Kathy   DOE strongly supports GLAST.  We expect FY 2009 to begin with a continuing resolution, and the continuing resolution may last 6 months. 

 

Wrap up – Steve Kahn

 

      The minutes of the 3 February 2007 meeting were approved by the IFC.

      The IFC approved the expenditure of $25 k for the upgrade work proposed by Richard Dubois.

 

Next Meeting

 

      It was tentatively agreed that the next IFC meeting would take place at SLAC, 22-23 September 2008.  Final date will be confirmed later.