DRAFT dated  2016-11-16 for consideration by Exec Group prior to release in Home space accompanied by email to LUSC-SWG list.

Enhancing UK engagement with LSST Science Collaborations

One of the principal goals of Phase A (2015-2019) of the STFC-funded programme in support of UK participation in LSST is for the UK community to become fully engaged in scientific preparation for LSST prior to the start of commissioning in late 2019. That goal will primarily be achieved through individual researchers becoming active in the relevant Science Collaboration and UK researchers willing to commit time now to engaging with LSST now are strongly encouraged to apply for the PI status that is needed to join a Science Collaboration (SC).

The members of the LSST:UK Science Working Group (SWG) are responsible for stimulating and coordinating activity within the UK community in their science areas. That role will always include the dissemination of information from the SCs through the UK community (to the extent that is allowed by SC rules), but, at this early stage, it may also require helping UK researchers get up to speed on SC activities to the point that they can decide whether to seek PI status and SC membership.

To that end, the LUSC Exec Group would like to encourage SWG members to organize workshops for researchers in their science areas during 2017. These workshops must:

• Aim to increase the engagement of UK researchers with the relevant LSST Science Collaboration;
• Share information from the relevant SC – e.g. through the participation (remote or in person) by leaders of that SC; and
• Be advertised (e.g. through an email to the LUSC-ANNOUNNCE list) to researchers in all LSST:UK Consortium institutions.

Support available for science workshops

Three categories of support are available for these workshops:

1. Use of LSST:UK collaboration resources:
   1. The relevant section of the SWG space on this Confluence wiki site can be used to collect material for and from the workshop.
   2. The LSST:UK GotoMeeting videoconferencing system can be used to support remote attendance at the workshopproposals for workshops, meetings, and other programs to prepare fo
   3. A JISCMail emailing list can be set up to support the group, if one doesn't already exist.
2. Financial support from LSST:UK:
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3. Financial support from LSST Corporation: LSSTC has recently issued its 2017 Enabling Science Call for "proposals for workshops, meetings, and other programs to prepare for LSST data."