[LTER-luq-pi] Fwd: Luquillo LTER site review planning

Tue Feb 7 08:30:09 PST 2017

Pls try to review by today's meeting.  OK if you can't.  I just received
this.

jess

Jess K. Zimmerman
Professor
Lead PI, Luquillo LTER Program
Director, El Verde Field Station
Department Environmental Sciences
University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras
Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico

Tel: 787-764-0000 ext. 1-XXXX-# where XXXX is:
   LTER Program Office: 88233
   El Verde Field Station: 83467
Mobile: 787-380-3311

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Kaplan, Louis Arnold <LKAPLAN at nsf.gov>
Date: Tue, Feb 7, 2017 at 10:50 AM
Subject: Luquillo LTER site review planning
To: Jess Zimmerman <jesskz at ites.upr.edu>
Cc: "Zimmerman, Matthew J" <mazimmer at nsf.gov>, "Robertson, Caroline T." <
ctrobert at nsf.gov>

Dear Jess:

It is time to begin planning for your LTER mid-term site review in earnest.
The purpose of a site visit is one of oversight. We will ask the review
team to evaluate project accomplishments and management in light of what
was put forward in your funded proposal, and to ensure that there are no
major problems or concerns. NSF will provide the site review team with
copies of: 1) your 2015 proposal, 2) the panel summary, 3) PO Comments for
that proposal, and 4) the latest annual report for the project. We will
also send the Mid-Term Site Review Charge (attached) and IM review
guidelines (attached).

The Luquillo LTER review is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, March 29th and
conclude Friday, March 31st. The review team consists of five members
(membership list attached). As discussed, the IM/IT evaluation also will
involve a virtual evaluation and interactions between the IM reviewer and
the Luquillo IM manager. The review team members will meet with NSF on
Tuesday evening, March 28th, to organize responsibilities, review
questions, and discuss any proposed revisions of the schedule. A review of
the schedule will include identifying a time for question and answer
sessions between the review team and the site PIs. Wednesday and Thursday
are fully devoted to you and your colleagues and to the activities you
decide best represent the research ongoing at your site.

The review team and NSF staff should dine on their own on Wednesday and
Thursday evening to avoid fraternization with LTER personnel. Thursday
evening the review team will need to begin to draft their report. Friday
morning is reserved for the team to write their report. We ask that you
provide the review team with a quiet room that has internet access, a
printer, and a projector.  A summary of the significant findings of the
report will be presented to you and your colleagues around noon on Friday.
We do not intend this reporting session to be a discussion or rebuttal, and
final adjournment of the review will occur shortly thereafter. Depending on
the airline schedules, panelists may either depart on Friday or stay an
additional night.

Please keep in mind that the review team is charged with getting the
information they need to prepare a complete report. To do so, they may
request changes to the agenda you plan and it is best to allow for some
flexibility. Including university administrators in the review process may
be as helpful to you locally, but this is your prerogative to arrange as
you see fit. Do keep in mind that the site review falls under the same
conflicts of interest and confidentiality guidelines as an NSF panel. Only
individuals involved with the Luquillo LTER site should be present for the
site review and there should be no press or social media associated with
this activity.

NSF will handle the financial aspects of the review and provide plane
tickets to the review team members directly through our internal travel
system.  Review team members and NSF observers will be responsible for
their lodging, meals, and any other incidental expenses required to conduct
the review. If there are local expenses, such as snacks, drinks, or catered
meals, please plan to prepare separate bills and receipts for each team
member and anyone attending on behalf of NSF.

I ask that the site provide additional materials to NSF that we will
distribute to the review team in advance of the site visit. These could
include a site visit guide with specifics for preparing to walk through a
tropical forest, a guide to field trips and presentations, and/or a one- or
two-page site review summary. You may also wish to include a document
containing abstracts for poster presentations. There are two options for
making this information available. You can either post it on your website
(perhaps password-protected) or forward the information to us and we can
provide it as attachments to the review team. Anything you send to NSF
should be addressed to Caroline Robertson, Program Assistant for DEB NSF (
ctrobert at nsf.gov) , with a cc to Matthew Zimmerman mazimmer at nsf.gov
<gpugh at nsf.gov> and me. Caroline will provide logistical details to the
review team and will be your logistical contact person at NSF.

I ask that you not contact any members of the review team directly.
Caroline will happily communicate any information you wish to the review
team.  Please feel free to contact Matthew, Caroline, or me about any
questions or concerns that you have.

I look forward to seeing you in March.

Best wishes,

Lou

Attachments:

LTER Mid-term site review charge

Site Review Team Membership

Information Management Guidelines

--

Louis A. Kaplan, Ph.D.

Program Director, Ecosystem Science Cluster

Division of Environmental Biology

National Science Foundation

4201 Wilson Blvd., Suite 635

Arlington, VA 22230

Phone:703.292.7187 <(703)%20292-7187>

lkaplan at nsf.gov
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