The Astronomy Division of the National Science Foundation has established a permanent committee to provide the NSF with detailed, independent, oversight of the MMA project. This MMA Oversight Committee (MOC) is chaired by Dan Weedman of Penn State and it includes the following people as committee members:
All of these individuals have the perspective of project and management experience that allows them to provide a sound evaluation of the MMA planning and progress. The MOC will meet 2 to 3 times a year on a continuing basis.
The initial meeting of the MOC was February 23, 1998 at the NSF. This was the first comprehensive exposure to the MMA for the committee. As background material the committee was provided with the Program Plan for the MMA Design and Development phase that outlines the task and effort for the initial 3-year phase of the project. (The Program Plan is accessible on the www via the NRAO MMA pages by clicking on News and Events). Vanden Bout, Brown, Napier and Webber had the opportunity to review for the committee the goals of the Plan and the approaches being taken for instrument prototyping and development. The charge to the committee was to review those ideas, and the Plan, and to advise the NSF regarding the expenditure of funds for the efforts outlined in the Plan. The report of the MOC is expected at the end of March.