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Why should my proposal include a statement on the likely potential for publicity in Cycle 0? Will this be used for the proposal assessment? - Knowledgebase / Early Science - Cycle 0 - ALMA Science

Why should my proposal include a statement on the likely potential for publicity in Cycle 0? Will this be used for the proposal assessment?

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The purpose of ALMA Early Science Cycle 0 is to deliver scientifically useful results to the astronomy community and to facilitate the ongoing characterization of ALMA systems and instrumentation as the capability of the array continues to grow. Using just 16 of the 66 state-of-the-art antennas that will be in the completed array, ALMA in Cycle 0 will already surpass the capabilities of all existing telescopes of its kind, and there is no doubt that science breakthroughs will come out of the first observations. The ALMA press office, the PIs, and the press offices at the PIs' institutions will not want to miss opportunities to communicate exciting results to the media and the public at large in a proper way and with the appropriate coordination. This is the reason why ALMA requests that proposers consider from the proposal submission stage the potential media appeal of planned observations and to include a brief statement on the likely potential for publicity in their proposals.

As stated in the Call for Proposals, this information will not be used in the assessment of the proposal. The assessment will be based solely on scientific merit and technical feasibility. This point will be emphasized in the instructions to the ALMA Proposal Review Committee and the ALMA Review Panels. The ALMA Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team or regional EPO offices will contact the PIs of successful Cycle 0 proposals that are selected for such publicity activities.