BABAR  MEMBERSHIP

 

 

1       The Membership Committee and Council

The Membership Committee advises the Collaboration Council on the admission of new members and groups, and on the removal of members or groups from the collaboration. It consists of 4 members, each nominated for a 3-year term by the chair of Council and ratified by Council, and the Technical Coordinator who has ex-officio status. The Committee elects its own chair.

 

The Membership Committee will maintain a list of BABAR members, and will conduct an annual audit of all BABAR institutional members, assisted by the Technical Coordinator and the BABAR management, to ensure that each group is fulfilling its obligations to the collaboration.

 

When voting on issues of membership, whether at a Council meeting or by electronic ballot, a two-thirds majority is required, with a minimum of at least 50% of the Council membership voting. If there is no quorum at a Council meeting, a vote may be taken by electronic ballot within one month of the meeting, or deferred to the next Council meeting, at the discretion of the Council chair. The vote of Council is final.

 

 

2       Individual and group membership

Three types of membership are available as follows:

 

  1. Full membership of the collaboration is open to individuals (such as PhD physicists, engineers, and  students working towards their PhD) who participate in the physics program or who contribute significantly to the maintenance or upgrade of the BABAR detector, BABAR software, or the PEP-II accelerator. 
  2. Associate membership is open to individuals such as MSC, Diploma, and other non-PhD students, as well as to engineers, technicians and theorists. It is also open to PhD students before they commence full-time research.
  3.  Honorary membership is determined on an individual basis. It is intended primarily for retired physicists, who have contributed significantly to BABAR and remain active, for theorists, and for full members who transfer to another institution and whose application is pending.  

 

Physicist-members are responsible for shifts and service tasks, count towards the Operating Common Fund (OCF) if they hold a PhD, and are eligible for authorship if they meet the criteria specified in the Publications Policy administered by the Publications Board. During the first year of membership the service-task component of these obligations is increased for physicists.

 

Honorary members, Associate members, and non-physicist members are not included in the determination of institutional obligations for shifts and service tasks, and do not count towards the OCF. Associate members and non-physicist members are not eligible for the author list, apart from the exceptions specified by the Publications Board in the Publications Policy.

 

 

3       Procedure for admitting new groups

A new group wishing to join BABAR should contact the Spokesperson, who will consult the BABAR Management and the Membership Committee in negotiating possible terms of entry. In addition to financial and technical contributions, it is required that any new group admitted to the collaboration will contribute to service tasks at the rate of 50% of research time for each physicist for the first year. The Membership Committee will interview the members of the prospective new group and assist them in finding appropriate tasks.

 

The chair of the Membership Committee will write a report to Council with a recommendation on admission.  In addition, the report will describe the resources and expertise that the group would bring to BABAR, their proposed contributions, including a table listing the fraction of time each member would devote to BABAR over the next several years, and the status of any other present or future commitments. If the group is too small for its own representative to Council, details will be given of the group(s) with which it will be affiliated.

 

A representative of the group will make a presentation to Council, followed by a report from the Membership Committee with their recommendation, and open discussion.  A vote will then be conducted by paper ballot, with the results immediately tabulated and disseminated.

 

 

4       Procedure for admitting individual members

New students, Post-Docs, and other physicists with fixed-term contracts, may be added to a group at the discretion of the group leader (PI), who should notify the BABAR administrator and state the nature of the service tasks the individual will be taking on. New senior physicists with permanent positions, such as staff or faculty, must be discussed with the Membership Committee and approved by the Collaboration Council. Physicists are required to contribute to service tasks at the rate of 50% of their research time for the first year.

 

 

5       Obligations of groups and members

Members are expected to spend a significant fraction of their research time on BABAR activities. In addition to contributing to the physics program through the Analysis Working Groups and Review Committees, each group is expected to fulfill its quota of shifts and service tasks.

 

The PI of each group is responsible for maintaining a list of active members and informing the BABAR Administrator of any changes. The Chair of the Membership Committee should be informed if any senior physicist with a permanent position, such as faculty or staff, intends to join the BABAR collaboration.

 

 

6       Procedure for removing groups

Each year the Technical Coordinator, in consultation with the BABAR management, will gather information and report to the Membership Committee on the performance of all collaborating groups within the areas of:

 

·        Service tasks

·        Shifts

·        Participation in physics analysis and the review of papers

 

The Membership Committee will interview the PI of any group that falls short of expectation and discuss the situation with the BABAR management, who will formulate a plan to address the deficiencies and a timescale for its implementation.

 

If the group fails to take the necessary steps to meet their obligations to the collaboration, the chair of the Membership Committee will present a report to Council with a recommendation on further action. In the event that the Membership Committee recommends removal of a group from the collaboration, the PI of the group will be invited to address Council before any vote is taken.

 

 

7       Procedure for removing individual members

Under normal circumstances a member leaves a group by mutual agreement with the PI. In other circumstances either the member or the PI may bring the matter to the Membership Committee for advice. In the event that the Membership Committee recommends removal of a member from the collaboration, (s)he will be invited to address Council before any vote is taken.