Director's Discretionary Time

A fraction of the observing time on both Gemini North and South telescopes may be used for Director's Discretionary Time (DDT) proposals.

DDT proposals must belong to one of the following categories:

1. Proposals for observing targets requiring immediate or timely observation of a sudden or unexpected astronomical event. Note that proposals for Target of Opportunity observations (i.e. targets that cannot be specified in advance but which have a well-defined scientific aim and an external trigger) should be made via the normal proposal process.
2. Proposals requesting observations related to a highly competitive topic.
3. Proposals requiring follow-up observations of research conducted on other space or ground-based facilities, where break-through results are expected from a timely follow-up.
4. Proposals of a risky nature requesting a small amount of observing time to test the feasibility of a technique or of a program.

Proposers should provide a very clear and concise scientific justification. They should also describe their strategy for data reduction and fast publication of the results in a high-impact refereed journal.

DDT proposals may be submitted at any time using the latest version of the Gemini Phase I Tool. Submit by choosing "Director's Time" from the bottom menu in the partner list, entering the time requested, and then clicking "Submit Proposal". Only proposals submitted this way will be seen and reviewed by the relevant staff (the Gemini Directors and Heads of Science Operations). Once validated, approved and ranked, proposals will be prepared using the Phase II (Observing) Tool to be included and activated in the Observing Data Base (ODB) for their execution in the queue. Please note that within one month following the observations, the PIs of executed DDT programs must submit a report on the achieved science, and on the status of the publication process, to the Deputy Director, Associate Director for Science Operations, and the relevant Head of Science Operations.

Last update June 11th, 2008; Bryan Miller