In the last decade, some detailed analyses of peer-review schema applied to the evaluation of observing proposals showed that the outcome of these review processes were affected by significant biases, especially gender-related ones. Dual anonymous evaluations were identified as an important step to correct for the observed discrimination. Among the several improvements recently implemented in the front-end of ESO operational model (the so-called Phase1 segment, that includes the preparation, submission and evaluation of observing proposals), we have now been running dual anonymous reviews since a few years. Here, we present the first results of our analysis that compares observing proposal success rates as a function of the proposer’s gender and career status, before and after the introduction of dual anonymous reviews, and we evaluate the impact that this approach is having on the outcome of the process.
To test the potential disruptive effect of Artificial Intelligence (AI) transformers (e.g., ChatGPT) and their associated Large Language Models on the time allocation process, both in proposal reviewing and grading, an experiment has been set-up at ESO for the P112 Call for Proposals. The experiment aims at raising awareness in the ESO community and build valuable knowledge by identifying what future steps ESO and other observatories might need to take to stay up to date with current technologies. We present here the results of the experiment, which may further be used to inform decision-makers regarding the use of AI in the proposal review process. We find that the ChatGPT-adjusted proposals tend to receive lower grades compared to the original proposals. Moreover, ChatGPT 3.5 can generally not be trusted in providing correct scientific references, while the most recent version makes a better, but far from perfect, job. We also studied how ChatGPT deals with assessing proposals. It does an apparent remarkable job at providing a summary of ESO proposals, although it doesn’t do so good to identify weaknesses. When looking at how it evaluates proposals, however, it appears that ChatGPT systematically gives a higher mark than humans, and tends to prefer proposals written by itself.
As diversity continues to grow in astronomy, creating working environments that are equally beneficial to all employees is imperative. Internal climate surveys and official representation confirm we need to maintain and reinforce the efforts in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (EDI). Since 2017, ESO has created its EDI Committee gathering a variety of employees from the different sites, with different backgrounds. We will focus here on the most recent updates from the EDI ESO goals and values, and on the effective strategy to develop a skilled and diverse operational workforce across the different operational sites, and particularly in Paranal Observatory.
During the last years, ESO has undertaken the re-definition of all its front-end interfaces, from the preparation and submission of observing proposals up to their final scientific review by the ESO Observing Programmes Committee (OPC). Because of its overall complexity, ESO decided to go for a staged approach, which on one hand allowed us to offer the new proposals interface as soon as it was available, but on the other hand it has been challenging us in the operational handling of two simultaneous systems, the old and the new one. In 2019, we successfully deployed the new, web-based, Phase1 user interface for proposals preparation and submission (p1ui) and in 2021 we were able to offer for the first time a web-based, proposals grading system, that supported the proposals review and Expert Panel discussions, albeit online due to the COVID19 pandemic. In this presentation, we describe the overall project, focusing on the successful deployments of the new Phase 1 User Interface (for proposals submission), of the Proposal Evaluation Interface (for the proposals review process) and their subsequent improvements, made possible by closing the loop very effectively with our users’ community. We will then conclude by presenting ESO future plans in the Phase1 area, including new proposal submission channels and new review schemes.
As diversity continues to grow in astronomy, creating working environments that are equally beneficial to all employees is imperative. Diversity in astronomical observatories is evident in a number of employee characteristics, including gender, race/ethnicity, age.
Since June 2017, ESO has created its Diversity and Inclusion Committee gathering a variety of employees from the different sites, with different backgrounds.
We will focus here on the status of the diversity and the strategies to develop a skilled and diverse operational workforce in the ESO observatories.
When ESO’s Very Large Telescope opened its first dome in April 1999 it was the first ground-based facility to offer to the scientific community access to an 8-10m class telescope with both classical and queue observing. The latter was considered to be the most promising way to ensure the observing flexibility necessary to execute the most demanding scientific programmes under the required, usually very well defined, conditions.
Since then new instruments have become operational and 1st generation ones replaced, filling the 12 VLT foci and feeding the VLT Interferometer and its four Auxiliary Telescopes. Operating efficiently such a broad range of instruments installed and available every night of the year on four 8-metre telescopes offers many challenges. Although it may appear that little has changed since 1999, the underlying VLT operational model has evolved in order to accommodate different requirements from the user community and features of new instruments.
Did it fulfil its original goal and, if so, how well? How did it evolve? What are the lessons learned after more than 15 years of operations? A careful analysis and monitoring of statistics and trends in Phase 1 and Phase 2 has been deployed under the DOME (Dashboard for Operational Metrics at ESO) project. The main goal of DOME is to provide robust metrics that can be followed with time in a user-friendly manner. Here, we summarize the main findings on the handling of service mode observations and present the most recent developments.
KEYWORDS: Telescopes, Databases, Observatories, Domes, Laser guide stars, Space telescopes, Data modeling, Current controlled current source, Interfaces, Large telescopes
Thirteen VLT/I instruments plus some extra critical components like the block-scheduling of the Laser Guide Star
Facility and VLTI baselines make for a rather complex machine that constantly challenges our operational efficiencies.
DOME (Dashboard for Operational Metrics at ESO) is an ongoing project developed, implemented and maintained by
the ESO User Support Department. It aims at providing an ESO-internal dashboard where key operational metrics are
published and updated at regular intervals. Here, we will present the project and report on the indicators that have been
looked at until now.ty and VLTI baselines make for a rather complex machine that constantly challenges our operational efficiencies.
DOME (Dashboard for Operational Metrics at ESO) is an ongoing project developed, implemented and maintained by
the ESO User Support Department. It aims at providing an ESO-internal dashboard where key operational metrics are
published and updated at regular intervals. Here, we will present the project and report on the indicators that have been
looked at until now.
User support and operations of a large observatory rely on a well defined infrastructure, which is based on different
policies, procedures, and tools. April 1, 2009 marked the 10th anniversary of VLT operations. Our VLT operations and
data-flow schemas have proven to be reliable and efficient and users feedback continues to be positive. Thanks to eleven
years of day-to-day experience and users feedback, we have evaluated new possible ways forward to make operations
even smoother and more efficient. Here, I will review recent developments and new services offered to our VLT users
community.
Users' feedback is a vital component of the success of any service organization, but response rates are usually not very
comforting and receiving feedback on a regular basis is a rather challenging task. This article presents the main findings
of the Feedback Campaign we launched in early 2007 and attempts to analyse its significance. The Campaign targeted
all Principal Investigators of ESO Service Mode programmes approved over the period 2001 - 2006. Possible future
evolutions of this type of campaigns are briefly discussed, based on the experience we have gained.
Four years after its announcement at SPIE, FLAMES, the VLT fibre facility, has been completed, integrated into the VLT observatory and commissioned. It has been in operation since February 2003. More than 250000 scientific (single) spectra have been obtained, which have enabled the on-sky performance of the instrument to be compared to the predictions. We show that in several relevant aspects the real instrument significantly outperforms the specified astronomical performance. Some of the early scientific results are finally presented.
UVES is the UV-Visual high-resolution Echelle Spectrograph mounted at the 8-m Kueyen (UT2) telescope of the ESO VLT. In order to allow use of UVES at its highest resolution of up to 110 000, also during non-optimal seeing conditions, the instrument is equipped with Bowen-Walraven type image slicers. These devices have exit slits of 0.3, 0.44 and 0.68 arcseconds and possibility to view the sky next to the slicer for sky subtraction. This paper addresses the relevant UVES optical design aspects, image slicer design and manufacturing, observing procedures and usage statistics. In the last part of the paper we give examples of high-S/N observations made with the 0.3 arcsecond image slicer.
UVES is a dual beam echelle spectrograph installed at the Nasmyth focus of the UT2 telescope of the ESO VLT since October 1999. It can reach a resolution of 80000 and 115000 in the blue and red arm, respectively. The instrument is characterized by great stability and high efficiency. The smooth operation of both the new telescope and instrument has lead to a remarkable number of highly interesting scientific observations during commissioning. Examples of scientific work on these data are presented to illustrate the unique UV efficiency, the resolving power and high S/N capability and far red efficiency.
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