Merge pull request #395 from kbwestfall/cycle4_spec_workshop

Cycle 4 Funding: Spectroscopy Development Busy Week

Author: kelle

finance/proposal-calls/cycle4/specdev_workshop.md

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+### Title
+
+Spectroscopy Development Busy Week
+
+### Project Team
+
+Kyle Westfall (UCO), Tim Pickering (MMT), Kelle Cruz (Hunter), Debora
+Pelliccia (UCO), Ricky O'Steen (STScI), Camilla Pacifici (STScI),
+Timothy Ellsworth-Bowers (Lowell), Stephanie Juneau (NOIRLab), [others
+welcome!]
+
+### Project Description
+
+In Nov 2023, we held a workshop at NOIRLab to discuss spectroscopy
+software, identify needs, and begin projects to address them; see our
+[report](https://docs.google.com/document/d/10i3VXiQE2AUF7EVSJ8-jm1nTMaRhudYUVq409b3daOo/edit?usp=sharing).
+
+Since then, we've held monthly meetings where we continue the discussion
+and touch base on progress in an effort to maintain momentum.  Although
+this effort has led to a number of specutils/specreduce PRs (both at the
+workshop and since), it remains difficult for us as a group to find time
+to make significant progress on the development goals we identified.
+Here, we propose to provide travel support for the attendees of one busy
+week, focused on final development pushes toward specutils/specreduce
+PRs.  The idea is that, instead of funding small fractions of an FTE for
+a few people, we can support short bursts of collective effort from many
+people.  These efforts will directly support development priorities in
+specutils and specreduce.
+
+### Project / Work
+
+The specific deliverables of this busy week are currently TBD.
+Possibilities include:
+
+ - Comparison of multiple wavelength-calibration algorithms pulled
+   existing pipelines (DRAGONS, BANZAI, pypeit), and incorporated into
+   specreduce.
+ 
+ - Similar work can be done for other algorithms, including sky
+   subtraction, source extraction, coadding, flux calibration, etc.
+
+ - End-to-end example reduction performed using specreduce with a
+   long-slit dataset
+
+ - Addition of algorithms specific to fiber-based spectrographs
+
+Significant planning will go into the timing of the workshop and each
+development goal.  We expect to support 4-6 groups of 3-5 people each,
+with each group having a specific deliverable that can reasonably be
+achieved during the busy week.  Broader discussions about priorities and
+longer terms goals are inevitable, but the focus of the week will be to
+complete a goal that directly benefits from a focused collective effort.
+
+Comments and advice on how to actually achieve the above are welcome!
+
+### Approximate Budget
+
+At minimum, the budget should support catering for lunches and coffee
+breaks during the busy week.  A rough estimate is $4000, assuming ~$40
+per person per day for 20 attendess and a 5-day busy week.  In this
+minimum funding scenario, all attendees would be reimbursed for their
+other meals (breakfast, dinner), hotel, and airfare by their home
+institutions.
+
+At maximum, the budget would additionally provide full travel support
+for the attendees (airfare, hotel, meals).  A rough estimate is $60k,
+assuming $3000 per person for a 5-day busy week and a US-domestic flight
+for 20 attendees.
+
+The budget therefore ranges from $4k - $64k.
+
+The extent of this range largely depends on the number of attendees and
+the level of travel reimbursement provided.  Note that I haven't
+included venue rental fees in this estimate, under the assumption that
+the busy week can be hosted at someone's home institution at no cost
+(e.g., we could host it at UCO/UCSC in Santa Cruz).
+
+### Period of Performance
+
+This budget request is for a single 1 week meeting to happen within the
+year following when the project is approved.
+
+