Charter
Mission
The National User Facility Organization (NUFO) represents the interests of all users who conduct research at U.S. national scientific user facilities, as well as scientists from U.S. universities, laboratories, and industry who use facilities outside the United States. NUFO facilitates communication among users, user organizations, facility administrators, and other stakeholders. Discussion topics include the benefits and significance of research conducted at user facilities, as well as their operational needs. NUFO seeks to provide a unified message at the national level on issues of resources for science, economic competitiveness, and education for the next-generation scientific workforce.
Background
This organization was initially founded in 1990 as a means to open avenues of communication between the four Department of Energy synchrotron light sources–the National Synchrotron Light Source, the Advanced Light Source, the Advanced Photon Source, and the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Light Source. It has since expanded to include users of the largest United States national scientific user facilities, as well as users working outside the United States.
University and laboratory-based scientists work in partnership to execute scientific programs around the world. University and laboratory scientists act as some of the principal project managers, as well developers and/or inventors of key technologies that make programs at user facilities at laboratories and universities possible. This partnership among scientists and institutions is an essential element to the overall research and education enterprise in the world.
Organization
A. Membership
General Members: General member status is available, upon request, to anyone who is currently, or has been, associated with one or more national user facilities. General Members receive regular communications, are eligible to be Outreach Contacts, and are invited to attend annual meetings. They do not vote on nominees for Steering Committee membership or charter changes.
Voting Members: Each user facility may have two voting NUFO members: a representative from the user organization/user executive committee and a user administrator.
B. Governance
Steering Committee:
A nine-member Steering Committee will conduct the business of NUFO between annual meetings. Steering Committee membership will include a Vice-Chair and Vice-Coordinator to be elected each year from among the user organization representatives and administrators, respectively, for expected commitments of three years. In the second year of service, the Vice-Chair and Vice-Coordinator will become Chair and Coordinator. For the third year of service, the designations shall be Past-Chair and Past-Coordinator. In addition, the elected members will appoint three or more members each year for renewable one-year terms.
Elections:
Nominees for election to the Steering Committee (as Vice-Chair and Vice-Coordinator) shall be proposed and seconded by voting members at each annual meeting. As soon as possible after the annual meeting, voting members shall elect the Vice-Chair and Vice-Coordinator by electronic ballot. The designations of Chairs and Coordinators shall continue until changed by the results of the election. There shall be no limit to the number of three-year terms that an individual may serve. If any Steering Committee member is unable to complete his/her term of service, that member will be replaced as appropriate.
C. Meetings
Meetings are held annually, with the meeting location rotating among the member facilities. All members of NUFO, as well as interested parties, are welcome to attend. Meetings are organized by the Steering Committee, in cooperation with the NUFO voting members and others at the hosting institution.
D. Changes/Revisions
Proposed changes shall be brought first to the Steering Committee, which will present them electronically to Voting Members for decision. The passage of revisions require a simple majority of those who vote.
Adopted July 31, 2009
Past Revisions