From: W. J. Hughes (HUGHES@buasta.bu.edu)

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     REPORT ON THE GEM STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING,  15 DECEMBER 1996
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The GEM Steering Committee met on the Sunday of the AGU Meeting in San
Francisco. The main items of business were to discuss the status of the GEM
program within NSF, plans for next summer's workshop, the development of
the GGCM, and production of a GEM progrss report. 


Report from NSF: Bob Clauer reported on the MAG and GEM budgets. He
received 15 GEM related proposals in the Fall that are competing for about
$500k. This includes proposals to develop detailed GGCM development plans.
He also informed us of a new NSF/DOE initative in Basic Plasma Physics
which is of direct relevence to space plasma physics (announcements of this
program have now been made). There will be new funding in the National
Space Weather Program again this year, with proposals due in the spring or
early summer. From comments Bob Corell made earlier in the evening we
learned that the Polar Cap Observatory proposal appears to be on track for
a FY98 start. 

Snowmass Workshop '97: Harlan Spence has planning well underway for next
summer's workshop and has started thinking about the following summer. As
the Snowmass facility becomes more popular, reservations need to be made
with longer lead times. We discussed whether we should vary the venue, but
decided that as Snowmass was popular, and we were familiar with the
facilities, we should stay there through 1998. We can reassess what we do
beyond that during this summer's workshop. This year the workshop will be a
week earlier than usual, June 16-20. The CEDAR workshop will be the prior
week, June 9-13. There will be a joint SHINE/GEM/CEDAR/Space Weather
workshop on June 13/14 in Boulder. More details on the workshop should be
coming soon. 

Snowmass Workshop '98: In 1998 we have the Snowmass facility booked for
June 22-26. 

GGCM Development Plans: We spent some time discussing the way to proceed
with development of the GGCM. Initial studies on how to structure a GGCM
center will be funded very soon, with results to be presented at the
Snowmass Workshop this summer. Based on the results of these studies, the
plan is to write a call for proposals to form this center that will be
released late in 1997. 

GEM Achievements: We discussed an outline for a GEM Progress Report. At
this point the first GEM campaign is winding down, our second campaign is
well underway, we are begining our third campaign, and GGCM development is
beginning in earnest. The time is ripe for a report describing how GEM is
working and documenting our achievements thus far. The plan is to have this
report available by the summer.