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			 **   THE GEM MESSENGER   **
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						     Volume 6, Number 18
						     April 26, 1996


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REPORT ON THE GEM STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING,  8 December 1995
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From: Jeff Hughes (HUGHES@buasta.bu.edu)

The GEM Steering Committee met on the Sunday evening prior to the AGU
Meeting in San Francisco. The main item of business was to discuss the
current status of the GEM program, and where it should go from here. We
also heard about the status of the GEM program within NSF, and discussed
plans for next summer's workshop, cooperation between GEM and GGS, and
cooperation between GEM, CEDAR and SUNRISE, especially with respect to the
Space Weather Program. Eighteen people attended the meeting including 8
steering committee and 4 liason members, 4 GEM coordinators and working
group chairs (so that the leadership of all working groups was
represented), and Bob Robinson (Upper Atmosphere Facilities, and acting
program officer for Magnetospheric Physics Program) and Sunanda Basu
(Aeronomy Program) from NSF. 

We began by welcoming the new steering committee members, Mary Hudson and 
Jimmy Raeder (though Jimmy was absent as he was about to become a father).
They replace Joel Fedder and Bill Lotko whose terms have expired. 

Most time was spent discussing the current status of GEM and future plans.
All the working groups had submitted brief reports on their current status
and future directions, which provided background. We discussed the status
of the current campaigns, plans for the current campaigns, GEM's
relationship and coordination with other programs (ISTP, GGS, CEDAR, Space
Weather), and the topic and timing of the next campaign. 

The first GEM campaign, on Boundary Layers, began officially in
the summer of 1991, following two pre-campaign planning workshops. This
campaign is now approaching its fifth anniversary. The Tail and Substorm
campaign began 3 years later, in 1994, again following two pre-campaign
planning workshops. The questions we discussed were: How long should the
Boundary Campaign continue? What should be the topic of the next campaign,
and when should we start planning for it? 

It was resolved that the Boundary Campaign should continue for another 18 
months, that is for two more summer workshops, 1996 and 1997. This provides 
enough time for the working groups to bring their activities to closure as 
well as providing sufficient overlap with the ISTP and GGS Boundary Layer 
Campaign following the launches of POLAR (now launched) and CLUSTER (May 
1996). In parallel, planning for a new campaign on the inner magnetosphere 
and geomagnetic storms would begin this summer and continue next summer. As 
in the past, these two planning workshops would focus on identifying the 
outstanding problems that need addressing in the campaign, and methods of 
solving them. With successful planning, this new campaign would begin 
Summer 1998. Mary Hudson graciously agreed to organize this planning 
activity. These decisions are reflected in the plans for the upcoming 
Snowmass Workshop that were recently circulated. 

Another new aspect of the upcoming Snowmass Workshop will be the GGCM 
Campaign's response to a challenge given it by the Boundary Layer Campaign to 
reproduce using models the boundary layers they have documented during 
times in January 1992. This will occur during the first two days when both 
the GGCM and Boundary Layer Campaigns will hold workshops. This is just the 
sort of interaction between campaigns that GEM is meant to foster. 

Report from NSF: Bob Robinson reported a positive budget outlook, in spite
of the general state of gloom in Washington. 20 GEM proposals had been 
received in October and were out for review. A budget increment to begin
the new Space Weather Program was likely in FY 96, and an announcement of 
funding would follow (recently made). The Polar Cap Observatory project had
been ranked highest priority among major initatives from within the
Geosciences Directorate giving it a very good chance of getting funded in
FY 98. The search for the new program officer for Magnetospheric Physics 
was well underway. (The appointment of Bob Clauer to this position was made 
last month.)

Snowmass Workshop '96: Harlan Spence had planning for next summer's
workshop well in hand. The dates are June 24-28, which is the week
following the CEDAR workshop in Boulder. This arrangement allows us to
organise some joint GEM/CEDAR space weather sessions over the intervening
weekend. (This has now been done, preliminary details were in the Snowmass 
workshop announcement.)



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