Approved by the participants of the LNLS Users Committee Assembly as part of the activities of the 29th Annual Users’ Meeting (RAU), November 6th 2019
Amended by the participants of the LNLS Users Committee Assembly as part of the activities of the 31st Annual Users’ Meeting (RAU), November 11th 2021
Name
§1. This organization will be called the LNLS Users Group (LNLSUG).
Purpose
§2. The purpose of the LNLSUG is to:
I. Provide a clear channel for the exchange of information and advice between the investigators who perform synchrotron light experiments at the LNLS and the management of this National Laboratory.
II. Provide a formal vehicle for LNLS users to transmit concerns and recommendations to the LNLS management regarding matters affecting the user community.
III. Serve as an advocacy group for the LNLS Facilities and its user community.
IV. Participate in the organization of the LNLS Annual Users Meeting (RAU).
V. Organize the distribution of prizes for synchrotron-related research performed at the LNLS facilities, subjected to fund availability.
VI. Form a communication network with LNLS users and potential users; disseminate science with synchrotron light.
Membership
§3. Any LNLS user or potential user with an account in the LNLS proposal submission system (e.g., sauonline system) is eligible to become a member of the LNLSUG.
I. All eligible individuals will be informed by email about the creation of the LNLSUG, being given the option not to be part of the group.
II. A check box will be available to the logged users in the LNLS proposal submission system to select or unselect the LNLSUG Membership Agreement at any time.
Users Committee
§4. The Users Committee (UC) will conduct the activities of the LNLSUG. Two members will be elected yearly by the LNLSUG through an electronic voting procedure organized with the aid of the LNLS administrative staff using the LNLS webpage. The open election period shall precede the RAU by no less than two weeks, and will close one day before the beginning of the Meeting. All LNLSUG members are eligible to vote. All LNLSUG members who have participated in a proposal carried out in the beamlines of the LNLS in the last ten years are eligible to vote. Tie votes will be decided by a coin toss. The elected members’ terms start the day after the end of that RAU and expire at the third following RAU, so the UC shall have six regular members (in addition to the possible members with extended terms as detailed in §8).
I. The maximum number of candidates that each voter can select is equal to the number of seats being covered in that election.
II. To stand as a member of the LNLS Users Committee, the LNLSUG members eligible to be voted must hold a doctorate degree or must be a senior researcher designated as principal investigator (PI) responsible for a research proposal.
§5. The UC will have the following specific tasks:
I. Identify and make recommendations to the LNLS management on matters affecting the user community such as operating policies, facility’s needs, infrastructure, and instrumentation.
II. Assure good communication between the LNLSUG and the LNLS management and in general serve the interests of the user community.
III. Serve as part of the RAU Scientific/Program Committee.
IV. Organize the agenda of the LNLSUG General Assembly and disseminate it before the beginning of the RAU.
V. Present an annual report of the activities of the UC to the LNLSUG General Assembly.
VI. Prepare a slate of candidates for the UC amongst the LNLSUG members and provide advance notice of the election to the membership including a short statement for each candidate.
VII. Any LNLSUG member may suggest candidates in written to the UC Chair. In addition, nominations shall be accepted by petition of 10 or more of the LNLSUG members in support of a candidate, to be sent to the Chair of the UC by no latter than 30 days before the beginning of RAU. Any nomination and corresponding statement must have the explicit agreement of the nominee.
§6. The UC may meet at any time, either face-to-face or virtually, with or without the presence of members of the LNLS management and staff or other members of the LNLSUG. A minimum of one face-to-face meeting of the UC shall occur every year.
§7. In case a member retires from the UC during the first two years of his/her term, the following open election for the UC will also cover an additional seat to complete the vacant term.
Officers
§8. The officers of the LNLSUG will be a Chair and a Vice-Chair, with one-year mandates. The Chair is responsible to organize the discussions within the UC, being the most direct interface of the UC with the LNLS management. Immediately after the dates of RAU, the UC shall choose from its members a Vice-Chair, who will be responsible for organizing the scientific program of the next RAU. After that Users Meeting, the Vice-Chair will succeed the Chair. The former Chair will remain as a member of the UC until the end of his/her mandate or until the following Users Meeting, whichever comes last.
I. Officers’ terms on the UC shall be extended as needed to perform the above services.
II. Neither the Chair nor the Vice-Chair of the UC shall be an employee of CNPEM.
Amendments
§9. This document can be amended at the occasion of a General Assembly during RAU by a qualified majority of two-thirds of voting members physically present in the Assembly, in an open vote.
I. Proposals for amendments can be made by any LNLSUG member and should be received in written by the UC Chair by no later than 30 days before the beginning of
RAU.
Transitional rules
§10. In the elections after approval of these bylaws, six members will be elected. The two most voted candidates will have a regular three-year mandate. The third and fourth most voted candidates will have a two-year mandate, and the fifth and sixth most voted candidates will have a one-year mandate.
§11. Prior to the realization of the elections, a transitory UC will be operative, with a minimum of three members chosen by the LNLS administration.