Overview

The process of creating a new interest group is pretty straightforward.

Any ISSC Member can submit a proposal for a new Interest Group, which is then reviewed by the Executive Committee for approval. The requirements expressed in the Charter are:

• The topic and scope of the proposed Interest Group is not already covered by any other Interest or Working Group.
• A minimum of 5 ISSC members have expressed interest in actively participating in the activities of the Interest Group.
• At least one member of the ISSC has expressed interest in leading the Interest Group. Interest Group leaders are responsible for organizing regular meetings of the Interest Group and reporting back to the collaboration about recent activity within the Interest Group.

NOTE:

Identifying a member willing to take the leadership of the group is useful at this stage, but if you do not have one yet, the Executive Council is happy to work with you on trying to identify one once you submit the form.

Form

The proposal is submitted via a google form. The Executive Council will review the content and will be in touch with you for the next steps and a broader discussion with the Collaboration, including an open call for people interested in participation and leadership of the group.

Example

To give you a sense of the level of detail needed for a proposal to be considered, below is a sample proposal:

• Group name: Jigsaw puzzle interest group
• Interested members:
  • Melissa D.: I like it when puzzles get solved.
  • Alex G.: I like solving really big puzzles.
  • Sandro C.: I like chatting with people while they solve puzzles.
  • Mi D.: My activities are mostly in DESC, but am also interested in puzzles.
  • Rachel O.: I like solving puzzles, but am not an ISSC member.
• Potentially interested in leadership (optional): Melissa D.
• Brief Description of scope/purpose: We are academically interested in jigsaw puzzles, including the procurement and solving thereof. Crossword and Sudoku are outside the scope for this interest group. Notable artifacts of this group will be finished puzzles, displayed on the walls.
• Activities:
  • This group will assemble jigsaw puzzles. Depending on interest, we may form teams for competitive jigsaw puzzle competitions (e.g. competition in Denver in December 2025)
  • We will seek funding opportunities to purchase additional jigsaw puzzles.
• Special considerations (e.g. membership, data rights) (optional): Members of other science collaborations are welcome to participate in activities, and data rights are not a pre-requisite for participation.