Glossary

The USO System uses many concepts related to User Office operations. Some of them are quite familiar to staff and users of large-scale research facilities. However, to avoid ambiguity, we provide below a list of definitions of the key terms and concepts as used within the USO system.

Access Pool: One or more pools of beam time from which shifts are allocated to projects. The default pool is available to all users. Additional pools can be made available based on user roles.
Allocation: The process of assigning beam time or resources to approved projects based on their review outcomes. Can also refer to the specific time slots assigned to a project on a beamline or facility.
Beamline: A type of facility that is an experimental station within a synchrotron facility where users conduct their experiments.
Call-for-Proposals: A specific period during which users can submit proposals for beam time or resources at a facility.
Clarification: A question asked of the applicants by a reviewer during the review process.
Cycle: A period of time, typically 6 months long, during which experiments are scheduled and performed at the facility. There are typically two cycles per year Jan 1st - June 30, and July 1st - Dec 31st.
Cycle Type: A template defining the parameters for a cycle, including its start date, duration, and other attributes.
Electronic Permit: A digital authorization that allows users to access specific facilities or equipment during their scheduled shifts.
Facility: An instrument, beamline, group of beamlines, or other resource at a research institution that provides the equipment and environment for conducting experiments. Not to be confused with the organization.
Hand-Over: A process of transferring responsibility for a session from the beam line staff to the research team. Hand-over is required as the first step of establishing a valid session.
Materials: A collection of items or substances that are used in a project. This can include samples and equipment.
Permission: A specific right granted to a user within the USO system. While roles are conferred on users based on status, Permissions are acquired by users through training or qualification and primarily control access to perform experiments at specific beamlines, labs or facilities.
Project: A specific research initiative that has been approved for execution at a facility, resulting from a successful proposal submission and review process. It includes details about the team, materials, and planned experiments.
Proposal: A formal request submitted by a user to conduct research at a facility, detailing the scientific objectives, required resources, and expected outcomes.
Review: An evaluation process of a proposal or experiment by designated reviewers to assess its scientific merit, feasibility, and compliance with safety and ethical standards.
Review Stage: A specific phase in the review process of a submission. Each Review Stage is associated with a Review Type.
Review Track: A predefined set of review stages and criteria that a proposal must go through during the evaluation process. It includes specific reviewers, review criteria, and workflow steps tailored to the type of proposal. Each beamline configures how it’s available techniques are reviewed, and which review tracks are available for proposals requesting those techniques. Review tracks can be configured to either require a call for proposals, or to accept proposals outside of calls.
Review Type: A specification of the type of review being conducted. Includes information about the review form, scoring scheme, and the role of reviewers.
Role: A predefined responsibility assigned to a user within the USO system. Roles determine what actions a user can perform, and what pages and features of the USO system they have access to.
Schedule: Each cycle is associated with a beam time schedule. This relates to the specific time period within a cycle during which experiments are scheduled for beam time. The schedule is typically divided into shifts, which are allocated to projects based on their review outcomes.
Session: A specific time period during which a user or team is allowed to conduct experiments on a beamline or facility. Sessions are associated with electronic permits.
Shift: The smallest unit of schedule beam time. This is typically eight-hour blocks corresponding to three shifts a day (00:00-08:00, 08:00-16:00, 16:00-24:00). Individual beamlines may opt to split shifts further into four-hour blocks (00:00-04:00, 04:00-08:00 08:00-12:00, 12:00-16:00, 16:00-20:00, 20:00-24:00).
Shift Configuration: A set of parameters that define what shifts mean within a cycle schedule. This includes the number of shifts, their duration, and their names.
Sign-On: The process by which a research team accepts responsibility for a beam time session, identifies participating team members, and declares samples they plan to use during the session. A successful sign-on initiate the session and generates an electronic permit for the session.
Spokesperson: The primary contact person for a project or proposal, responsible for managing the project, proposal, team, and experiments. The spokesperson is typically the person who submitted the proposal and is automatically added to the team.
Submission: Corresponds to a submitted proposal that has been entered into the USO system for review. It includes details about requested facilities, and the selected review tracks.
Team: A group of users who collaborate on a project. The team can include one project leader, a delegate and multiple team members. The submitter of a proposal is automatically added as the spokesperson of the team.
Technique: A specific method or approach used in experiments conducted at a facility. The list of available Techniques are defined by the USO administrators and can be associated with one or more beamlines and review tracks by the facility staff.
User: A person who interacts with the USO system, typically a researcher or scientist who submits proposals, manages experiments, and accesses beamline resources.