The EUVE Electronic Proposal Review (EPR) System

The Electronic Proposal Review (EPR) system created by the University of California, Berkeley has been used for the last three Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) observing cycles. This process, including the EUVE Electronic Proposal Submission (EPS) system and semi-automated processes for the proposal review, has proven to be an effective and preferred means of serving our users' needs. This paper discusses the various elements of EUVE's EPR system as well as the benefits and insights gained from its creation and usage. Via creating and using EPR, the EUVE staff has optimized the administration of the proposal review process and has gained insights relevant to the program's management and application design. EUVE staff has benefitted from EPR over the past three cycles, as the applications have been used to process 142 different proposals. The system has not only helped to cut Time Allocation Committee spending in half, standardize Guest Observer proposal submission (i.e. eliminate proposer errors), reduce mailing, minimize clerical work, and streamline committee reporting, it has also proved to be a preferable means of accessing proposals for science planners and data processors who occasionally need an instant means of double checking proposal specifications. Though participants are generally satisfied with the process, the EUVE management staff continues to work, for example, to find ways to insure that the electronic selection continues to involve meaningful avenues of communication where person-to-person contact is not possible or neceessary. Design of EPR is an evolutionary process with potential future improvements including increased automation for the post-submission processes and greater application portability. This work was funded under NASA Cooperative Agreement NCC5-138.