NEES-R Proposal Preparation
The Researcher
- Contacting the NEES Equipment Site(s) and using the information in the site database web pages during proposal preparation to conduct a preliminary determination that the site capabilities (including information technology capabilities) meet the needs of the proposed research. Prospective users should avoid contacting sites for information that is publicly available.
- Consulting NEESinc web pages to assess the expected level of utilization of the desired site for the period under consideration.
- Discussing in detail with the Site Operations Manager any proposal that requires temporary modifications of the existing equipment, substantial software development, exceeds 80% of the published capacity of the equipment, and/or contains unusual demands.
- Establishing a reasonable and well-defined testing program and budget (including specimen preparation, testing and disposal). All the details of the testing are not needed, but some preliminary analyses should be performed to determine the maximum capacities needed (i.e., analyses based on expected material values rather than nominal strengths and assessing all possible failure modes).
- Incorporating any basic safety concerns into a risk mitigation program.
CU-NEES Responsibilities
- Maintain up-to-date site specifications and requirements on the site database web page. Provide accurate and timely information to potential users during the proposal preparation process.
- Keep an updated web page with contact information, checklists, and FAQs for potential users.
- Maintain a list of accommodations for visiting researchers and students that may be involved in long-term research at the NEES Equipment Site.
Scope of Services Covered by the NEES O&M Budget
A basic scope of services is available to NEES projects through the O&M budget provided by the NSF through the NEES Consortium. The following list outlines these services at the Colorado NEES Equipment Site:
- Assistance in proposal development with regard to the laboratory equipment and infrastructure
- Assistance in experiment planning and design with regard to the laboratory equipment and infrastructure
- Laboratory cost estimation
- Equipment and safety training
- Materials and test specimens receiving
- Equipment and test setup (each project will be allocated a fixed amount of personnel time depending on the scope of the project)
- FHT system operation
- Video conferencing support
- Instrument calibration, data acquisition, and data quality assurance
- Data transfer to NEES data repository
- Office space
- Equipment and specimen storage for duration of experiment
- Space for specimen assembly
- Use of the concrete mixing and curing rooms
- Liaison services with local contractors
Risk Management
- Requires a joint effort of the site and project PI.
- Requires detailed testing plan prior to start of test specimen assembly.
- Requires a thorough knowledge of test environment and equipment limitations.
- Prudence, Patience, and Hope
Technical Support
We will assist you with our Draftsperson (Chrstopher Lai) to prepare SolidWorks-based technical drawing of your planned tests (which will be kept as confidential files). These being exact technical drawings, we could verify that your specimen will "fit" within the physical constraints of our laboratory.
