This organization shall be called the Center for Functional Nanomaterials Users' Association.
The purpose of the CFN Users' Association is to promote and encourage research at the CFN by providing for organized discussions among users of the facility as well as between the user community and the facility administration and to address questions of general principles, trends, and development of user needs. The Association aims to have broad participation involving all segments of the user community and efficient communication with Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) staff, management, and the trustees of Brookhaven Science Associates (BSA). It is thus possible to communicate current and future needs, concerns, and trends within the user community to CFN staff and management. At the same time, the Association disseminates information on BNL CFN plans and prospects to the users.
All CFN facility users who hold active BNL appointments are voting members in the CFN Users' Association.
At full operation the UEC shall consist of four officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary), general members, and the CFN User Administrator (Ex-Officio), a representative from CFN management (Ex-Officio), and may include the Information and Outreach Section head (Ex-officio).
Three general members shall be elected annually at the Annual Users' Meeting for two-year terms. Nominations for general members on the Executive Committee shall be made according to the rules in Section III.
The UEC Chair is responsible for preparing the agenda for all CFN UEC meetings, including UEC-sponsored public outreach/information meetings. It is recognized that an effective means of communication is essential and shall be given high priority. The Chair shall, therefore, be responsible for providing a Users' Perspective article for the newsletter prepared by the CFN Department.
The UEC Vice Chair is responsible for organizing the next Annual Users' Meeting. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for preparing an article for the newsletter, which advertises and summarizes the CFN Users' Meeting.
At the end of one year, the Vice Chair becomes Chair, then becomes Past Chair for a subsequent one-year term. The Past Chair serves in an advisory role to the current Chair to foster continuity in conducting UEC business.
The Secretary is responsible for recording and preparation of the Minutes, which, after approval by the Chair, shall be distributed to all members of the UEC.
Chair: The current Vice Chair will assume the additional responsibility of Chair for the remainder of the term and then serve in the normal sequence of succession.
Vice Chair: The Executive Committee will elect a replacement from the current general members who will serve in the normal sequence of succession.
Secretary: A new Secretary will be elected at the next UEC meeting to serve the remainder of the vacated term.
General Member: The UEC will appoint a member of the CFN Users' Association to fill the position for the duration of the unexpired term.
The Nominating Committee will consist of a Chair, appointed by the UEC Chair, and at least two additional Association members. All Nominating Committee members will be ineligible for election to the UEC. The Nominating Committee should be formed at least six months prior to the Users' Meeting.
The Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of at least six candidates for approval of the UEC. The slate of candidates, with a brief biographical sketch of each nominee, will be announced to the Association at least one month in advance of the Users' Meeting. In addition, write-in candidates are allowed at the time of voting. The slate of candidates should be balanced between various user interests, taking into consideration a candidate's affiliation (university, government, laboratory, industrial), experimental technique used for research, and geographic location.
The CFN Users' Association will elect three members. The open election period shall precede the Users' Meeting by no less than two weeks, and will close at the Users' Meeting. All members of the CFN Users Association are eligible to vote.
Following the election of the new general members at the Annual Meeting, the UEC will elect a new Vice Chair and Secretary. The Vice Chair will be elected for a one-year term from among the UEC general members. The Secretary will be elected from among the UEC general members for a one-year term.
CFN Users' Meeting: The Users' Association shall organize the Users' Meeting in cooperation with the CFN Department.
Town Meetings: The UEC and the CFN shall hold periodic Town Meetings for the purpose of open discussion of current issues among CFN staff and the users.
UEC Meetings: UEC meetings will be held at the Users' Meeting and also at the discretion of the Chair or as called for by a majority of UEC members. The Annual Users' Meeting and UEC meetings shall have a prepared agenda disseminated in advance. Minutes of all meetings shall be recorded including results of deliberative discussions.
A quorum of the UEC shall require the presence of more than half of its members. A simple majority shall determine the sense of the Association except that three members in attendance can call for a written polling of the entire Association. Official actions of the Users' Association require the majority consent of one of the following:
This charter shall be amended at the annual meeting or by ballot (electronic or otherwise) as needs emerge. Two-thirds of the membership responding to a proposed amendment shall be required for its passage.
Results of deliberations of the UEC and the Association shall be in the form of a recommendation to the CFN Director, the Director of BNL, or the trustees of BSA.
