Live From Snowmass!

Climbing the Hill
GDE Meeting 16 August 2005

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After huffing and puffing their way up the steep hill to the Top of the Village condos, more than 50 people gathered in the Gatehouse on Tuesday afternoon for the first GDE meeting. “I think that our meeting was scheduled all the way at the top of this hill to prove that if you’re in the GDE, you can climb a mountain,” said GDE Director Barry Barish.

Who, what, why, when, where and how were the primary questions at the meeting. Among many other topics, Barish outlined who is part of the GDE, what the GDE needs to accomplish and how the GDE will be organized. “It’s a tremendous milestone for us that we are all sitting in this room and that such a talented worldwide group could be put together,” he said. “The main activity for me the last few months was putting together a great group. Now we just need to figure out what to do.”

One of the first issues that Barish plans to address is how the GDE will actually do work together. Videoconferencing is one way to hold global meetings, but different time zones and connectivity issues sometimes make these meetings cumbersome. Choosing an Electronic Document Management System is another crucial task for the GDE. In order to find the best EDMS by the end of 2005, Barish will form a sub-committee of approximately six people. “Getting the right EDMS and other communicating tools is crucial,” he said. “People should suggest who should be on the sub-committee. Give me your input and tell me what we need to do.” The GDE will meet next on Saturday morning to plan the second week of the workshop.

Barry Barish's Slides (PPT)