Charter

1. Purpose of the Charter

   This Charter establishes the functions, organizational structure, and responsibilities within the ISNET (Information and Statistics in Nuclear Experiment and Theory) Community.

2. ISNET Membership

   The membership of ISNET is open to all practicing nuclear physicists, statisticians, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists sharing the goals of ISNET. Membership requests are to be submitted through the ISNET website. The ISNET Board will use the mailing list of ISNET members built in this way to communicate with the community.


3. Code of Conduct

   ISNET members agree to be bound by the ISNET code of conduct during all ISNET activities. The ISNET code of conduct is posted on the ISNET website.

4. ISNET Board

   a) The Board consists of the Chair and Co-Chair and an additional ten members, drawn from the ISNET membership.

   b) The Board shall be diverse with regard to geography and/or race and/or ethnicity, research specialization, gender & sexual identity, etc.

   c) The Board solicits and selects proposals to host ISNET meetings from sites, and maintains the ISNET website (see point 9 below). It also makes recommendations to institutions hosting ISNET regarding their program and budget.

   d) Rotation of Board members will begin on June 30, 2023 with the replacement of two members of the initial ISNET Board by three new members. Subsequently, four members of the Board will be replaced every second year. New members will serve for a six-year, nonrenewable term of office.

   e) A list of nominations for new Board members will be solicited from the ISNET membership and voted on by the Board to select the four replacement members. The solicitation, discussion, and voting procedures will be decided by the Chair, in consultation with the Co-Chair. Nominations will remain active for two rotations. In its selection of replacement members, the Board is responsible for maintaining diversity in its composition with respect to all the dimensions of diversity listed above.

5. Chair

   The Chair is appointed by the Board and has the overall responsibility for continuation of the ISNET series of meetings and other projects undertaken by the ISNET community. The Chair shall serve a two-year term, from July 1 to June 30 of successive even-numbered years.

6. Co-Chair

   A Co-Chair, from a different continent than the Chair, is nominated by the Chair and approved by the Board. Their principal responsibility is to assist the Chair with management of the ISNET series of meetings and other ISNET projects. The Co-Chair shall serve a two-year term and become Chair upon completion of the Chair’s term. 


7. Board Procedures

   a) The Board will conduct its business in a democratic manner with one vote per Board member.

   b) Vacancies on the Board must be replaced immediately.

   c) The Board shall meet at least every quarter by conference calls, or more often as needed. The conference calls are organized by the Chair. Draft minutes are to be distributed to the Board members within one week following the conference call, and any changes to those voted on by the Board at the next meeting. In the absence of urgent agenda, the Chair may cancel a conference call by consulting the Board electronically.

   d) Members of ISNET may propose agenda items for Board meetings by contacting any Board member.

   e) Members of ISNET may attend a Board meeting at the invitation of a Board member and with majority approval of the Board, except when the Board is meeting in executive session.

   f) The Board may arrange open meetings of the ISNET membership that will not require specific invitation. The logistics and agenda of such meetings are announced on the website.

8. Website

   The project website shall serve as a communication and outreach tool. It acts as a repository of, and pointer to, materials pertinent to the use of Information and Statistics in Nuclear Experiment & Theory. A Board member is appointed by the Board to oversee the content and maintain and update the website. At their discretion, they may use the help of other persons or services.

9. Deliverables

   The main deliverables of ISNET are conferences at which relevant research results & pedagogical materials are discussed and shared with the community. The creators of those materials will own any copyrights but ISNET will retain a non-exclusive right to use and disseminate these materials, unless explicitly prohibited.

10. Best Practices

    A list of Best Practices and examples for successful ISNET conferences is maintained by the Board and posted on the ISNET website. The Best Practices are based on past experiences of running successful ISNET conferences. They will include, but are not limited to, recommended procedures for advertising the conference, selecting participants, and other logistical tasks, as well as procedures for remote participation in the conferences.

11. Submissions of ISNET proposals

    Once a year the Board shall issue a call for proposals by sites who wish host the next ISNET conference. The call shall clearly state the points that host sites must address in their proposals. The new proposals are expected to conform to Best Practices. New proposals can also be encouraged by the Board. The Board shall discuss the proposals at a meeting soon after they are due. Any members of the Board that are associated with a host site shall not be present during the discussion.

12. Amendments

    a) Amendments to this charter must originate from the ISNET Board or from a group of five ISNET members sending statements of support to the Board.

    b) Amendments to the charter may be adopted by a 2/3 vote of the Board.

Ratification

This Charter was accepted as a document providing guidance and rules of operation for ISNET following a unanimous ratification vote on June 29, 2022.