= Training plan for new RA = * General timeline for conceptual learning: * Week 1: * Site infrastructure and big picture * Meet the day and night staff * Week 2: * Telescope hardware/software systems * Key sub-systems to understand: * TCS (Telescope Control System) * Tracker * PFIP (Prime Focus Instrument Package) * PAS (Payload Alignment System) * Week 3: * Instruments and calibrations * LRS2 * HPF * VIRUS * FCU (Facility Calibration Unit) * Week 4: * Queue and observing * PI programs and proposal process * Phase II and TSL requirements * htopx and queue * RA Night Report * Time charging and accounting * Problem Reporting * Observing scripts and instrument control * [wiki:NightOperations/Policies#duties Operational duties and procedures]: * OPS * Nights * start of night * observing targets * end of night * Overlap * Wiki * Meetings * Projects * Timesheets [[br]] [[br]] == Timeline and milestones == #timeline We will prioritize meeting day staff and getting first-hand exposure to major systems and infrastructure in the first weeks. || || || **Week 1: April 8-12** [[br]] Goals: meet staff, get familiar with big picture || ||Monday|| 8:15am || join Zoom morning meeting to meet day staff [https://zoom.us/j/382669707] || || || all day || work through first-week on-boarding tasks, including: || || || all day || 82": meet !McDonald Observatory Admin and !McDonald Observatory Superintendent on Mt Locke.|| || || all day || HET: meet HET IT Person and HET Admin person|| ||Tuesday|| all day || test your login to the [wiki: wiki], briefly look at: [[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA RA procedures] [[br]] And read overview documentation: [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/91474J.pdf PFIP design/deployment (SPIE)] [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/107000P.pdf WFU completion (SPIE)] [[br]] [https://arxiv.org/pdf/2110.03843 HET Instruments (esp S1,2,3)] [[br]] (note, may take more than 1 or 2 days to read all of these!) || || || afternoon || meet with Facility Manager for a tour of major infrastructure (TBC) || ||Wednesday|| morning || on-boarding tasks and reading documentation || || || 1:00pm || Meet Science Operations Manager in control room to continue tours/discussion || || || 3:30pm || get set up to watch OPS (starts at 4:30pm) || || || || Be familiar with [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/overview#OPSENG OPS Overview wiki page] [[br]] (we'll talk through it together)|| ||Thursday || 3:30pm || staff meeting on Zoom || || || 4:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || || || ~11pm || join overlap with Science Operations Manager and RA on Night Duty || ||Friday || 8:30pm || join to watch night operations, discuss documentation, etc || || || || Be familiar with night overview wiki page:[[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/overview#startup Start of night] and [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/overview#park End of night] ||Saturday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations || ||Sunday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations || [[br]] [[br]] || || || **Week 2: April 15-19** [[br]] Goals: Get familiar with telescope hardware || ||Monday || || || ||Tuesday || || || ||Wednesday|| || || ||Thursday || day || meet with HET Facility Manager, HET Mechanical Engineer, HET Electrical Engineer, and others (TBC) [[br]] Focus on structure/tracker/mirror and probe metrology [[br]] review documentation on hardware systems: [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/107003Y.pdf Mechanical performance of tracker] [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/107002B.pdf metrology systems] [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/702.pdf M1 figure maintenance (old but useful)] || || || 3:30pm || staff meeting on Zoom || || || 4:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || ||Friday || day || meet with HET Facility Manager, HET Mechanical Engineer, HET Electrical Engineer, and others (TBC)|| || || 4:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || ||Saturday || 6:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || ||Sunday || 6:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || || || ~11pm || join overlap with HET Science Operations Manager and RA on Night Duty|| [[br]] || || || **Week 3: April 22-26** [[br]] Goals: Get familiar with instruments || ||Monday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations || || || || Hydra documentation for PIs on each instrument: [[br]] [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=107 VIRUS], [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=95 LRS2], and [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=120 HPF] [[br]] Read [https://arxiv.org/pdf/2110.03843 Gary's overview of VIRUS (esp S4)] [[br]] Read wiki page on each instrument: [[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/virus VIRUS], [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/lrs2 LRS2], and [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/hpf HPF] [[br]] Read about Greg Z's reductions codes: [[br]] [https://github.com/grzeimann/Remedy/blob/master/README.md VIRUS reduction - Remedy] [[br]] [https://github.com/grzeimann/Panacea/blob/master/README.md LRS2 reduction - Panacea] [[br]] [https://github.com/grzeimann/Goldilocks_Documentation/blob/master/README.md HPF reduction - Goldilocks] [[br]] Also read about FCU: [[br]] [http://het.as.utexas.edu/HET/hetweb/docs/84444J.pdf Facility Calibration Unit] || ||Tuesday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations || ||Wednesday|| 9:00pm || join to watch night operations || ||Thursday || 3:30pm || staff meeting on Zoom || ||Friday || || || ||Saturday || || || ||Sunday || 6:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || [[br]] || || || **Week 4: April 29 - May 3** [[br]] Goals: Get familiar with queue || ||Monday || 6:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || || || || Read Hydra documentation: [[br]] [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=46 Phase I] and [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=49 Phase II] and [https://hydra.as.utexas.edu/?a=help&h=8 Phase III] [[br]] Read wiki pages about queue: [[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/hydranossy hydra/nossy] and [wiki:TOManual/tasks2 Time accounting/charging] || ||Tuesday || 4:30pm || join to watch RA OPS || || || ~11pm || overlap with RA on Night Duty and HET Science Operations Manager || ||Wednesday|| 9:00pm || join to watch night operations with HET Science Operations Manager and/or RA on Night Duty || || || || create your own profile in htopx with RA on Night Duty (Ideally Sergey) || ||Thursday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations with HET Science Operations Manager and/or RA on Night Duty || ||Friday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations with HET Science Operations Manager and/or RA on Night Duty || ||Saturday || 9:00pm || join to watch night operations with HET Science Operations Manager and/or RA on Night Duty || ||Sunday || || || [[br]] || || || **Week 5: May 6 - 10** [[br]] Goals: Get ready to drive || ||Monday || || || ||Tuesday || || || ||Wednesday|| 4:00pm || come early to drive OPS with RA on Ops Duty|| || || || read and update OPS procedures on wiki: [[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/overview#OPSENG Overview - OPS] || ||Thursday || 4:00pm || come early to drive OPS with RA on Ops Duty || || || || read about operational software: [[br]] [wiki:HetProcedures/RA/setup target_setup], iexp, [wiki:TOManual/science1 setups on targets] || ||Friday || 4:00pm || come early to drive OPS with RA on Ops Duty || || || ~11pm || overlap with RA on Night Duty and HET Science Ops Manager|| ||Saturday || 8:57pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || ||Sunday || 8:57pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || [[br]] || || || **Week 6: May 13 - 17** [[br]] Goals: Keep getting ready to drive || || Monday || 8:56pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Tuesday || 8:56pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Wednesday || || || || Thursday || || || || Friday || || || || Saturday || 6:00pm || come early to drive OPS with RA on Ops Duty || || Sunday || 6:00pm || come early to drive OPS with RA on Ops Duty || || || ~11pm || overlap with RA on Night Duty and HET Science Operations Manager || [[br]] [#appraisals 45-day probationary appraisal: 23-May 2024] [[br]] || || || **Week 7: May 20 - 24** [[br]] Goals: Get ready to drive || || Monday || 8:53pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Tuesday || 8:52pm || join to watch/drive night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Wednesday|| 8:51pm || join to watch/drive night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Thursday || 8:51pm || join to watch night operations with RA on Night Duty || || Friday || || || || Saturday || || || || Sunday || || || [[br]] ...schedule continues with Ops RA and Night RA into Weeks 8 and 9. Consider independent OPS at this time. [[br]] Around Week 8, begin creating troubleshooting scenarios during long weekday OPS or bad weather at night. [[br]] Non-confrontationally create a problem, allow new RA to see it, work through troubleshooting it together. [[br]] [#scenarios Ideas for these scenarios are here.] In Week 9 (after 2 months of experience), evaluate whether it is time to begin solo observing nights: * are outstanding misunderstandings manageable for solo operations, or is additional supervised training required before going solo? * are day/night staff called for assistance in situations where that is necessary? * seek input from other RAs and TOs on training progress so far * develop support plans and make resources available to improve knowledge/understanding * plan for which RA is "on call" to support if questions arise during the night [#appraisals 90-day probationary appraisal: 07-July 2024] In Weeks 10-12, introduce to our software environment and development principles * project work should include some analysis and light coding * be familiar with our [wiki:NightOperations/Policies/software Software Policy] * Practice SVN and GIT and familiarize with basic version control principles In Month 4, explore science data products on TACC and understand data quality. [#appraisals 135-day probationary appraisal: 21 August 2024] [#appraisals 180-day probationary appraisal: 5 October 2024] [[br]] [[br]] [[br]] [[br]] === Milestones to reach for each probationary appraisal === #appraisals * 45 day (23 May 2024): * Broad familiarity with major telescope hardware (not expert-level knowledge yet) * Developing picture of PFIP, probe metrology, and telescope light path * General understanding of science instruments, capabilities, data quality * Conceptual grasp of PI science requirements and queue operations * Experience so far mainly watching operations; possibly leading OPS checks with supervision * todo: seek input from New RA about topics he/she wants to learn more about, organize resources to provide that training * todo: seek input from night staff about strengths and weaknesses to improve * todo: seek input (as needed) from day staff about progress so far * 90 day (7 July 2024): * Improved experience troubleshooting issues, experience with [#scenarios practice scenarios] during daytime or bad weather * Routinely leading RA OPS, improving understanding of the telescope, identifying issues, asking for help whenever needed * Starting to lead night operations as solo RA * Be comfortable submitting PRs in Bugzilla/NR * Initial work on at least one telescope improvement project * 135 day (21 August 2024): * Successfully and confidently leading RA OPS, addressing issues appropriately * Successfully leading night operations without supervision, asking for help whenever needed * Knowledge of telescope and operations continuing to improve * Making progress on at least one telescope improvement project * General familiarity with our software development practices/environment * Some experience with our science data products on TACC * 180 day (5 October 2024): * Meets basic expectations of the RA position * todo: seek input from night and day staff about performance and progress [[br]] [[br]] === Practice scenarios where we can induce problems to learn troubleshooting #scenarios === * light path blocking issues * deploy FCU head or PV mirror or something, check light path together * tracker does not move with go_next * power off quincy? catch the error on go_next, notice no structure sound * probe fault * move fails, go_next error * other ideas??? let's get creative! we learn a lot when things break. [[br]] [[br]] [[br]] [[br]] Also consider: * shadow Day OPS staff member for a week or two * consider something like an on-site evaluation group to work together in the 6-month training process * lead night observations with supervision for 2+ runs before doing first solo nights (establish benchmarks to meet before solo)