Research Progress Meeting

Welcome to the RPM World!

RPM Committee Members can solicit the Physics Division for suggestions for speakers.

1. Notify staff [Eric Essman, x7944, or his substitute] of the information needed: the speaker's name, institution, tentative title, date of talk, and email address. Please also notify staff of expenses to be paid, what type of visa the speaker is traveling on, and if the speaker's expenses are being split with other institutions or research groups within LBNL. Sometimes it is necessary for you to send staff a copy of (some) messages between you and the speaker.
2. The staff will request from the speaker, via email, the title and abstract of the RPM. The title and abstract are needed two weeks prior to the RPM so announcements are sent out on time.
3. When staff is notified:
• The RPM is posted on the web.
• A formal invitation letter is sent to the guest.
• Accommodation reservations (if necessary) are made.
• Notice is sent to Currents to appear in the edition before the talk.

1. For speakers who are not citizens, sufficient time has to be allowed forthem to get a B1 or J1 visa if LBNL is to reimburse any expenses. Always ascertain if the speaker already has a visa or not so that staff informs them of visa requirements. This is very important, as it is the line between the speaker being reimbursed or not.
2. Note that the RPM fund does not reimburse international airfare or airfare on a non-U.S. carrier (Fly America Act).

1. Speakers are required to pay their expenses, keep receipts & submit to staff.
2. We usually try to cover airfare up to $500, two days accommodation, two days per diem, and ground transportation (should be reasonable). We try not to have the speaker rent a car unless he or she must.
3. If the speaker has been invited to give a seminar at SLAC or any other institution, then the expenses will be split.
4. A reimbursement check is mailed to the speaker within three to four weeks.

It is recommended that accommodation reservations be made at the Hotel Durant or the Hotel Shattuck Plaza. The speaker is directed to staff for administrative/travel arrangement assistance. The speaker will need a major credit card name, number, and expiration date to guarantee the reservation.

Parking is arranged for the speakers who will drive into LBNL. The request must be made by 3:00 p.m. the day before the day of the seminar. Staff should request a reserved space for the speaker outside the front of building 50. Staff should call the gate if a speaker decides to drive to the lab at the last minute.

The day before there is an RPM, staff sends out an e-mail message reminder to pd-rpm (a mailing list of RPM attendees).

In the invitation letter, the speaker is requested to first visit the staff office [Bldg 50, Rm-6060] so that he or she can sign the travel voucher and leave any receipts he or she has. (Speaker should be directed to staff office if he/she comes to an RPM committee member first.)

The collection of RPM funds for tea and cookies is done twice a year, once in July and the other in December. Staff sends an email requesting that a check or cash ($10) is brought to the RPM and it is collected before the RPM. Faculty members and Postdocs pay $10.

It is your responsibility to see that the speaker is taken out to dinner. You may request others to join you at dinner. You may want to include a message in the RPM reminder.

The Physics Division refunds $20 for each dinner and sometimes reimbursement takes a while. Always keep the receipt, as you will need it to ask for reimbursement from Cathy Thompson (x5421).