[Ifeffit] writing beam time proposals

[Matt Newville]

In my opinion, it is better for the student or post-doc to write the
beamtime proposal and be listed as PI, with the advisor listed
somewhere on the proposal  Many proposal foms have a checkbox for 'is
this work part of a thesis', and that is definitely monitored (at
least at the APS, but I'd imagine it to be true at other facilities),
even if it is not formalized.  There is usually an eagerness for
bringing new students (and new post-docs and new faculty members) to
the syncrotrons.

Also, in my experience reading beamtime proposals now and then,
students and post-docs do a better job at writing them <wink>.  Even f
the professor is listed first (and many groups do this!),  I would
suggest that the student/post-doc actually write the proposal and have
the advisor look it over before submitting.

Other advice for writing proposals:
  - communicate with the beamline scientist to make sure the work is
feasible and appropriate.
  - write it to convince someone in a *different field* why the
experiment is important.
  - include references to previous work to show that you know the field.

--Matt