In the first charge, the FESAC is asked to form "a high level panel that would use the results of the Summer Study (http://web.gat.com/snowmass) to recommend a strategy for burning plasma experiments." The FESAC had previously (FPN01-84) advised the DOE to "establish a proactive US plan on burning plasma experiments..." and recommended that the US fusion community hold a "Snowmass" workshop in the summer of 2002 to review options. These options include the possibility of rejoining the international ITER project (FPN02-04) or to embark on some less ambitious step such as FIRE or Ignitor (FPN02-01). FESAC appointed Prof. Stewart Prager (University of Wisconsin) to chair the panel, which is to complete its report "as quickly as possibly after the Summer Study in July."

In the second charge, the FESAC is asked "to assist the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) in preparing a roadmap for a joint initiative with the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (OASCR)." The charge states that "the goal of this initiative should be to develop an improved capacity for Integrated Simulation and Optimization of Fusion Systems." Dr. Jill Dahlburg (General Atomics) was asked to chair the panel, which is to make a final report by December 1, 2002. However the panel is also charged to conduct a workshop and provide a summary document "with overall program goals and objectives, major program deliverables, and a brief description of the OFES and OASCR funded elements of the program by July 15, 2002, so that OFES would be able to include a description of the program in the FY 2004 OMB budget request."

In the third charge, the FESAC is asked "to consider whether the Fusion Energy Sciences program should broaden its scope and activities to include non-electric applications of intermediate-term fusion devices," such as hydrogen production and transmutation. Dr. Kathryn McCarthy (INEEL) was asked to chair the panel, which is to report by January 2003.

The next meeting of the FESAC, which is chaired by Prof. Richard Hazeltine (U. Texas), is scheduled for September 11-12 in Gaithersburg, MD.