From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Feb 25 21:58:31 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2014 21:58:31 +1100 Subject: [ASA] ASA membership fee discount Message-ID: <71A018CF-C3B1-45F3-8B8B-228A79AFEB63@sydney.edu.au> A reminder to ASA members who have not yet paid their membership fees for 2014: You will get a discount on your membership if you pay before end the February - Friday 28 February - this week! The preferred method of payment is direct deposit. For details, see your Subscription Invoice, sent towards the end of January, or go to the ASA Membership page (http://asa.astronomy.org.au/membership.html). When making your payment, please also consider making a donation to the ASA's tax-deductible Foundation, the FAA (http://asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA/). The FAA funds all the prizes the ASA awards and some other student activities, all of which have increased significantly in recent years. Please consider if you can help the ASA sustain and expand these activities. John ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Head (Teaching & Learning), School of Physics Associate Dean (Standards), Faculty of Science Secretary, Astronomical Society of Australia Inc. Sydney Institute for Astronomy School of Physics | Faculty of Science THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Rm 205, Physics Building A28 | alternate: Rm 222, 44-70 Rosehill St Redfern H90 (see map) Postal address: School of Physics | The University of Sydney | NSW | Australia | 2006 T +61 2 9351 3184 | F +61 2 9351 7726 E john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au | W http://sydney.edu.au/science/physics/~obyrne CRICOS 00026A This email plus any attachments to it are confidential. Any unauthorised use is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please delete it and any attachments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email uses 100% recycled words and ideas. Do you really need to print it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From amanda.bauer at aao.gov.au Wed Feb 26 16:41:38 2014 From: amanda.bauer at aao.gov.au (Amanda Bauer) Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 16:41:38 +1100 Subject: [ASA] The AAO Observer - February 2014 Message-ID: <530D7E92.5000504@aao.gov.au> Hello, The biannual newsletter of the Australian Astronomical Observatory, the AAO Observer, is now available. The February 2014 issue describes two new instruments successfully commissioned on the 4-metre Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT), an exoplanet in a polar orbit, 100 observing nights dedicated to OzDES spectroscopic follow up of the Dark Energy Survey, and much more, all since the bush fires swept through Siding Spring Observatory just over a year ago! The new AAT instruments are HERMES, a high-resolution multi-element spectrograph, and KOALA, a 1000 element integral field unit spectrograph. The link to the pdf version of the AAO Observer is here: _http://www.aao.gov.au/library/news.html_ Science Highlights - OzDES and the Dark Energy Survey - HERMES Commissioning - as it happened - CYCLOPS2 Catches an Exoplanet in a Polar Orbit - KOALA: a new 1000 element integral field unit for the AAT - Resolving the role of environment in galaxy evolution with SPIRAL Observatory News - A New Chapter for the Australian Gemini Astronomy Contest - StarFest in the Warrumbungles - AusGO Corner - Seventy-Five Years of Schmidtery - News from North Ryde - Letter from Coona Thank you for your support, Amanda -- Dr Amanda Bauer Astronomer and Outreach Officer Australian Astronomical Observatory PO Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia phone: +61 2 9372 4852 @astropixie web: http://www.aao.gov.au/local/www/abauer/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au Wed Feb 26 21:12:39 2014 From: andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au (Andrew Hopkins) Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:12:39 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: Science and Technology Australia's February newsletter In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <530DBE17.2080804@aao.gov.au> Hi all, Note updates on Science meets Parliament in this STA newsletter, plus advertising for the SKA-themed topical science forum on 25 March in Canberra, featuring our own Brian Schmidt, Brian Boyle and Lisa Harvey-Smith. Andrew -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Science and Technology Australia's February newsletter Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 18:22:39 +1100 From: Catriona Jackson To: undisclosed-recipients:; Presidents, please forward this to your members. Not displaying correctly? View the web version CONNECT: MEMBER PROFILE *Name and title: *Professor Emma L Johnston, Australian Research Fellow, University of New South Wales *Discipline: *Marine Ecology and Ecotoxicology *What lured you to science and/or technology in the first place?* The logic underpinning the process of scientific research lured me in. That and the depth of thought that was encouraged. *What keeps you there?* Scientific careers are rewarding because they are constantly changing and most scientific questions cannot be answered by one person, so it's a very social activity involving lots of collaboration. *Have you a favourite career moment?* I have lots of wonderful career moments that come in three basic forms: 1) whenever I have a brand new idea, 2) whenever I see my research being used to better manage marine environments, and 3) whenever I get underwater! *What would you tell a 10-year-old about a career in science and technology?* You'll never be bored by a job in science because there is always a new question to answer. NEWS & EVENTS Scientists concerned about ARC funding cuts READ MORE Building a smart, productive future READ MORE Congratulations to Ministers Macfarlane and Pyne READ MORE *All systems go for SmP 2014 * It is less than 3 weeks to go before Science meets Parliament (SmP) 2014, and all hands are on deck at STA finalising what is shaping up to be a terrific event. It is at this time of year that I am again reminded of the breath and depth of the goodwill towards STA and specifically SmP. So many individuals and organisations support this event in so many ways, it is truly a team effort. We have been working hard to get you the most up to date information, via email, Twitter and Facebook. The evolving speakers list is on the web with highlights including: health-care hero, Professor Christine Bennett AO, Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane, Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten, Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Ian Chubb AC, and Australian Research Council CEO Professor Aidan Byrne. There are just a few things we need from you. If you have been selected by your society or STA member organisation as one of this year's delegates but haven't yet registered, you must do so before COB this Friday (28 February). If you have lost the registration link or need to make contact go to Shannon.Wong at sta.org.au . If you would like to bring a partner to the gala dinner or know a friend or colleague who would like to be there, we have, for the first time, made a small number of tickets available for sale . Again, be quick, places are filling fast. We will be in touch with delegates closer to 17 March, with logistical details and more. For those who won't be at SmP this year we will be loading many of the sessions onto the STA YouTube channel in the weeks following the event. *Seeing back to the big bang -- public forum open for sign up * The first of STAs topical science forums for 2014 is confirmed for 25 March at the National Library in Canberra, with a stellar line up of speakers. Nobel Laureate Professor Brian Schmidt, Dr Brian Boyle and Dr Lisa Harvey-Smith, and forum host ABC 666 presenter Genevieve Jacobs, will tackle one of the most exciting science and technology projects of this century, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope. Based in remote Western Australia and South Africa it will be the largest and most powerful radio-telescope ever built when complete, and has almost unimaginable potential. The SKA aims to answer the biggest of big questions, including: What and where are the conditions for life on other planets? How were the first black holes and stars formed? Was Einstein right about gravity and the other laws of physics? Follow this link to register: http://skatelescope.eventbrite.com.au More forums on a variety of big issues will take place across the nation this year, with news on dates and topics as they are confirmed. *Member Services Workshop online now* For those who couldn't attend, or who would like to refresh their memories, all sessions from the Member Services Workshop we ran last year are now online. Posting key events on YouTube is a new initiative for STA, and one we hope you will enjoy. It is part of the roll out of better communications aimed at serving you better and spreading the word about Australian science and technology. You have received this email from Science & Technology Australia. ? 2013 - Science and Technology Australia -- A.Prof. Andrew Hopkins, Head of AAT Science Australian Astronomical Observatory P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia ph: +61 2 9372 4849 fax: +61 2 9372 4880 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au Wed Feb 26 21:54:37 2014 From: andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au (Andrew Hopkins) Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2014 21:54:37 +1100 Subject: [ASA] =?iso-8859-1?q?Fwd=3A_Fresh_Science/FameLab_seeks_passionat?= =?iso-8859-1?q?e_young_researchers=3B_stem_cell_prizes=3B_L=27Or=E9al?= In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <530DC7ED.8000909@aao.gov.au> From: Niall Byrne > Reply-To: "niall at scienceinpublic.com.au " > Date: Wednesday, 26 February 2014 9:57 AM To: Kate Brooks > Subject: Fresh Science/FameLab seeks passionate young researchers; stem cell prizes; L'Or?al Please encourage your best early career researchers to nominate for Fresh Science/FameLab. We'll train them, profile them, put them in front of the media and highlight them to local MPs. We have places for 60 scientists in our state finals in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney and we're taking nominations until Monday. The best from each state will receive more intense training and the overall winner will fly to the global final in the UK. It's a free program thanks to our partners. We're looking for passionate young researchers with a peer-reviewed discovery/invention who are willing to talk about it. The nomination process is easy. I've provided more details below together with information on other science prizes including two $50,000 stem cell prizes and the L'Or?al Fellowships opening on Monday. In this bulletin: * WANTED passionate young researchers: FameLab deadline extended <#Fame> * Two $50,000 prizes for up-and-coming leaders in stem cell research <#stemcells> * Opening soon: L'Or?al fellowships and PMs Science Prizes <#Loreal> Kind regards, Niall Byrne Science in Public FameWANTED passionate young researchers: FameLab deadline extended *Nominations for FameLab Australia have been extended until midday, Monday 3 March 2014. Apply online at www.famelab.org.au * We're looking for early career researchers with a peer-reviewed discovery and willing to talk about it. FameLab Australia builds on Fresh Science. We train, profile and present the Freshies to the media and the public. With FameLab we add performance and a global program. Get your science on stage and get your 3 minutes of fame. Nominate online, send us a 3 minute video and you could find yourself presenting your science on stage to a public audience and a panel of judges with a chance to win a trip to the UK. Videos from smartphone are fine. We're looking for passion not AV expertise. State heats in March and April. If selected, you will get a day of media training and then be star of the show in an evening public event. The National Final is in Perth in May. The top 10 from across Australia will jet to Perth for more intense communication training including a day and a half with the Cheltenham Science Festival crew. Then it's back on stage to compete for one spot at the International Grand Final, representing Australia at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK in early June. * *Deadline extended to midday Monday 3 March 2014. * * *Apply online: www.famelab.org.au * FameLab is an international communication competition for scientists, including engineers and mathematicians. Designed to inspire and motivate young researchers to actively engage with the public and with potential stakeholders, FameLab is all about finding the best new voices of science and engineering across the world. Founded in 2005 by The Times Cheltenham Science Festival, FameLab, working in partnership with the British Council, has already seen more than 5,000 young scientists and engineers participate in over 23 different countries - from Hong Kong to South Africa, USA to Egypt. Now, FameLab comes to Australia in a landmark collaboration with Fresh Science, Australia's very own communicating science competition. Fresh Science has been instrumental in helping early-career researchers share their stories of discovery for the past 16 years. In 2014, FameLab and Fresh Science will join forces, offering specialist science media training and, ultimately, the chance to pitch your research project at the FameLab International Grand Final in the UK at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival from 3 to 8 June 2014. Our national partners include Inspiring Australia, the West Australian Museum, the British High Commission, and New Scientist. More at www.famelab.org.au stemcellsTwo $50,000 prizes for up-and-coming leaders in stem cell research *Applications are now open for the inaugural Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research, from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia.* Two up-and-coming leaders in stem cell science will be awarded $50,000 each to boost their career to the next level, with the support of stem cell pioneer Professor Don Metcalf as a personal mentor. The Metcalf Prizes are open to mid-career researchers, 5 to 10 years past their PhD or MD, working in stem cell research in Australia. The winners will be chosen for their scientific excellence, proven leadership ability and the potential to have a continuing influence on stem cell research in Australia. The prizes are named in honour of pioneering Australian stem cell scientist Professor Don Metcalf, who first identified colony stimulating factors, the molecules that tell stem cells to multiply and mature to boost the immune system. Over a 50-year career, Don's work has helped transform cancer treatment and transplant medicine, and paved the way for stem cells to treat conditions from stroke to blood diseases. In addition to the prize money, the two recipients - one male and one female - will have the support of Professor Metcalf as a mentor. The Metcalf Prizes support the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia's mission to promote the study and use of stem cells in the prevention or control of disease in human beings and to enhance stem cell public education. How to apply * Applications are now open, and close Friday 28 March 2014 * To apply online, and for a full list of criteria and conditions, head to the Foundation's website LorealOpening soon: L'Or?al fellowships and PMs Science Prizes ** *L'Or?al For Women in Science Fellowships.* Three $25,000, one-year fellowships for early-career women scientists. Applications open Monday 3 March 2014. More information: www.scienceinpublic.com.au/loreal *Prime Minister's Prizes for Science.* Each year the Australian Government rewards and celebrates the nation's best scientists and science teachers through the Prime Minister's Prizes for Science. Nominations are opening soon. More information: www.industry.gov.au/scienceprizes scienceinpublicScience in Public - planning, mentoring, communicating *Communication audits, mentoring and training:* We can review your stakeholders, messages and tools and help you and your communication team refine your plans for 2014. We offer this service for individual announcements or for a whole program or institute *Media releases, launches, and campaigns:* We can help you develop an outreach program, from a simple media release through to a launch, a summit, a conference, or a film. *Publications and copy-writing:* From a tweet to a newsletter; from a brochure to a /Nature/ supplement, we can write compelling and accurate science-driven copy which captures the essence of your story and purpose. ________ Niall Byrne Creative Director Science in Public 82 Hudsons Road, Spotswood VIC 3015 PO Box 2076 Spotswood VIC 3015 03 9398 1416, 0417 131 977 niall at scienceinpublic.com.au twitter.com/scienceinpublic Full contact details at www.scienceinpublic.com.au Join Our Mailing List Forward email This email was sent to kate.brooks at csiro.au by niall at scienceinpublic.com.au | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe ^(TM) | Privacy Policy . Science in Public| PO Box 2076| Spotswood| Victoria| 3015| Australia -- A.Prof. Andrew Hopkins, Head of AAT Science Australian Astronomical Observatory P.O. Box 915, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia ph: +61 2 9372 4849 fax: +61 2 9372 4880 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From smaddison at swin.edu.au Thu Feb 27 16:14:19 2014 From: smaddison at swin.edu.au (Sarah Maddison) Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:14:19 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Australia Astronmy Decadal Plan - Demographics Surveys In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear colleagues, A reminder that the deadline for the 'Australian Astronomy Census 2014 - Individual', as part of the NCA"s decadal planning process, is looming! We've extended the deadline for an extra week. Please complete the individual survey by *8 March 2014*. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AustraliaAstronomyCensus-INDIV If you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards, Sarah Maddison on behalf of the NCA WG3.1 On Sun, Feb 9, 2014 at 11:38 PM, Sarah Maddison wrote: > Dear colleagues, > > As you are likely aware, the Australian astronomical community carries out > a formal strategic planning process on a 10-year time scale run by the > National Committee for Astronomy (NCA). The Decadal Plan provides the > opportunity for Australian astronomy to conduct a stocktake of its > capabilities, assess its impact both nationally and internationally, > provide a vision for the future and to set priorities and develop > strategies on how that vision might be implemented. The resultant Decadal > Plan can then be used as a highly influential document to present our > vision to key stakeholders, such as the Commonwealth Government and > industrial and research partners. > > The planning process for the 2016-2025 Decadal Plan has now begun. The > NCA's Demographics Working Group (WG3.1) is charged with collecting and > collating the information necessary to quantise and assess the total > astronomy effort within Australia. As per the previous Decadal Plan, this > involves conducting a census of Australian astronomers and astronomy > institutions. The WG3.1 has designed two surveys: one for individuals > working in Australian astronomy and one for Australian institutions which > will be forwarded directly to heads of departments. The aim of these > surveys is to understand the current state of the Australian > Astronomy workforce, including its diversity, and to assess its scientific > impact. An important aspect of the Decadal Plan is comparison > with results of demographics surveys from past Decadal Plans, allowing our > community to assess its strengths and more effectively plan for the future. > > On behalf of WG31 and the NCA, I invite you to take part in the first > survey, entitled 'Australian Astronomy Census 2014 - Individual'. This > survey has five sections: (1) institutional affiliation, (2) personal > information, (3) education history, (4) role and time, which includes > information on the type of work you do and your area astronomy, and (5) > your employment/educational history specific to postgraduate student, > fixed-term and ongoing staff. > > We ask that you answer the questions as of 31 January 2014 (so if you are > moving institutes or graduating in February, your answers should relate to > your status on 31/1/2014). Graduate students on scholarships may wish to > consider themselves employed as PhD/MSc students (by their university or > the government), with their work potentially split between research and > tutoring etc. > > The WG3.1 asks that individuals working in Australian astronomy kindly *complete > their surveys by 1 March 2014. *The survey can be accessed here: > > https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/AustraliaAstronomyCensus-INDIV > > If you have any questions regarding the survey, or any concerns about your > privacy or the nature of the questions, please do not hesitate to contact > me. > > Kind regards, > Sarah Maddison > on behalf of the NCA WG3.1 > -- > Prof Sarah Maddison > Professor of Astrophysics > Deputy Director, Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing > Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy > > Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing > Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology > Swinburne University of Technology > H30, PO BOX 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AUSTRALIA > t: +61-3-9214 5971 f: +61-3-9214 8797 > w: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/maddison/ > CRICOS Provider 00111D > > -- Prof Sarah Maddison Professor of Astrophysics Deputy Director, Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Chair, Department of Physics & Astronomy Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology Swinburne University of Technology H30, PO BOX 218, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, AUSTRALIA t: +61-3-9214 5971 f: +61-3-9214 8797 w: http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/maddison/ CRICOS Provider 00111D -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From yeshe.fenner at astronomyaustralia.org.au Thu Feb 27 16:53:32 2014 From: yeshe.fenner at astronomyaustralia.org.au (Yeshe Fenner) Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:53:32 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Giant Magellan Telescope colloquia Message-ID: <000001cf3380$3f6f6850$be4e38f0$@astronomyaustralia.org.au> Dear ASA members, The Director of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) Organisation, Dr Patrick McCarthy, will be touring Australia in March to speak about the science goals and current status of the GMT project, in which Australia is a partner. He will also be joining Prof Matthew Colless for a public event in Canberra on Tuesday 4th March. The abstract and schedule for the talks are below. Kind regards, Yeshe Fenner Dr Yeshe Fenner Executive Officer Astronomy Australia Ltd T: 03 9214 5520 M: 0430 708 995 ******************************************* Title: The Giant Magellan Telescope Project Speaker: Dr. Patrick McCarthy is Director of the Giant Magellan Telescope Project. He received his Ph. D. in Astronomy from U. C. Berkeley in 1988. He went to the Carnegie Observatories first as a Carnegie Fellow and then as a Hubble Fellow in 1991. In 1993 he joined the scientific staff at Carnegie. His research is focused on understanding the evolution of massive galaxies at intermediate and high redshifts. As GMT Project Director he is responsible for the overall scientific mission of the project. Abstract: The Giant Magellan Telescope project is an international collaboration to design, build and operate a 25m telescope for research in exoplanet science, general astrophysics and cosmology. The consortium is composed of the ANU, Astronomy Australia Limited, the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute and several US universities and research institutes. The GMT primary mirror is comprised of seven 8.4m diameter segments, providing both a collecting area and diffraction-limited image concentration that are an order of magnitude better than those offered by current facilities. The telescope will be located at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile and will access the same region of the sky as SkyMapper, LSST, MWA/SKA, ALMA and a number of other surveys and front-line facilities. I will review the scientific goals of the project and the current technical status. The project has recently passed a series of rigorous design and cost reviews and is preparing to start the construction phase. The GMT will have the widest field of view of any of the proposed ELTs. Adaptive optics is integral to the telescope via a segmented adaptive secondary mirror. These attributes will position GMT to advance astrophysics on a broad front, addressing key problems in the study of potentially habitable planets, galaxy and structure formation, chemical evolution in the Milky Way, as well as cosmology and fundamental physics. Colloquia schedule: ? Monday 3rd March 2014, 10AM-11AM, Swinburne University, Virtual Reality Theatre (coffee and nibbles at Haddon?s Caf? from 9:30AM-10AM) ? Tuesday 4th March 2014, 1:30PM?2:30PM, Mt Stromlo Observatory, Canberra ? Public Event: ?The Giant Magellan Telescope: Solving Big Engineering Challenges to do Big Science ?, Dr McCarthy in conversation with Prof Matthew Colless. Tuesday 4th March 2014, 6PM-7PM, ANU Law Link Theatre, Canberra. ? Friday 7th March 2014, 2PM-4PM, ICRAR/UWA, Perth ? Monday 10th March 2014, 1:30PM-3:30PM, Australian Astronomical Observatory, North Ryde, Sydney -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Fri Feb 28 00:24:09 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 00:24:09 +1100 Subject: [ASA] WIA Chapter of the ASA: Nominations for SC close today. Message-ID: Dear ASA Members, The Women in Astronomy Chapter of the ASA is inviting WIA Chapter Members to nominate for three full representatives and one student representative to the Chapter Steering Committee. ***A friendly reminder that the nomination period ends tomorrow. If you are considering nominating for the SC, please send us an email to WIA-elections at mso.anu.edu.au****** We encourage both women and men to consider nominating for one of these positions. If you are not a Chapter member yet, please consider registering for the Chapter and contributing to its worthy goals. Please find information below. Women in Astronomy Chapter of the ASA - Steering Committee Elections. The Women in Astronomy Chapter of the ASA aims to promote and assist the career development of women in the Australian astronomy community. The primary goal of the Chapter is to monitor the status of women working in astronomy, recommend actions that will improve their working environment, and collect relevant statistics. The WIA Chapter has been active for over three years. Over that period it has organised activities that have been beneficial to both men and women working in astronomy, including: - Organised three highly successful national workshops for Women in Astronomy - Conducted special sessions at the ASA Annual Science Meetings - Organised ?Meet-a-Mentor? sessions at the ASA Annual Science Meetings - Collated statistics on women in astronomy, and - Lobbied for best practice for organisations in STEM The WIA Chapter is run by a Steering Committee who play a leading role in devising and implementing initiatives to fulfil the Chapter?s goals. The Committee consists of a Chair, six Steering Committee members, a student representative and an ASA Council representative. Terms are held for two years (full representatives) and one year (student representative) . We are now inviting nominations for three full representatives and one student representative. These positions are open to all Chapter members and we encourage both women and men to consider nominating for one of these positions. Existing Steering Committee members can renominate if they wish. The election schedule is as follows: - call for nominations: 10 - 28 February - election period: 3 - 14 March - results announced: 19 March - new positions commence: 24 March Please email your nomination to WIA-elections at mso.anu.edu.au, Returning Officer, C?line d?Orgeville. Each nomination must include a brief paragraph summarising your interest in the position and how you envisage to contribute to the broad goals of the Chapter. Please note that this information will be made available to voters. Kind regards Raquel Salmeron - WIA Chapter Secretary C?line d?Orgeville - Returning Officer On behalf of the Steering Committee: Lisa Harvey Smith (Chair), Bryan Gaensler, Sarah Brough, Stuart Ryder, Virginia Kilborn, Tanya Hill, Andrew Hopkins, Louise Howes (Student representative), Raquel Salmeron (Secretary). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thill at museum.vic.gov.au Fri Feb 28 10:59:32 2014 From: thill at museum.vic.gov.au (Hill, Tanya) Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 10:59:32 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Charlene Heisler & Louise Webster prizes - extended deadline for nominations Message-ID: <7A64CF74085EDA4E93CEF1089F043E451806AB39F5@RAKALI.mv.vic.gov.au> Nominations are now open for both the Charlene Heisler Prize (for PhD students) and the Louise Webster prize (for early career researchers). The closing date for each prize has been extended to Tuesday 18th March. Charlene Heisler Prize - Closing Date: Tuesday 18th March For most outstanding PhD thesis in astronomy or a closely related field. The PhD thesis must have been accepted (but not necessarily conferred) by an Australian university during 2013. Nomination guidelines: http://asa.astronomy.org.au/chp.html Louise Webster Prize - Closing Date: Tuesday 18th March For outstanding research by a scientist early in their post-doctoral career, based on the scientific impact of a single research paper (within astronomy or a closely related field), which has the applicant as first author. The applicant is required to have been an ASA member for the last 2 years. Nomination guidelines: http://asa.astronomy.org.au/lwp.html regards, Tanya Dr Tanya Hill ASA Prizes and Awards Coordinator Planetarium Manager | Senior Curator, Astronomy Melbourne Planetarium, Scienceworks MUSEUM VICTORIA | GPO Box 666, Melbourne 3001 t: 03 9392 4503 (except Mondays) | e: thill at museum.vic.gov.au | w: museumvictoria.com.au/planetarium Museums Board of Victoria ABN 63 640 679 155 is endorsed as a Deductible Gift Recipient. All gifts of $2 or more are tax deductible. [http://museumvictoria.com.au/images/email-ta.jpg] Melbourne Museum, winner of the Victorian Tourism Awards for Best Major Tourist Attraction in 2010,2011,2012 and Australian winner in 2011. museumvictoria.com.au This e-mail is solely for the named addressee and may be confidential. You should only read, disclose, transmit, copy, distribute, act in reliance on or commercialise the contents if you are authorised to do so. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, please notify postmaster at museum.vic.gov.au by email immediately, or notify the sender and then destroy any copy of this message. Views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender, except where specifically stated to be those of an officer of Museum Victoria. Museum Victoria does not represent, warrant or guarantee that the integrity of this communication has been maintained nor that it is free from errors, virus or interference. Please consider the environment before printing this email. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Fri Feb 28 22:56:44 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 22:56:44 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Melbourne WG3.2 TH announcement Message-ID: <20711195-DA19-46CD-9DF5-9760D84221B6@sydney.edu.au> A reminder that the second Town Hall meeting of Working Group 3.2 will be held at the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, Swinburne University of Technology from 2-4pm on Thursday 6th of March. Working Group 3.2 is concerned with Education, Outreach and Careers - key aspects of our science that engage a wide range of participants, well beyond the professional astronomy community. We are seeking your input to understand how best to promote astronomical education in schools, in the public, and in training new generations of professional astronomers. All are welcome to participate in this meeting. In order to determine the appropriate facilities, if you plan to attend the meeting can you please RSVP to Virginia Kilborn (vkilborn at swin.edu.au) stating whether you will be present in person or 'virtually' (on-line or by phone). More information on the venue, and "virtual attendance" facilities will follow. We will distribute more information prior to the meeting. For now, we summarise below the recommendations made in the ?2006 ? 2015 Decadal Plan for Australian Astronomy? and 2011' Mid-Term Review? and we would like your feedback on whether you have seen these goals achieved or not achieved. Professional astronomers need to work more closely with public facilities (like planetaria, observatories, museums and science discovery centre?s) and amateur groups to: Assist with the delivery of programs that target school students and teachers; Assist with the delivery of programs that target under-served groups, such as those living in outer metropolitan, regional and remote areas; Indigenous communities; people for whom English is a second language; and people who are disabled or have limited mobility; Raise awareness among young people of opportunities in science and research; and Promote science and astronomy to a wider audience. What should our new goals be? We look forward to your input. If you are unable to attend this meeting, please consider taking part in one of our Town Hall meetings: late March in Canberra, and 15th April in Perth. We would also welcome written feedback (submitted to amanda.bauer @ aao.gov.au), whether you attend a meeting or not. Virginia Kilborn Amanda Bauer John O'Byrne for WG3.2 -- Virginia Kilborn Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Swinburne University of Technology Ph (w) +61 (0)3 9214 4380 http://www.astronomy.swin.edu.au/~vkilborn/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Sat Mar 1 22:01:16 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Sat, 1 Mar 2014 22:01:16 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Casual job At UWS Penrith Observatory Message-ID: <8B3242C3-6EBC-43FE-9D89-F1BE0905448A@sydney.edu.au> POSITION DETAILS Position Title: Observatory Educator Level: HEW 5/1 School/Office: School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics PURPOSE/MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: A major responsibility of the Observatory Educator is to deliver high quality presentations, provide information and high quality client services to visitors. REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS: The Observatory Educator reports to the Observatory Manager. SCOPE: A major responsibility of the Observatory Educator is to provide effective and efficient client services to vistors. The Observatory runs public programs, outreach programs for primary and secondary school, teachers? workshops and specialised group programs. KEY FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES/DUTIES: 1. Conducts and assists with presentations. 2. Provides information and answer questions in relation to astronomy, general science and technology from school age children, amateur astronomy groups and the general public. 3. Demonstrate and assist visitors to the observatory in the use of telescopes and other observatory equipment and facilities. 4. Conduct tours of the observatory. 5. Collect, verify and balance cash received. 6. Ensure compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. SELECTION CRITERIA: ? Knowledge of astronomy and the ability to relate it in an educational context. ? Highly developed client service skills. ? Well developed communication skills and ability to relate basic astronomy concepts to people of all ages and from all aspects of the community ? Ability to conduct presentations. ? Practical experience with optical astronomical telescopes. ? Knowledge of the sky. ? Knowledge of NSW Board of Studies K-12 syllabuses ? Cash handling experience. ? Knowledge of legislation in relation of Work Health and Safety Applications to be considered for the eligibility list are invited from people with expertise and experience in giving presentations and who have highly developed communication skills. Applicants must have knowledge of astronomy and the ability to relate it to an educational context and should submit a detailed curriculum vitae. Applicants should note that inclusion on this list does not guarantee employment with UWS. Casual Salary Rate: Higher Education Worker Level 5, Step 1 $40.41 per hour. Position Enquiries: Rosyln McCourt (02) 4736 0135 or r.mccourt at uws.edu.au Closing Date: 17 March 2014 How to Apply: To apply: http://careers.uws.edu.au/Current-Vacancies If you have NOT registered with our Online Application System, you can begin your Application by clicking the 'Begin' button. If you are unsure if you have registered before, click here and follow the steps. FORGOTTEN YOUR LOGIN DETAILS? click here and follow the steps. If you want to preview the Application form prior to logging in,click here Dr. Miroslav D. Filipovic | Associate Professor School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics Computational Astrophysics, Imaging & Simulation (: 4620 3824 | F: 4620 3075 | M: 0411 547 892 | E: m.filipovic at uws.edu.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ausgo at aao.gov.au Sun Mar 2 23:48:57 2014 From: ausgo at aao.gov.au (Australian Gemini Office) Date: Sun, 02 Mar 2014 23:48:57 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Call for Gemini and Subaru Proposals in Semester 2014B Message-ID: <531328B9.6010907@aao.gov.au> Proposals for Australian access to the Gemini and Subaru telescopes for Semester 2014B (1 Aug 2014 - 31 Jan 2015) are due by *5:00pm AEST, Monday 31 March 2014*. A separate call for Magellan proposals in Semester 2014B (with a 7 April 2014 deadline) will be issued shortly. What's new for Semester 2014B? ------------------------------ * Astronomy Australia Ltd and AusGO have secured funding from the Australian government's NCRIS-2013 program to assist student Principal Investigators enrolled at an Australian institution who are awarded queue or classical time on Gemini by ATAC in Semesters 2014B and/or 2015A to travel to the telescope. Travel subsidies will be made available so that students can spend a week at whichever Gemini telescope their program is scheduled on, during which time they will work alongside the queue observer to learn how the queue process and various instruments work, and may get to execute sequences from their own program. Student PIs who would be interested in taking up this opportunity should indicate this in the Technical Description section of their proposal, and successful PIs will be contacted after the Gemini allocations are announced with details on how to arrange a visit and claim the subsidy. Independently of this scheme, the Gemini Observatory is also offering travel grants for students when accompanying their supervisor to a Gemini telescope. * The Gemini Planet Imager is offered for community use in shared-risks mode in Semester 2014B. With commissioning and early science ongoing throughout Semester 2014A, potential applicants should check the GPI current status and performance update . * The CCDs in GMOS-South are scheduled to be replaced with new Hamamatsu CCDs in May/June 2014, and commissioned in time for the start of 2014B. The GMOS-South Integration Time Calculator will shortly be updated to include both the old EEV and the new Hamamatsu CCD arrays. Applicants for 2014B should assume the use of the new Hamamatsu detectors in planning their proposals. * Following a recent analysis of the seeing percentiles at both sites, the seeing FWHM corresponding to IQ20 conditions has been relaxed slightly. This should reduce the number of IQ20 observations which have to be abandoned when the seeing softens over time, while still enabling PIs who need the very best image quality that Gemini can deliver to complete their programs. * Proposals for Large & long-term Programs to commence in 2014B are also being accepted from applicants who earlier submitted a Letter Of Intent. Different page lengths and additional requirements apply to Large and long-term applications, which should use the special LaTeX or Word templates. * The visitor instruments DSSI and TEXES are offered on Gemini North in July/August. * There will be a guaranteed minimum of 5 nights on the Subaru telescope available to the Gemini community, including shared risks use of the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) very wide field optical to far-red imager, and 4 visitor instruments (HiCIAO , Kyoto3DII , Raven , and SCExAO ) by arrangement with the instrument PI. How to apply ------------ Gemini applications must be submitted using the 2014B release of the Phase I Tool (PIT) software. Subaru applications are also submitted using the PIT. For full details on instrument availability and application procedures, please see: http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/cfp.html as well as the official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals: http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/observing-gemini/2014b-call-proposals Need help? ---------- For general enquiries about Australian usage of Gemini or Subaru, please contact the Australian Gemini Office (ausgo at aao.gov.au). For technical queries about a Gemini Phase I proposal, please use the Gemini Helpdesk: http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/helpdesk/ Stuart Ryder Australian Gemini Scientist ausgo at aao.gov.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: