From Paul.Francis at anu.edu.au Mon Apr 28 10:58:59 2014 From: Paul.Francis at anu.edu.au (Paul Francis) Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 00:58:59 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Call for proposals: SSO 2.3m Message-ID: <2ABBCFBE-862D-4213-9CA2-F12671BFE4FC@anu.edu.au> Dear Observer, The closing date for observing proposals for time on the ANU/RSAA 2.3m telescope at Siding Spring Observatory (SSO) in the quarter 1st AUGUST 2014 - 31st SEPTEMBER 2014 is 23:59 MAY 15, 2014. Instruments available: Nasymth A: WiFeS Nasymth B: Imager or echelle. Observing proposals must be submitted electronically via the RSAA web pages. Full instructions are available at http://rsaa.anu.edu.au/observers/observing-rsaa. You will need the most recent versions of the template and style files which can be obtained from the web pages. *************************** PLEASE NOTE *********************************** (1) WiFeS users are requested to indicate on the proposal form whether they will be present at the telescope or observe remotely. Remote observing is available only to experienced WiFeS observers but can now be carried out from sites other than Mt Stromlo subject to technical feasibility. It is possible that remote observing (from Mt Stromlo only) will also be available in this quarter for the echelle and the Imager, under limited circumstances. If you would like to observe remotely with the echelle or the Imager, assuming it is possible, then please indicate this in your proposal. (2) Proposals for use of the 2.3m will only be considered if the PI is from the ANU or from another institution that contributes financially or has contributed financially and directly to the building and/or operations of the 2.3m telescope and its commissioned instruments. These institutions include those that collaborated on the successful ARC LIEF bid to fund the Blue Arm of the WiFeS spectrograph and the successful ARC LIEF bid for the WiFeS upgrade. All such proposals will be judged on their scientific merit alone. There will be no quotas placed on the amount of time available for qualifying institutions. These policies will remain in place for the present. Currently eligible (non-ANU) institutions are the AAO, UQld, UNSW and USyd as well as Swinburne, Monash and Macquarie. (3) Macquarie, Swinburne and Monash proposals have a certain amount of guaranteed time. All proposals wishing to claim this should state explicitly in the abstract how much of this time they wish to claim. (4) Limited first night support at the telescope is provided to new observers. Nevertheless new observers are strongly encouraged to be present at the telescope at least one night before their observing run to familiarise themselves with the telescope and instrument operating systems. The latest information on using the telescope and its instruments can be found at http://rsaa.anu.edu.au/observers/obsering-rsaa. (5) Proposers are reminded to limit their scientific case to TWO pages, including figures and references. *************************************************************************** If you have technical problems in using the web-based submission process, please email tacinfo at mso.anu.edu.au. Paul Francis Chair, ANU TAC ============================= A/Prof. Paul Francis Astrophysicist Mt Stromlo Observatory, and the Physics Education Centre College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Building 38a, Tel 02 6125 2824 or 8031 The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200 Australia pfrancis at mso.anu.edu.au http://www.mso.anu.edu.au/~pfrancis/ CRICOS Provider #00120C From bryan.gaensler at sydney.edu.au Mon Apr 28 21:05:54 2014 From: bryan.gaensler at sydney.edu.au (Bryan Gaensler) Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2014 21:05:54 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Registration closes 15 May: Supernovae in the Local Universe References: <22D55B35-25F9-42C1-AA90-272F0E4E7FC6@sydney.edu.au> Message-ID: THIRD ANNOUNCEMENT: 2014 CAASTRO ANNUAL SCIENCE CONFERENCE SUPERNOVAE IN THE LOCAL UNIVERSE: CELEBRATING 10,000 DAYS OF SUPERNOVA 1987A Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia 11th-15th August 2014 *** Abstract deadline & early bird deadline 15 May 2014 *** Register at http://caastro.org/event/2014-supernova (Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement. Please circulate to interested colleagues.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RATIONALE: Supernovae are a core element of modern astrophysics, providing fundamental insights into stellar evolution, the interstellar medium, astroparticle physics, nucleosynthesis and cosmology. While astronomers now routinely detect enormous number of supernovae every year at increasingly large distances, wide-field surveys and all-sky monitoring are now providing an important new element to such studies: there are a growing number of new supernovae being discovered very close to home. Our modern understanding of supernovae in the local Universe began with Supernova 1987A, for which mid-2014 marks 10,000 days since its discovery. Since that singular event, many other supernovae have been found within tens of megaparsecs of Earth. These events have allowed detailed studies of individual sources and their environments, providing new physical insight on progenitor stars, explosion mechanisms and their aftermath. At this conference we will explore all the rich information that nearby supernovae now provide, and will discuss ways in which the new generation of wide-field surveys can further add to this harvest. Topics to be discussed will include: * Observations and modelling of individual nearby supernovae * Observations and constraints on supernova progenitors * Progenitor mass loss, pre-supernova activity and supernova "imposters" * Theories of core collapse, thermonuclear supernovae and explosion mechanisms * Supernova 1987A at 10,000 days * Historical supernovae, young supernova remnants and light echoes * Wide-field surveys, automated classification and new types of transients * Future instruments LIST OF INVITED SPEAKERS Joe Anderson Chile Carles Badenes USA Paul Crowther UK Thierry Foglizzo France Claes Fransson Sweden Haley Gomez UK Mansi Kasliwal USA Josefin Larsson Sweden Dick McCray USA Raffaella Margutti USA Selma de Mink USA Tara Murphy Australia Peter Nugent USA Ferdinando Patat Germany Robert Quimby Japan Armin Rest USA Ashley Ruiter Australia Fritz R?pke Germany Kate Scholberg USA Stephen Smartt UK Nathan Smith USA George Sonneborn USA Sung-Chul Yoon Korea This meeting is the second in the annual series of CAASTRO conferences in wide-field astronomy, and will be held in Coffs Harbour, 500 km north of Sydeny on the east coast of Australia. Coffs Harbour is a beautiful coastal town of 25,000 people, surrounded by national parks and unspoilt beaches. Coffs Harbour airport (CFS) is serviced by all major Australian airlines, with multiple direct flights per day from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. KEY DATES Abstract Deadline : 15 May 2014 Early Registration Deadline : 15 May 2014 Final Program : 15 Jun 2014 SCIENTIFIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE St?phane Blondin France Roger Chevalier USA Claes Fransson Sweden Bryan Gaensler Australia, chair Avishay Gal-Yam Israel Norbert Langer Germany Kate Maguire UK Maryam Modjaz USA Ken'ichi Nomoto Japan Alicia Soderberg USA Brian Schmidt Australia Stuart Sim UK LOCAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE Michael Childress ANU / CAASTRO Bryan Gaensler U. Sydney / CAASTRO Kate Gunn U. Sydney / CAASTRO Brad Tucker ANU Kylie Williams U. Sydney / CAASTRO Fang Yuan ANU / CAASTRO WWW site: http://caastro.org/event/2014-supernova For information on the conference, please email supernova at caastro.org. From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Apr 29 22:28:23 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 22:28:23 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Reminder: Decadal Plan - Call for Submissions from National and Institutional-scale Facilities Message-ID: <90B89E3F-A843-4E1E-86DF-40D6B7DC1AB7@sydney.edu.au> Dear colleagues, On 12 March 2014 the Decadal Plan Working Group 2.2. (for National and Institutional-scale Facilities) placed the following call for submissions with a deadline set for 30 April 2014. Thank you to everyone who has submitted reports already. The reports will be uploaded over the coming days to the Working Group website: https://sites.google.com/site/australiandecadalplanwg22/ The working group will continue to accept reports over the next few weeks. Please contact me directly to discuss this further. Kind regards, Kate Brooks Chair WG2.2 -------------------------------------- To Directors of National and Institutional-scale Astronomy Facilities I am writing to you in my capacity as Chair of the Decadal Plan Working Group 2.2. for National and Institutional-scale Facilities. On behalf of the Working Group members I invite you to submit a written report on your facility before 30 April 2014. Your submission will provide valuable input to the report that our Working Group must compile by August 2014. I also give you the opportunity to make a short (5 min) presentation at one or more of the upcoming Town Hall meetings. Working Group 2.2 Terms of Reference As established by the National Committee for Astronomy, the Working Group report must: 1. Report on progress against objectives of the previous Decadal Plan. 2. Provide a stock take of current or future proposed capabilities/resources in the area. 3. Identifies any new national or international opportunities/requirements in the area over the period 2016-25. 4. Suggests strategies and the resourcing levels required to maximise these new opportunities. We are using the same process for the 2005-2015 Decadal Plan process, whereby each facility submits a written report. The reports are collated and a summary report written by the Working Group. There were some 20+ reports received last time. Instructions for written submissions: Your written submission should be no more than 3 pages in length and provide information under the following sub-headings: I. Status Update II. Capabilities III. Funding Arrangements for next 10 years IV. Operational arrangements (including community access) V. High Profile Work done by the Facility (checked against Decadal Plan Key Science Goals) VI. Immediate Future of the Facility VII. Future Vision of Facility As part of the section "Status Update", you should make reference to the priorities noted in the 2005 submitted Facility reports (attached for your reference). The funding information should be brief and is in no way binding. The preferred format is the Estimated cost projections (broken down into Capital Expenditure and Operational Expenditure) for 1-3 years, 4-6 years and 7+ years with some indication about the status of the future funding (i.e. Not funded, funding applied for, not funded yet or contingent on other developments). We will leave it to you to determine how you want to flag the high profile work done by your facility over the past decade (e.g. Impact factor, media release, state-of-the art instrument development, official openings). The information provided at this time need only be a set of 3-4 bullet points. This may be expanded upon later to use for "pop-up" boxes in the final Decadal Plan publication. It would be useful to check the high-profile work you list against the Key Science Goals of the 2005-15 Decadal Plan. Please note that all submissions will be preserved electronically and released publicly. Note also that the information provided in the submissions will be used by the Working Group and the Editorial Board to prioritise the facilities in some way in order to arrive at a final set of key recommendations for future resourcing. Town Hall Presentations A series of four Town Hall meeting will be taking place over the next 3 weeks that are relevant for this discussion: Mar 25: Sydney Town Hall with WGs 2.2-3.4 (W2.2 Chair Michael Burton) (location: CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Contact: Sarah Pearce Mar 26: Melbourne Town Hall with WGs 2.2-3.4 (W2.2 Chair Kate Brooks) (location: Swinburne University VR Theatre, Contact: Karl Glazebrook) Mar 27: Canberra Town Hall with WGs 2.2-3.4 (W2.2 Chair Andrew Hopkins) (location: ANU, Contact: Martin Asplund) Apr 3: Perth Town Hall with WGs 2.2-3.4 (W2.2 Chair Steve Tingay) (location: UWA ICRAR, Contact: Lister Staveley-Smith) At each of these meetings there will be a short presentation from the Working Group on National and Institutional-scale Facilities (the slides will be distributed ahead of the meeting, early next week). In addition some time has been set aside for presentations from the facilities themselves. This is an excellent way for the facilities to share their future vision and flag any discussion points. We already have confirmed presentations from AAO, ATNF, ANU, MWA and Antarctica. If you would like to make a short (5 min) presentation at one or more of the Town Halls then please contact me as soon as possible. Please call me if you have any queries about the submission process. Further information about the Working Group 2.2 is available at: https://sites.google.com/site/australiandecadalplanwg22/ We will be adding more information on this site over the next few days so please check back to get our working list of the National and Institutional-Scale facilities. Kind regards, Kate Brooks -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au Wed Apr 30 07:25:37 2014 From: andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au (Andrew Hopkins) Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 07:25:37 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: How do your salary and conditions compare with the rest of the sector? In-Reply-To: <927BC761-8A88-47B2-B293-2CE690CDE742@sta.org.au> References: <927BC761-8A88-47B2-B293-2CE690CDE742@sta.org.au> Message-ID: <536018D1.2030401@aao.gov.au> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: How do your salary and conditions compare with the rest of the sector? Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 13:03:56 +1000 From: Catriona Jackson To: Catriona Jackson *2014 Professional Scientist Remuneration Survey* STA, in conjunction with Professionals Australia, is currently undertaking its 2014 Professional Scientist Remuneration Survey and invites you to participate by completing the online questionnaire.The survey has been conducted annually since 2005. Its purpose is to provide a snapshot of prevailing market salaries paid to professional scientists. It is important this type of information is current and readily available to scientists as they negotiate the terms and conditions of their individual employment contracts, or explore new employment opportunities. The survey is an important tool in establishing market rates paid to professional scientists and helps provide valuable information to those working as professional scientists and those contemplating a career in science. No identification is required to complete the survey questionnaire and all information supplied is held in the strictest confidence. A summary of results will be made available on the Professionals Australia and STA websites later in the year. The survey questionnaire is currently available for completion at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2014-PA-STA-Scientist-Survey. The survey will remain open until Friday 30 May 2014. All professional scientists working in Australia are encouraged to participate. *Catriona Jackson Chief Executive Officer Science & Technology Australia /Giving voice to Australian Science & Technology for over 27 years /*www.sta.org.au www.respectthescience.org.au catriona.jackson at sta.org.au T: 02 6257 2891 M: 0417142238 PO Box 259 Canberra City ACT 2601 -- 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 43 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kglazebrook at swin.edu.au Wed Apr 30 09:09:20 2014 From: kglazebrook at swin.edu.au (Karl Glazebrook) Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 23:09:20 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ISFWG submissions Message-ID: <968F0594-51B9-4E4E-9E8C-C4B51632C03E@swin.edu.au> Dear ASA members, A reminder that the International Scale Facilities WG has an open call for submissions due TODAY. These should be PDF documents of up to 5 pages expressing views on any topic of relevance to the ISFWG terms of reference, and emailed to myself. I'd urge those writing documents to review the position papers on our website. https://sites.google.com/site/australiandecadalplanwg21/ Thanks to all of you who have already submitted these, - Karl Chair ISFWG From Amanda.Karakas at anu.edu.au Wed Apr 30 09:50:45 2014 From: Amanda.Karakas at anu.edu.au (Amanda Karakas) Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2014 09:50:45 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Heidelberg Summer School 2013 In-Reply-To: <26066_1398801574_536004A6_26066_32_1_536000cd.Qnm83FjNIM7GOAyX%imprs-hd@mpia.de> References: <26066_1398801574_536004A6_26066_32_1_536000cd.Qnm83FjNIM7GOAyX%imprs-hd@mpia.de> Message-ID: <53603AD5.60509@anu.edu.au> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Heidelberg Summerschool 2013 Resent-From: Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 21:43:09 +0200 From: To: --- We apologize if you receive duplicates of this message ------ Dear colleague, we kindly ask you to forward the following announcement to anyone who might be interested. Thank you! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Final Announcement and Call for Applications ------------------------------------------------------------------ The "International Max Planck Research School for Astronomy & Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg" (IMPRS-HD) announces the -> 9th Heidelberg Summer School: -> Frontiers of Stellar Structure and Evolution -> September 22-26, 2014 IMPRS Heidelberg invites graduate students and postdocs to its 9th Heidelberg Summer School. The aim of the school is to (1) provide the participants with advanced knowledge of stellar structure and evolution and (2) to give an overview of selected research areas in which major progress has been made in the last years - due to considerable progress in theory, modelling techniques or available observational data. These areas include 3D-modelling of stellar interiors, asteroseismology, population synthesis and binary evolution, as well as modelling of nucleosynthesis processes. Invited lecturers are: -> Rob IZZARD (University of Bonn) -> Amanda KARAKAS (Australian National University) -> Hans KJELDSEN (Aarhus University) -> Maurizio SALARIS (Liverpool John Moores University) -> Maxime VIALLET (MPI for Astrophysics) The school SOC consists of Norbert Christlieb and Hans Ludwig (LSW). Deadline for application is July 15, 2014. Please find more information, our poster, and the application forms under www.mpia.de/imprs-hd/ www.mpia.de/imprs-hd/SummerSchools/2014/ IMPRS-HD is an independent part of the Heidelberg Graduate School for Fundamental Physics. With kind regards, Christian Fendt __________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ Coordinating Scientist International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Astronomy and Cosmic Physics at the University of Heidelberg Max Planck Institute for Astronomy Koenigstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany Tel: +49(0)6221-528-387 Email: imprs-hd at mpia.de Fax: +49(0)6221-528-339 Url: www.mpia.de/imprs-hd ------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Thu May 1 20:25:58 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 20:25:58 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Second Announcement: 2014 ASA Annual Scientific Meeting Message-ID: Second Announcement: 2014 Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting The early registration and abstract submission deadline for the 2014 Astronomical Society of Australia?s Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) is fast approaching. The ASM will be held from the 20th to 25th of July, hosted by the Macquarie Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics (MQAAAstro) http://physics.mq.edu.au/astronomy/ at Macquarie University in Sydney, NSW. The deadline for abstract submission for an oral presentation (and also the last chance for registration at the lower price) is ** 5pm AEDT Friday 9th May ** INVITED SPEAKERS CONFIRMED so far: The 2014 ASM will feature presentations from the following confirmed speakers: Sarah Martell, UNSW Valentina D'Orazi, MoCA, Monash J-P Macquart, ICRAR - Curtin Lee Spitler, MQ/AAO Joanne Dawson, MQ/CASS Rebecca Bernstein, GMTO, USA Anna Kapinska, ICRAR - UWA David Fisher, Swinburne HARLEY WOOD LECTURE This year the lecture entitled ?Relatively Brilliant? will be given by Prof. Fred Watson on the evening of Wednesday 23rd July. Fred has been Astronomer-in-Charge of the Australian Astronomical Observatory since 1995. He is a graduate of St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities, and today holds adjunct positions at several universities in Australia. Fred is best known for his radio and TV broadcasts, talks, and other outreach programs, which earned him the 2006 Australian Government Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science. He has also written a number of award-winning books. Fred was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010. He has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fredwatson), but says that if it hits the Earth, it won?t be his fault! HARLEY WOOD WINTER SCHOOL The Harley Wood Winter School will be held immediately prior to the ASM from July 17th to 20th in the lovely Collaroy beach suburb of northern Sydney so bring a wet-suit and surf-board. The theme for this year's Harley Wood Winter School is ?Bridging the Gaps: Integrating astronomy for the future?. For further information on both of these associated meetings, as well as links to the registration and abstract submission systems, visit the dual-meeting website at: http://www.asa2014.mq.edu.au/ Follow the link below to download the ASM and HWWS poster for circulation: http://www.asa2014.mq.edu.au/assets/ASA2014/ASA2014-Flyer.pdf KEY DATES ? MARK YOUR DIARY! ASA Annual Scientific Meeting - July 20th ? July 25th 2014: Early bird registration deadline - Friday 9th May 2014 Abstract submission deadline for oral presentation - Friday 9th May 2014 Poster abstract submission deadline - Friday 13th June 2014 Harley Wood Winter School - July 17th ? July 20th 2014 Quentin Parker, 1st May 2014, on behalf of the 2014 ASA ASM local organising committee Email contact: Quentin.parker at mq.edu.au, Amanda.manypeney at mq.edu.au ________________________________________________________________________ Prof. Quentin A Parker Joint MQ/AAO lecturer in Astronomy Director, MQ Research Centre in Astronomy, Astrophysics & Astrophotonics Director "Space to Grow" Member MQ teaching Excellence Academy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ASA-Second-Announcement.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 18413 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au Fri May 2 09:43:44 2014 From: andrew.hopkins at aao.gov.au (Andrew Hopkins) Date: Fri, 02 May 2014 09:43:44 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: comment on the national Commission of Audit In-Reply-To: <8FE04A79-8C29-477B-8D4E-37909378ED8D@sta.org.au> References: <8FE04A79-8C29-477B-8D4E-37909378ED8D@sta.org.au> Message-ID: <5362DC30.1090507@aao.gov.au> -------- Original Message -------- Subject: comment on the national Commission of Audit Date: Thu, 1 May 2014 19:22:11 +1000 From: Catriona Jackson To: Catriona Jackson Dear STA presidents and members, attached is STA?s response to the National Commission of Audit, realised today. Please distribute to members and to your own networks. Also here is a link to the release. http://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/focus-on/independence-of-science-and-research-critical/ * * Regards, -- 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NCOauditmay12014.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 382336 bytes Desc: not available URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Sun May 4 20:20:05 2014 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Sun, 4 May 2014 20:20:05 +1000 Subject: [ASA] CSIRO SKA Chief Scientist Message-ID: <72CBB7F9-4D13-4A87-BCE4-9FF955829EA5@sydney.edu.au> CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science (CASS) is advertising for the position of CSIRO SKA Chief Scientist. The successful appointee will be located in Perth, Western Australia and will: Provide strategic advice to CSIRO on SKA science and related activities, with strong engagement with the Australian government and the international SKA Organisation. Facilitate Australian involvement in SKA science and improve collaborations between Australian and other SKA member scientists Provide scientific overview of the ASKAP project and contribute to the strategic planning of integrating ASKAP into SKA Phase 1. Promote CASS science to external bodies by representing CSIRO on appropriate national and international committees. Provide reporting and promotion of CASS within CSIRO. Publish high-impact papers and promote CASS science through high-profile conference presentations. The position is posted on the AAS job register at http://jobregister.aas.org/job_view?JobID=48050 All applications should be lodged via the on-line careers portal http://csiro.au/careers Choose ?Positions Vacant? and search for reference number N14/01119. Deadline for applications is July 15, 2014. For enquiries contact Lewis.Ball at csiro.au Visit our web pages at www.atnf.csiro.au ??????????? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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