From ausgo at aao.gov.au Mon Mar 25 09:35:41 2013 From: ausgo at aao.gov.au (Australian Gemini Office) Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 09:35:41 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Updated Call for Gemini, Subaru, and Magellan Proposals in Semester 2013B In-Reply-To: <5136D249.3070902@aao.gov.au> References: <5136D249.3070902@aao.gov.au> Message-ID: <514F7FBD.5050800@aao.gov.au> UPDATES: 1. Following a recommendation from the Magellan Science Advisory Council, there will now be a MegaCam run scheduled in the Oct/Nov 2013 dark block, so applications for MegaCam proposals with targets accessible then *will* be accepted for 2013B. Meanwhile the MMIRS detector will be upgraded in 2013B, and it is envisaged that MMIRS should be available in 2014A and/or perhaps 2014B, but the instrument will then move to the MMT for at least a couple of years. 2. The imaging performance of FLAMINGOS-2 when tested cold in the lab has improved. At the best focus on-axis, the image FWHM~0.35 arcsec (equivalent to IQ20) for pinholes located within a radius < 0.5 arcmin, and FWHM~0.44 arcsec (equivalent to IQ70) for the region between 2 to 2.5 arcmin. Applications for FLAMINGOS-2 in shared-risk imaging and long-slit spectroscopy modes for 2013B are encouraged but applicants will need to carefully evaluate their image quality requirements. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Proposals for Australian access to the Gemini and Subaru telescopes for Semester 2013B (1 Aug 2013 - 31 Jan 2014) are due by *5:00pm AEST, Thursday 28 March 2013*. (This deadline is earlier than usual to avoid problems arising over the Easter holiday period.) * *Australian proposals for Magellan time in Semester 2013B (mid-Jul 2013 - mid-Jan 2014) are due by*5:00pm AEST, Monday 8th April 2013*. What's new for Semester 2013B? ------------------------------ /Gemini/ * Two new visitor instruments are being offered to the community on Gemini North in 2013B. Please see the instrument web pages for more information on their capabilities and availability: o the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument (DSSI ), a dual-channel visual-wavelength camera giving simultaneous diffraction-limited images in two filters over a 2.8-5.6 arcsecond field of view. o the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph (TEXES ), a high resolution (R~4,000 - 100,000) mid-infrared (5-25 micron) spectrometer. * The FLAMINGOS-2 near-infrared imager and spectrograph is being offered on a shared-risk basis in imaging and long-slit modes only. MOS mode is not offered at this time. *Targets with RA 23h to 6h are particularly encouraged to cover a period when GMOS South may not be available.* Further improvement in delivered image quality is expected before the instrument returns to the telescope for re-commissioning in April 2013. Please check the FLAMINGOS-2 Status and Availability page for the latest information. * The RSAA-built Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI ) on the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS ) is being offered for up to 150 hrs (twice as much time as in 2013A) from September 2013 onwards, limiting RAs to 19h - 11h and declination to -75 to +15 degrees. *Observations in IQ85 are possible and are encouraged for semester 2013B*, for programs that can use delivered images with full-width half-maximum ~0.2 arcseconds instead of the <= 0.1 arcseconds delivered in IQ70 or IQ20 conditions. * During 2013B, Gemini Director's Discretionary Time will be allocated to use GSAOI to obtain non-proprietary data on two galaxy clusters that are part of the Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields program. Investigators who require deeper or different observations of these fields are welcome to submit such proposals. * GMOS-South will likely not be available between October and November 2013, for an upgrade to the CCDs and other maintenance work. *The amount of time at RA 23h to 6h will therefore be limited*, and investigators should state in the technical case of their proposal if alternate targets are available. Investigators should assume the performance of the current EEV detectors for planning purposes. * Following successful trials last semester, Gemini has begun offering PIs of queue programs the opportunity to participate via remote eavesdropping as their programs are being executed. PIs will be invited by the Gemini queue observer to connect via Skype and assist with complex acquisitions, monitor the quality of the incoming data, etc. and gain a better understanding of the Gemini observing process. Note that an observing night at Gemini South corresponds quite closely with working hours in Australia, and at Gemini North the night is generally over by 2am in the eastern states, so eavesdropping is relatively convenient for Australian users. PIs interested in taking advantage of remote eavesdropping should indicate this in their Technical Case. * There will be a guaranteed minimum of 5 nights on the Subaru telescope available to the Gemini community, following aluminising at the start of the semester. /Magellan/ * So as not to inadvertently preclude high-impact science that can be done in a short time, *the previous two-night minimum length on time requests has been reduced to half a night*. Scheduling proposals for a non-integer number of nights will still be subject to the Magellan Scheduler being able to identify programs from across the Magellan partnership that can make use of the remainder of the night(s). Applicants seeking less than 2 nights are encouraged to seek out and nominate other proposals (possibly with another Magellan partner) to share the observing time with. * A new CCD camera for LDSS3 on Magellan with much-improved red sensitivity is due to be commissioned in April 2013, and become the default detector for LDSS3 in 2013B, although programs focusing on bluer wavelengths will have the option to use the original CCD in certain blocks. * The only f/5 instrument offered in Semester 2013B is Megacam , which will be scheduled in the Oct/Nov dark block. How to apply ------------ Gemini applications must be submitted using the 2013B 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/2013b-call-proposals Further information about Magellan instrumentation, travel funding, and the application procedure is described at: http://ausgo.aao.gov.au/magellan.html Need help? ---------- For general enquiries about Australian usage of Gemini, Magellan, 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: From stello at physics.usyd.edu.au Mon Mar 25 19:34:56 2013 From: stello at physics.usyd.edu.au (Dennis Stello) Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:34:56 +1100 (EST) Subject: [ASA] KASC6 Early-bird, abstracts, and invited speakers Message-ID: - EXTENDED EARLY-BIRD FEE DEADLINE: Due to the slight delay in opening registration for the KASC6 conference, to be held 23-28 June in Sydney, it has been decided to extend the Early-bird registration fee deadline by two weeks, to April 14. Follow the link on kasc6.com - ABSTRACT SUBMISSION & DEADLINE: Note that the April 14 date coincides with the deadline for abstract submissions, and we encourage you to submit your abstract(s) at your earliest convenience. - PROGRAMME & INVITED SPEAKERS: There will be sessions devoted to: solar-type stars; stellar activity and rotation; red giants; stellar population studies and large surveys; binaries and clusters; compact pulsators, and classical pulsators. The SOC is still finalizing the list of invited speakers. We can already reveal the following confirmed invited speakers: Hans Kjeldsen (KASC in the Extended Mission); Marc Pinsonneault (Future challenges and opportunities with Kepler); Dave Soderblom (Estimation of ages of stars); Ken Freeman (Stellar population studies and Kepler asteroseismology); Laurent Gizon (PLATO2.0); Mike Ireland (The future of ground-based observations in the Kepler era); Benoit Mosser (Asteroseismology of red giants with Kepler); Daniel Huber (Asteroseismology of Kepler exoplanet host stars); Jennifer Johnson (APOGEE, and the APOKASC collaboration); Victor Silva Aguirre (Tests of stellar interior physics with Kepler); Rafael Garcia (Estimation of stellar rotation periods from Kepler data); Travis Metcalfe (Stellar activity studies with Kepler); Karsten Brogaard (Cluster studies with Kepler); Jim Fuller (Theory of tidally excited oscillations and tidal interactions); JJ Hermes (Asteroseismology of compact pulsators); Peter Papics (Observations of classical pulsators with Kepler); Maryline Briquet (Tests of stellar interior physics with classical pulsators); Simon Murphy (Pulsations of A and F-type stars) Kind regards Dennis Stello (chair LOC) Tim Bedding Othman Benomar Charles Kuehn Simon O'Toole Tim White ------------------------------- DENNIS STELLO | Senior Lecturer School of Physics A28 | Faculty of Science THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Rm225, K90 | The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006 T +61 2 9036 5108 | F +61 2 9351 7726 E stello at physics.usyd.edu.au | W http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~stello/ From pfrancis at mso.anu.edu.au Tue Mar 26 10:35:07 2013 From: pfrancis at mso.anu.edu.au (Paul Francis) Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 10:35:07 +1100 Subject: [ASA] ANU Astronomy Winter School References: <0E0E8ECB-CCEA-4A74-8E8F-7C19FCAE65FE@mso.anu.edu.au> Message-ID: <6452_1364254509_r2PNZ8R9024717_E2914BB5-BC80-4AB0-887C-514D62166E9B@mso.anu.edu.au> Could you please bring this winter school to the attention of any undergraduates who are interested in Astrophysics? Cheers, Paul Francis -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: RSAA Winter School 2013_Final Approved.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 364191 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- ============================== 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 duncan.galloway at monash.edu Wed Mar 27 10:01:00 2013 From: duncan.galloway at monash.edu (Duncan Galloway) Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:01:00 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Second Announcement: 2013 ASA Annual Scientific Meeting Message-ID: Second Announcement: 2013 Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting The early registration and abstract submission deadline for the 2013 Astronomical Society of Australia's Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) is fast approaching. The ASM will be held from the 7th to 12th of July, hosted by the Monash Centre for Astrophysics (MoCA) at Monash University's Clayton campus in south-east Melbourne, Victoria. The deadline for abstract submission for an oral presentation (and also the last chance for registration at the lower price) is ** 5pm AEDT April 19th ** The program for 2013 is already looking very exciting. Confirmed speakers will include Amanda Karakas (ANU), Markus Kissler-Patig (Gemini), Chris Power (UWA), Alex Heger (Monash), Stas Shabala (UTas) and Samantha Penny (Monash). Speakers for the special session "A New Era in Australian Radio Astronomy: MWA, ASKAP and SKA" will include Phil Diamond (CASS), Lister Stavely-Smith (UWA), Steven Tingay (Curtin), Lisa Harvey-Smith (CASS), and Rachel Webster (U. Melbourne). The 2013 Ellery lecture will be given by Rachel Webster (U. Melbourne). Career and community sessions will include "Speed Meet a Mentor" and "Science Communication in the 21st Century", as well as meetings of the ASA Women in Astronomy, ANITA and EPOC chapters of the ASA. For those attending with children, the talks will be streamed live to the poster room where kids can run amok while the adults keep one eye on the science. The Harley Wood Winter School will be held from the 4th to 7th July, immediately preceding the ASM, at The Island Accommodation, Phillip Island. The theme for this year's Harley Wood Winter School is "Supersize me - Extremely large telescopes, datasets and careers". The presentations will explore what the past, current and future telescopes have to offer for a successful (and even supersized!) career. Confirmed speakers include Tracy Hill (CEA Saclay/ESO), Jill Rathbone (CASS), Michael Murphy (Swinburne), Andrew Melatos (U. Melbourne) and Kevin Pimbblet (Monash). For further information on the meeting, as well as links to the registration and abstract submission system, visit the meeting website at http://asa2013.monash.edu Twitter users are invited to follow the official meeting twitter account @ASAu2013 for up-to-date information about the meeting. Use hashtag #ASAu2013 at http://twitter.com KEY DATES - MARK YOUR DIARY! Annual Scientific Meeting: Early bird registration deadline: Friday 19th April 2013 Abstract submission deadline (for oral presentation): Friday 19th April 2013 Program release: Monday 13th May 2013 Poster submission deadline: Friday 31st May 2013 Astronomical Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting: 7th - 12th July 2013 Harley Wood Winter School: Early bird registration deadline: Friday 19th April 2013 Harley Wood Winter School: 4th - 7th July 2013 Follow the link to download the meeting flyer for circulation: http://asa2013.monash.edu/assets/Uploads/Flyer4.pdf Duncan Galloway on behalf of the 2013 ASA ASM local organising committee Email contact: asa2013 at monash.edu -- Duncan Galloway ARC Future Fellow Monash Centre for Astrophysics (MoCA), School of Physics & School of Mathematical Sciences http://users.monash.edu.au/~dgallow duncan.galloway at monash.edu From Kate.Brooks at csiro.au Wed Mar 27 10:58:09 2013 From: Kate.Brooks at csiro.au (Kate Brooks) Date: Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:58:09 +1100 Subject: [ASA] Prof Bryan Gaensler elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science Message-ID: <7A6ACF8F-BED5-44F1-A333-BEFCFD27A8B8@csiro.au> Dear ASA member, Please join me in congratulating ASA Council Member Bryan Gaensler on his election as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. Election to the Fellowship recognises a career that has significantly advanced the world's store of scientific knowledge. Bryan has certainly achieved this through his outstanding research on high-energy astrophysics, cosmic magnetic fields and the structure of our Galaxy. Bryan is the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), and also an Australian Laureate Fellow in the Sydney Institute for Astronomy within the School of Physics at The University of Sydney. He leads a research team of more than 20 postdocs and students working on extreme astrophysics and has more than 230 publications in refereed journals (including 4 first-author papers in Nature or Science). In 2011 Bryan was awarded the Australian Academy of Science Pawsey Medal, adding to an already impressive list of Awards and Achievements including the 1999 Young Australian of the Year and not to mention the 1991-1993 Manly-Warringah Rugby League Tertiary Studies Scholarship, which started Bryan off on his stellar career in astrophysics. Bryan is the Editor-in-Chief the ASA's Journal, Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA), and is a member of the Steering Committee of the ASA Women in Astronomy Chapter. Well done Bryan on the richly deserved status of Fellow of the Academy. The full list of Fellows elected in 2013 is available at: http://science.org.au/fellows/elected/2013.html Kate Brooks, President, ASA From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Sat Mar 30 18:15:39 2013 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2013 18:15:39 +1100 Subject: [ASA] First International Summer School on Intelligent Front-End Signal Processing Message-ID: Dear All, Please find attached an announcement of the First International Summer School on Intelligent Front-End Signal Processing, hosted by the University of Oxford. This new programme of annual summer schools is targeted at an audience of Honours & PhD students and early career post-docs. Those interested in technologies for the SKA and High-Energy astrophysics are particularly encouraged to attend. Registration and programme information can be found on the attached poster and at the following website: www.physics.ox.ac.uk/INFIERI2013 Best wishes, James -------------------------------------- Dr James Allison ARC Super Science Fellow Sydney Institute for Astronomy School of Physics A28 University of Sydney NSW 2006, Australia Physics Annex A29 Room 569 Phone: +61(0)293513110 Email: jra at physics.usyd.edu.au Website: www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~jra -------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: oxford-poster.jpeg Type: image/jpeg Size: 510103 bytes Desc: not available URL: