[ASA] Supermassive black hole workshop, 2015 IPTA meeting, and 2015 IPTA student workshop

[Ryan.Shannon at csiro.au]

Dear all,

We would like to let you know about three exciting workshops we are hosting this July in Australia, addressing gravitational-wave detection with pulsar timing arrays and supermassive black hole growth and evolution.

1.  International Pulsar Timing student workshop:  to be held at the Parkes Observatory July 20-24.
2.  A workshop on supermassive black hole growth and evolution: to be held July 27 in Leura, New South Wales, Australia, at the Fairmont Blue Mountains resort.
3.  International Pulsar Timing Array (IPTA) meeting: to be held July 28-31 in Leura, New South Wales, Australia, at the Fairmont Blue Mountains resort.

1.  International Pulsar Timing Array student workshop (20-24 July):  This annual workshop is intended for undergraduate students, postgraduate (Ph.D.) students, and people new to the field that are interested in developing skills in observation, data analysis, and theory for detecting gravitational waves with pulsars.  This year’s workshop will be held at the Parkes observatory and will emphasize pulsar observation.  Students will get hands-on experience with the 64-metre telescope as part of project work.

2. Supermassive black hole growth and evolution workshop (Monday 27 July):  As part of the IPTA meeting, we will be holding a one-day workshop investigating the growth, evolution, and merger history of supermassive black holes (SMBHs).  Limits on the gravitational-wave background from supermassive black hole binaries are now in tension with models of SMBH evolution, and being used to constrain dynamics in the inner parsec of galaxies.  In the workshop, we will investigate ways to reconcile the tension and develop a more complete picture for the growth and evolution of SMBHs.

3.  International Pulsar Timing Array meeting (28-31 July):  The annual meeting of the International Pulsar Timing Array will bring together observers, data analysts and theoreticians interested in the detection of nanohertz-frequency gravitational waves through pulsar timing.   Invited and contributed presentations will highlight recent progress and challenges facing in the field. Discussion sessions will be used to develop a roadmap, scientific goals, and other plans for the community for the coming years.  Plenty of time will be set aside for informal collaboration. 

Details about the meeting can be found at ipta.phys.wvu.edu.
In order to help us gauge interest in the meetings, pre-registration is open and can be found at http://goo.gl/forms/8YCzbXtiOZ
Formal registration and registration fees will be announced by May 1. Student workshop fees, and perhaps some science meeting fees, will be subsidized through a PIRE award from the NSF, and CSIRO. 

We look forward to seeing you in the Blue Mountains and Parkes.

For more information, please contact Ryan Shannon (ryan.shannon at csiro.au, SOC chair) or Matthew Kerr (matthew.kerr at csiro.au, LOC chair)

On behalf of the scientific and local organising committees:

Scientific organising committee:
Kejia Lee (PKU)
Lindley Lentati (Cambridge)
Chiara Mingarelli (JPL/Caltech)
Scott Ransom (NRAO)
Alberto Sesana (AEI)
Ryan Shannon (Chair, ATNF)
Linqing Wen (UWA)

Local organising committee:

Nate Garver-Daniels (WVU)
George Hobbs (ATNF)
Matthew Kerr (Chair, ATNF)
Maura McLaughlin (WVU)
Daniel Reardon (Monash)