From k.williams at sydney.edu.au Mon Jul 18 11:35:59 2016 From: k.williams at sydney.edu.au (Kylie Williams) Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 01:35:59 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Workshop Announcement: Bruce Slee and 70 years of Radio Astronomy Message-ID: Dear Colleagues We invite you to participate in an upcoming workshop A Celebration: Bruce Slee's and 70-years of Radio Astronomy. For more information please visit: www.caastro.org/event/2016-Slee Bruce Slee is one of the pioneers of radio astronomy. After recording solar emission during World War II, he joined what was then the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's Division of Radiophysics in Sydney, Australia, and went on to make important contributions to Solar System, Galactic and extra-galactic astronomy. Although long retired, Bruce continues to carry out research, with emphasis on active stars and clusters of galaxies. This workshop will celebrate and honour Bruce?s significant contribution to Radio Astronomy, now approaching 70 years. The program will combine historical talks on Bruce's work with science talks that provide a modern perspective, describing current work by a new generation of astronomers in low-frequency radio surveys, variable radio sources and the interstellar and intergalactic medium. Workshop Details: ? Dates: 16-17 August 2016 ? Venue: Sutherland Room, Holme Building, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW ? Cost: The cost of the workshop is $50. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN We have room in the program for contributed talks covering any aspect of the meeting topics. If you would like to give a talk, please submit a title and abstract via the registration page no later than ** Wednesday 28 July ** Invited speakers confirmed so far include: ? Ron Ekers: Australian Radio Astronomy 1945-1960: An Overview ? Wayne Orchiston: A Tribute to Bruce Slee: 70 Years in Radio Astronomy ? Melanie Johnston-Hollitt: Cluster Relic and Halo Sources ? Natasha Hurley-Walker: MWA GLEAM Survey ? Anne Green: Radio Surveys of the Galactic Plane ? Cleo Loi: Ionospheric Studies with MWA ? Ed Budding: Multi-Wavelength Observations of Active Stars ? Peter Robertson: Dover Heights and the riddle of the radio stars ? Roland Crocker: High-energy outflows from the galactic centre ? Alastair Edge: Steep spectrum radio emission from the cores of clusters ? George Heald: Low-frequency surveys with LOFAR ? J-P Macquart: What scintillation can tell us about the physics of the Universe ? Tara Murphy: Low-frequency transients and pulsars ? Elaine Sadler: AGN with the Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer Scientific Organising Committee ? Co-Chairs: Wayne Orchiston and Elaine Sadler ? Ron Ekers ? Joss Bland-Hawthorn ? Cathryn Trott ? Jean-Pierre Macquart ? Tara Murphy ? Melanie Johnston-Hollitt Local Organising Committee ? Co-Chairs: Kate Gunn and Kylie Williams If you have any questions please contact Kylie Williams by reply email (k.williams at sydney.edu.au) We look forward to welcoming you at the Workshop Kind regards Elaine Sadler and Wayne Orchiston (co-Chairs SOC ) KYLIE WILLIAMS | Events and Communications CAASTRO | School of Physics | Faculty of Science | ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics Rm 352 Building A28 | School of Physics The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006 T +61 2 9114 2183 | F +61 2 9114 2195| M +61 478 404 619 Email k.williams at physics.usyd.edu.au W http:// www.caastro.org Please note: I am in the office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (9:00am ? 5:30pm) and Wednesday (9:00am ? 2:00pm) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Jul 19 11:51:12 2016 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2016 01:51:12 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Gemini Users' Committee Meeting 2016 Message-ID: Dear All, I will be representing Australian users of the Gemini telescopes at the annual Users' Committee Meeting in Hilo, on Aug 16-17. In 2016 Australia became a limited-term partner with 7 classical nights available for allocation on Gemini North and South. The good news is that the Australia Astronomy Limited is considering funding the extension of this partnership in 2018. I am looking forward to getting any feedback from Gemini users (including future users) before the meeting, especially on: - recent changes in the mode of observations; - the process of application for observing time; - the post-observing experience, including accessibility of help with data reduction; - and the usefulness of the recently introduced Data Reduction Forum. Best Regards, Lucyna Dr Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer Postdoctoral Fellow School of Physics and Astrophysics UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Ph: +61 2 9385 4593 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aatts at aao.gov.au Wed Jul 20 09:01:15 2016 From: aatts at aao.gov.au (AAT Tech Secretary) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 09:01:15 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Request for Proposals for Large Observing Programs on the AAT starting Semester 17A Message-ID: Request for Proposals for Large Observing Programs on the AAT starting Semester 17A The AAO aims to provide opportunities for Australian and international astronomers to make effective use of the Anglo-Australian Telescope?s unique capabilities to address major scientific questions through large observing programs. These large observing programs may use any general-user instrument at the AAT: AAOmega, KOALA, SAMI, UCLES, IRIS2 or HERMES. The AAO is issuing a Request for Proposals for major new observing programs to commence in semester 17A. All proposals will be evaluated by ATAC. Ambitious projects are encouraged, and the AAO expects large observing programs to be awarded a total of at least 25% of the available time on the AAT; in some past semesters Large Programs have been allocated almost 50% of the available time. Existing AAT Large Program commitments are listed at this link . All proposals should be submitted with the standard online AAT application system Lens, which will open on 15 August 2016. Non-standard page limits and section headings will apply as outlined below. The case for the proposed large observing program must include: 1. A major, compelling and feasible scientific program. The proposal should focus on key questions that the observational data would address, but should also outline anticipated secondary uses of the data by the broader community. ?Major? in this context will generally mean programs requiring 50 nights or more (there is no set upper limit), possibly extending over several semesters. The science will be expected to be groundbreaking and not just incremental. Proposers need to discuss what their program will achieve in comparison with other on-going and future programs on similar timescales. The scientific program should be described in no more than 5 pages (including figures, tables, and references). 2. An observing strategy describing the provision of the input target sample, the detailed plan for the observations (number of nights including the standard allowance for weather, cadence of time-critical observations, and total duration of the project), the proposed instrumental setups, constraints on weather conditions or timing of observations, signal-to-noise or other figures of merit required to achieve the science goals, and any special support needed for the observations. The number of targets, required data quality, sensitivity limits and other relevant information should be rigorously justified. Programs requiring multiple visits to the same field should present a strategy for updating targets to achieve optimum efficiency. The observing strategy should be described in no more than 2 pages. 3. A management plan outlining the collaboration involved in the program, the sharing of responsibilities for scientific management; the planning of observations; the carrying out of observations; data reduction; quality control at each of these stages; data release to the AAO community and compliance with International Virtual Observatory Alliance standards; and finally, data analysis and exploitation by the proposing team. Specifically, the plan should address the following issues. a. Data reduction procedures and requirements: what are the team's specific data reduction needs and their capacity to support these needs. b. Funding: what resources have been secured (or are being secured) to support team personnel, and what is the duration of this funding? c. Observing management: what observing experience (directly applicable to the AAT instrument to be used) do team members have, and how many have indicated a willingness to participate in observing runs? The AAO expects all Large Program teams to become self-supporting at the AAT, in terms of including observers who are already competent with or are willing to be trained in the operations of the instrument(s) for the program without additional AAO staff support. The plan should outline the roles of all team members and how members contribute to carrying out the program. Proposers may also wish to suggest a publication strategy, including the process for determining authorship. The management plan should be described in no more than 2 pages. 4. A project timeline, including the observational and analysis aspects, with milestones and regular reviews by ATAC during the course of the program. 5. An outreach plan. Proposers should plan for significant public outreach, and the proposal should explain the broader impact of the project. The timeline and outreach plan, together, should be described in no more than 1 page. Proposers are encouraged to form broad collaborations across the Australian and international communities in support of their programs. The PIs for large programs will generally be expected to commit to the project as the main focus of their research over the program?s duration. Proposers should also familiarise themselves with the method of time accounting at the AAT (see this link ) as well as the conditions for Long-term projects at this page . Proposals for large observing programs should be submitted to ATAC by the standard proposal deadline of 5pm 15 September 2016. The number of large programs to be awarded time will be determined with a clear preference for a small number of very high quality programs delivering high impact science as quickly as possible. Within these guidelines, ATAC will award time based on considerations including the relative scientific merit and impact of the large programs and standard programs, the quality of the management, publication and outreach plans, and the phasing of programs to provide a steady rollover of large programs for the longer term. A panel of independent expert referees will be asked to provide comments on the proposals; proposers will be given the opportunity to respond to the referees? comments. ATAC will, at its discretion, seek progress reports (which may be refereed) at various stages of the project. Anyone considering submitting a large program proposal should contact the AAO Director ( director at aao.gov.au ) to discuss their plans. Warrick Couch AAO Director 19 July 2016 --- Lee Spitler AAT Technical Secretary Senior Lecturer Australian Astronomical Observatory & Macquarie University Sydney, Australia P: +61 (2) 9850 4161 www.physics.mq.edu.au www.aao.gov.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vkilborn at swin.edu.au Thu Jul 21 09:57:30 2016 From: vkilborn at swin.edu.au (Virginia Kilborn) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 23:57:30 +0000 Subject: [ASA] FW: STA July Newsletter In-Reply-To: <578EE691.7010601@aao.gov.au> References: , <578EE691.7010601@aao.gov.au> Message-ID: <0AB5773417C05846AF91678429C1E4B36429C973@gsp-ex02.ds.swin.edu.au> Society Presidents please forward to your members Science & Technology Australia - July Newsletter View this email in your browser [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ed2baff1a44edef5b0e88a871/images/a866d060-b707-4789-9fd7-9696db0698d3.jpg] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google Plus] [YouTube] Dear colleagues, It is my great pleasure to write to you as the new Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Australia. I?ve enjoyed working with STA and many of its members over the years on political advocacy, public events, Science meets Parliament and Science meets Business, and the national Science Sector Group. I am excited and inspired to step into this role, to work with STA?s dedicated and passionate Board and members, and to build on the achievements of Catriona Jackson. With the federal election just gone and a new ministry announced, this is a time of transition and opportunity. I promise to work hard with you and on your behalf, to ensure that Australian scientists and those working in technology are celebrated and supported, to build a strong and strategic future for research and its application, and to strengthen ties within and for the sector. I am also committed to building great opportunities for STA?s members and your members in turn, and to working towards greater gender equity in STEM. I look forward to meeting you over the coming months, and please don?t hesitate to call or email me if you have questions or ideas to discuss, or just want to have a chat. Cheers, Kylie Walker Federal Election Returning Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a few changes in his ministry in areas close to our hearts: Greg Hunt is the new Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, and the two assistant ministries of Industry and Innovation and Science have been merged ? that post is now held by Craig Laundy. Meanwhile Josh Frydenberg takes charge of the newly amalgamated portfolio of Energy and Environment. In response to STA?s pre-election survey of the major parties? STEM policies, the Coalition promised to continue to roll out the National Innovation and Science Agenda, to implement the findings of the Watt Review, and to support STEM gender equity initiatives. Read the full survey and a summary of responses here. STA has written to the incoming Government and will be seeking meetings with relevant ministers and shadow ministers in coming weeks and months. Science meets Business 2016 Innovation Australia Chair Bill Ferris, the CEOs of the NHMRC Anne Kelso and ARC Aidan Byrne, Telstra?s Chief Scientist Hugh Bradlow and Starpharma CEO Jackie Fairlie are just a few of the outstanding speakers at Science meets Business 2016. Bringing together leaders in industry and research, Science Meets Business will take place on 24 October in Melbourne, and promises to be packed with useful and practical information and networking opportunities. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are now available: to inquire, please contact Gia Metherell on 02 6257 2891 or gia.metherell at sta.org.au. Other Events STA has formed in-kind partnerships with the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Financial Review to help stage coming events for and about Australian science. As production partner for the Australian Academy of Science?s ?Science of Life and Death? national public event series, we are proud to help bring adult science events to five different Australian cities over the next six months. The series kicked off with ?DEATH in Hobart? in June, which was subsequently featured on RN?s Big Ideas. Tickets are now available for coming events in the series: Melbourne - SEX ? 26 July 2016 Brisbane - MURDER ? 16 September STA is also event partner for the Australian Financial Review?s ?Innovation Summit?, on 17 and 18 August at Darling Island Wharf, Sydney. The Summit features a high-level program including STA?s President, Emeritus Professor Jim Piper AM, and other leaders in science and business. To purchase registration, please click here. Member News We welcome Women in Science AUSTRALIA (WiSA) to the STA membership and bid a fond farewell to the Women in Science Enquiry Network (WiSENET), which recently merged with WiSA. We?re confident the merger will bring great opportunity for women in STEM across Australia to connect, learn and support each other to increase the representation of women at all levels of STEM. Prize & Award Opportunities The following prizes and awards are currently open: The Batterham Medal for engineering The Mike Smith Student Prize for history of Australian science or environmental history International Geological Congress Travel Grant Scheme for early-career geoscientists MEMBERS, would you like us to include your coming event or award opportunity in our regular newsletter? If so please contact Tim Smith on 02 6257 2891 or tim.smith at sta.org.au. Copyright ? 2016 Science & Technology Australia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a President of one of Science & Technology Australia's member societies. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences [Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] Virginia Kilborn Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Swinburne University of Technology Ph (w) +61 (0)3 9214 4380 WWW: http://bit.ly/24vsqSR -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Fri Jul 22 16:26:06 2016 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2016 06:26:06 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: ANU - Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow in Dark Energy or Transients References: <9051DA60-4B9D-4DBA-9FFF-D4FEBA9BF3FA@sydney.edu.au> Message-ID: <314F6378-5D62-4F1F-94A9-28716E125393@sydney.edu.au> Please note that the closing date for the following previously advertised position has been extended until 31 July. Begin forwarded message: From: John O'Byrne > Subject: ANU - Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow in Dark Energy or Transients Date: 7 June 2016 8:54:21 pm AEST To: asa at physics.usyd.edu.au Classification: Academic Level A / B Salary package: Academic Level A ($68,307 ? 86,646) Academic Level B ($94,287 ? 107,381) + 17% Superannuation Term of Employment: 2 year continuing contingent funded appointment See http://jobs.anu.edu.au/cw/en/job/509137/postdoctoral-fellow-research-fellow-in-dark-energy-or-transients Position Overview The ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics ("CAASTRO") aims to establish Australia as a world-leader in wide-field optical and radio astronomy. CAASTRO is answering fundamental questions about the nature of the Universe, is developing innovative ways of processing enormous data sets, and is enabling a diverse set of opportunities for students and early career researchers. CAASTRO is a research partnership between The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, The Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Queensland, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, the latter two operating as the joint venture, ICRAR. CAASTRO is also collaborating closely with the Australian Astronomical Observatory, CSIRO, and other Australian and international partners. CAASTRO supports the activities of over 160 researchers, administrative staff and students. The successful candidate will be based at the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). They will be a core member of the SkyMapper Southern Survey (see skymapper.anu.edu.au) and the SkyMapper Supernova Survey, and join the CAASTRO DARK or DYNAMIC teams. The public SkyMapper Southern Survey, initiated by Prof. Brian Schmidt and now led by A.Prof. Christian Wolf at RSAA, is mapping the entire Southern Sky in six optical bands for a broad range of science applications. From 2017 onwards it will be complemented by a spectroscopic survey, led by RSAA's Prof. Matthew Colless, of over three million galaxies and stars with the new purpose-built TAIPAN facility at AAO. The SkyMapper Supernova Survey is a multi-year program to establish a low-redshift anchoring sample of type-1a supernovae with excellent photometric calibration to improve constraints on cosmological parameters. SkyMapper also has an established Alert program to follow up transients found at other facilities including FRBs and GW events. The Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow will contribute to improvements in the calibration and automated processing of the SkyMapper surveys and assist in the operation of the Supernova survey. Further activities could include 2.3m+WiFES spectroscopic supernova observations, transient analysis and cosmological analysis. In addition, the successful applicant will be encouraged to develop their own related independent research area (30% of time). Applicants should have expertise in precision photometry and calibration as well as one or more of the following areas: transient object discovery, observational supernova studies and cosmological analysis. For more information see http://jobs.anu.edu.au/cw/en/job/509137/postdoctoral-fellow-research-fellow-in-dark-energy-or-transients Applicant Enquiries: Christian Wolf P: +61(0)2 6125 6373 E: christian.wolf at anu.edu.au Advertised: 06 Jun 2016 09:00:00 AM Aus. Eastern Standard Time Applications close: 31 July 2016 11:55:00 PM Aus. Eastern Standard Time ????????????????????????? "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept? ????????????????????????? ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Head (Teaching & Learning), School of Physics Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching), 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 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/people/john.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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sarah.brough at aao.gov.au Fri Jul 22 17:57:10 2016 From: sarah.brough at aao.gov.au (Sarah Brough) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2016 17:57:10 +1000 Subject: [ASA] News from the ASA Women in Astronomy Chapter Message-ID: <1ce3-5791d200-2b-c6a42f0@38295989> Dear ASA Community, Following announcements we made at the Women in Astronomy (WIA) Chapter Lunch at the ASA ASM I wanted to update everyone on three pieces of news from the WIA Chapter of the ASA. These regard our new Chapter name and remit, our new conference gender-balance endorsement policy and an open call for organisers for the 2017 workshop. So please read to the end! 1. Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter Launch We are no longer the WIA Chapter ? as of 6th July 2016 we are now the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter. Our webpages are now accessible from https://asa-idea.org/. All WIA Chapter members have been carried into the new Chapter, any new members should join via the link on the webpage. This change of remit is motivated by the need for representation of minority groups in the astronomy community. We all want to be accepted. We all want to see ?people like us? to aspire to. We are not minimising the goal of gender balance, that will remain front and centre, but we will also address issues appropriate to minority groups. We will also consider other diversities: - Age - Cultural Background - Diverse Genders Sexes and Sexualities - Mental Health - Physical disability - Race - Religion Gender issues are themselves affected by intersectionality: The issues faced by straight, white, physically-able, female astronomers are not the same as those faced by females from minority groups. We particularly encourage representation from other groups in the Steering Committee as we continue to move forwards (next call for steering committee members in early 2017). We are currently building up to surveying the ASA community to determine our demographics. 2. Conference Gender-Balance Endorsement Policy We know that the fraction of women in science falls at each increasing level of seniority. One way to address this issue is to think about gender balance when organising a workshop or conference as this gives much needed diversity to meetings as well as aiding the visibility of women, which is crucial for their ongoing careers and provides valuable role models for younger women. We have developed a short list of steps in organising a workshop (listed on our webpages https://asa-idea.org/resources-to-take-action/conference-gender-balance-endorsement-policy/) and for those who ascribe to this, we offer endorsement from the IDEA Chapter. This endorsement is open to any conference organiser and we are quite happy for you to share this internationally. 3. 2017 Workshop. We are holding an open call for organisers of the 2017 Diversity in Astronomy Workshop. If your group would like to host this meeting, please email Sarah Brough a 1 page outline of your proposed meeting and a budget by Friday August 12th. Once selection has been made, we ask that you include the Chapter Chair in any organising committee to ensure the sharing of organisational memory. If you have any questions, comments or practical suggestions for the new IDEA Chapter please contact any member of the steering committee (listed on our webpages), Thank you for reading to the end! Many regards, Sarah Brough Chair on behalf of the IDEA Chapter Steering Committee From k.williams at sydney.edu.au Mon Jul 18 11:35:59 2016 From: k.williams at sydney.edu.au (Kylie Williams) Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2016 01:35:59 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Workshop Announcement: Bruce Slee and 70 years of Radio Astronomy Message-ID: Dear Colleagues We invite you to participate in an upcoming workshop A Celebration: Bruce Slee's and 70-years of Radio Astronomy. For more information please visit: www.caastro.org/event/2016-Slee Bruce Slee is one of the pioneers of radio astronomy. After recording solar emission during World War II, he joined what was then the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research's Division of Radiophysics in Sydney, Australia, and went on to make important contributions to Solar System, Galactic and extra-galactic astronomy. Although long retired, Bruce continues to carry out research, with emphasis on active stars and clusters of galaxies. This workshop will celebrate and honour Bruce?s significant contribution to Radio Astronomy, now approaching 70 years. The program will combine historical talks on Bruce's work with science talks that provide a modern perspective, describing current work by a new generation of astronomers in low-frequency radio surveys, variable radio sources and the interstellar and intergalactic medium. Workshop Details: ? Dates: 16-17 August 2016 ? Venue: Sutherland Room, Holme Building, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW ? Cost: The cost of the workshop is $50. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN We have room in the program for contributed talks covering any aspect of the meeting topics. If you would like to give a talk, please submit a title and abstract via the registration page no later than ** Wednesday 28 July ** Invited speakers confirmed so far include: ? Ron Ekers: Australian Radio Astronomy 1945-1960: An Overview ? Wayne Orchiston: A Tribute to Bruce Slee: 70 Years in Radio Astronomy ? Melanie Johnston-Hollitt: Cluster Relic and Halo Sources ? Natasha Hurley-Walker: MWA GLEAM Survey ? Anne Green: Radio Surveys of the Galactic Plane ? Cleo Loi: Ionospheric Studies with MWA ? Ed Budding: Multi-Wavelength Observations of Active Stars ? Peter Robertson: Dover Heights and the riddle of the radio stars ? Roland Crocker: High-energy outflows from the galactic centre ? Alastair Edge: Steep spectrum radio emission from the cores of clusters ? George Heald: Low-frequency surveys with LOFAR ? J-P Macquart: What scintillation can tell us about the physics of the Universe ? Tara Murphy: Low-frequency transients and pulsars ? Elaine Sadler: AGN with the Parkes-Tidbinbilla Interferometer Scientific Organising Committee ? Co-Chairs: Wayne Orchiston and Elaine Sadler ? Ron Ekers ? Joss Bland-Hawthorn ? Cathryn Trott ? Jean-Pierre Macquart ? Tara Murphy ? Melanie Johnston-Hollitt Local Organising Committee ? Co-Chairs: Kate Gunn and Kylie Williams If you have any questions please contact Kylie Williams by reply email (k.williams at sydney.edu.au) We look forward to welcoming you at the Workshop Kind regards Elaine Sadler and Wayne Orchiston (co-Chairs SOC ) KYLIE WILLIAMS | Events and Communications CAASTRO | School of Physics | Faculty of Science | ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics Rm 352 Building A28 | School of Physics The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006 T +61 2 9114 2183 | F +61 2 9114 2195| M +61 478 404 619 Email k.williams at physics.usyd.edu.au W http:// www.caastro.org Please note: I am in the office Monday, Tuesday and Thursday (9:00am ? 5:30pm) and Wednesday (9:00am ? 2:00pm) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Tue Jul 19 11:51:12 2016 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2016 01:51:12 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Gemini Users' Committee Meeting 2016 Message-ID: Dear All, I will be representing Australian users of the Gemini telescopes at the annual Users' Committee Meeting in Hilo, on Aug 16-17. In 2016 Australia became a limited-term partner with 7 classical nights available for allocation on Gemini North and South. The good news is that the Australia Astronomy Limited is considering funding the extension of this partnership in 2018. I am looking forward to getting any feedback from Gemini users (including future users) before the meeting, especially on: - recent changes in the mode of observations; - the process of application for observing time; - the post-observing experience, including accessibility of help with data reduction; - and the usefulness of the recently introduced Data Reduction Forum. Best Regards, Lucyna Dr Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer Postdoctoral Fellow School of Physics and Astrophysics UNSW Sydney NSW 2052 Australia Ph: +61 2 9385 4593 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aatts at aao.gov.au Wed Jul 20 09:01:15 2016 From: aatts at aao.gov.au (AAT Tech Secretary) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 09:01:15 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Request for Proposals for Large Observing Programs on the AAT starting Semester 17A Message-ID: Request for Proposals for Large Observing Programs on the AAT starting Semester 17A The AAO aims to provide opportunities for Australian and international astronomers to make effective use of the Anglo-Australian Telescope?s unique capabilities to address major scientific questions through large observing programs. These large observing programs may use any general-user instrument at the AAT: AAOmega, KOALA, SAMI, UCLES, IRIS2 or HERMES. The AAO is issuing a Request for Proposals for major new observing programs to commence in semester 17A. All proposals will be evaluated by ATAC. Ambitious projects are encouraged, and the AAO expects large observing programs to be awarded a total of at least 25% of the available time on the AAT; in some past semesters Large Programs have been allocated almost 50% of the available time. Existing AAT Large Program commitments are listed at this link . All proposals should be submitted with the standard online AAT application system Lens, which will open on 15 August 2016. Non-standard page limits and section headings will apply as outlined below. The case for the proposed large observing program must include: 1. A major, compelling and feasible scientific program. The proposal should focus on key questions that the observational data would address, but should also outline anticipated secondary uses of the data by the broader community. ?Major? in this context will generally mean programs requiring 50 nights or more (there is no set upper limit), possibly extending over several semesters. The science will be expected to be groundbreaking and not just incremental. Proposers need to discuss what their program will achieve in comparison with other on-going and future programs on similar timescales. The scientific program should be described in no more than 5 pages (including figures, tables, and references). 2. An observing strategy describing the provision of the input target sample, the detailed plan for the observations (number of nights including the standard allowance for weather, cadence of time-critical observations, and total duration of the project), the proposed instrumental setups, constraints on weather conditions or timing of observations, signal-to-noise or other figures of merit required to achieve the science goals, and any special support needed for the observations. The number of targets, required data quality, sensitivity limits and other relevant information should be rigorously justified. Programs requiring multiple visits to the same field should present a strategy for updating targets to achieve optimum efficiency. The observing strategy should be described in no more than 2 pages. 3. A management plan outlining the collaboration involved in the program, the sharing of responsibilities for scientific management; the planning of observations; the carrying out of observations; data reduction; quality control at each of these stages; data release to the AAO community and compliance with International Virtual Observatory Alliance standards; and finally, data analysis and exploitation by the proposing team. Specifically, the plan should address the following issues. a. Data reduction procedures and requirements: what are the team's specific data reduction needs and their capacity to support these needs. b. Funding: what resources have been secured (or are being secured) to support team personnel, and what is the duration of this funding? c. Observing management: what observing experience (directly applicable to the AAT instrument to be used) do team members have, and how many have indicated a willingness to participate in observing runs? The AAO expects all Large Program teams to become self-supporting at the AAT, in terms of including observers who are already competent with or are willing to be trained in the operations of the instrument(s) for the program without additional AAO staff support. The plan should outline the roles of all team members and how members contribute to carrying out the program. Proposers may also wish to suggest a publication strategy, including the process for determining authorship. The management plan should be described in no more than 2 pages. 4. A project timeline, including the observational and analysis aspects, with milestones and regular reviews by ATAC during the course of the program. 5. An outreach plan. Proposers should plan for significant public outreach, and the proposal should explain the broader impact of the project. The timeline and outreach plan, together, should be described in no more than 1 page. Proposers are encouraged to form broad collaborations across the Australian and international communities in support of their programs. The PIs for large programs will generally be expected to commit to the project as the main focus of their research over the program?s duration. Proposers should also familiarise themselves with the method of time accounting at the AAT (see this link ) as well as the conditions for Long-term projects at this page . Proposals for large observing programs should be submitted to ATAC by the standard proposal deadline of 5pm 15 September 2016. The number of large programs to be awarded time will be determined with a clear preference for a small number of very high quality programs delivering high impact science as quickly as possible. Within these guidelines, ATAC will award time based on considerations including the relative scientific merit and impact of the large programs and standard programs, the quality of the management, publication and outreach plans, and the phasing of programs to provide a steady rollover of large programs for the longer term. A panel of independent expert referees will be asked to provide comments on the proposals; proposers will be given the opportunity to respond to the referees? comments. ATAC will, at its discretion, seek progress reports (which may be refereed) at various stages of the project. Anyone considering submitting a large program proposal should contact the AAO Director ( director at aao.gov.au ) to discuss their plans. Warrick Couch AAO Director 19 July 2016 --- Lee Spitler AAT Technical Secretary Senior Lecturer Australian Astronomical Observatory & Macquarie University Sydney, Australia P: +61 (2) 9850 4161 www.physics.mq.edu.au www.aao.gov.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vkilborn at swin.edu.au Thu Jul 21 09:57:30 2016 From: vkilborn at swin.edu.au (Virginia Kilborn) Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2016 23:57:30 +0000 Subject: [ASA] FW: STA July Newsletter In-Reply-To: <578EE691.7010601@aao.gov.au> References: , <578EE691.7010601@aao.gov.au> Message-ID: <0AB5773417C05846AF91678429C1E4B36429C973@gsp-ex02.ds.swin.edu.au> Society Presidents please forward to your members Science & Technology Australia - July Newsletter View this email in your browser [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ed2baff1a44edef5b0e88a871/images/a866d060-b707-4789-9fd7-9696db0698d3.jpg] [Twitter] [Facebook] [Google Plus] [YouTube] Dear colleagues, It is my great pleasure to write to you as the new Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Australia. I?ve enjoyed working with STA and many of its members over the years on political advocacy, public events, Science meets Parliament and Science meets Business, and the national Science Sector Group. I am excited and inspired to step into this role, to work with STA?s dedicated and passionate Board and members, and to build on the achievements of Catriona Jackson. With the federal election just gone and a new ministry announced, this is a time of transition and opportunity. I promise to work hard with you and on your behalf, to ensure that Australian scientists and those working in technology are celebrated and supported, to build a strong and strategic future for research and its application, and to strengthen ties within and for the sector. I am also committed to building great opportunities for STA?s members and your members in turn, and to working towards greater gender equity in STEM. I look forward to meeting you over the coming months, and please don?t hesitate to call or email me if you have questions or ideas to discuss, or just want to have a chat. Cheers, Kylie Walker Federal Election Returning Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a few changes in his ministry in areas close to our hearts: Greg Hunt is the new Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, and the two assistant ministries of Industry and Innovation and Science have been merged ? that post is now held by Craig Laundy. Meanwhile Josh Frydenberg takes charge of the newly amalgamated portfolio of Energy and Environment. In response to STA?s pre-election survey of the major parties? STEM policies, the Coalition promised to continue to roll out the National Innovation and Science Agenda, to implement the findings of the Watt Review, and to support STEM gender equity initiatives. Read the full survey and a summary of responses here. STA has written to the incoming Government and will be seeking meetings with relevant ministers and shadow ministers in coming weeks and months. Science meets Business 2016 Innovation Australia Chair Bill Ferris, the CEOs of the NHMRC Anne Kelso and ARC Aidan Byrne, Telstra?s Chief Scientist Hugh Bradlow and Starpharma CEO Jackie Fairlie are just a few of the outstanding speakers at Science meets Business 2016. Bringing together leaders in industry and research, Science Meets Business will take place on 24 October in Melbourne, and promises to be packed with useful and practical information and networking opportunities. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are now available: to inquire, please contact Gia Metherell on 02 6257 2891 or gia.metherell at sta.org.au. Other Events STA has formed in-kind partnerships with the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Financial Review to help stage coming events for and about Australian science. As production partner for the Australian Academy of Science?s ?Science of Life and Death? national public event series, we are proud to help bring adult science events to five different Australian cities over the next six months. The series kicked off with ?DEATH in Hobart? in June, which was subsequently featured on RN?s Big Ideas. Tickets are now available for coming events in the series: Melbourne - SEX ? 26 July 2016 Brisbane - MURDER ? 16 September STA is also event partner for the Australian Financial Review?s ?Innovation Summit?, on 17 and 18 August at Darling Island Wharf, Sydney. The Summit features a high-level program including STA?s President, Emeritus Professor Jim Piper AM, and other leaders in science and business. To purchase registration, please click here. Member News We welcome Women in Science AUSTRALIA (WiSA) to the STA membership and bid a fond farewell to the Women in Science Enquiry Network (WiSENET), which recently merged with WiSA. We?re confident the merger will bring great opportunity for women in STEM across Australia to connect, learn and support each other to increase the representation of women at all levels of STEM. Prize & Award Opportunities The following prizes and awards are currently open: The Batterham Medal for engineering The Mike Smith Student Prize for history of Australian science or environmental history International Geological Congress Travel Grant Scheme for early-career geoscientists MEMBERS, would you like us to include your coming event or award opportunity in our regular newsletter? If so please contact Tim Smith on 02 6257 2891 or tim.smith at sta.org.au. Copyright ? 2016 Science & Technology Australia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a President of one of Science & Technology Australia's member societies. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences [Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] Virginia Kilborn Chair, Department of Physics and Astronomy Centre for Astrophysics & Supercomputing Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology Swinburne University of Technology Ph (w) +61 (0)3 9214 4380 WWW: http://bit.ly/24vsqSR -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Fri Jul 22 16:26:06 2016 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2016 06:26:06 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: ANU - Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow in Dark Energy or Transients References: <9051DA60-4B9D-4DBA-9FFF-D4FEBA9BF3FA@sydney.edu.au> Message-ID: <314F6378-5D62-4F1F-94A9-28716E125393@sydney.edu.au> Please note that the closing date for the following previously advertised position has been extended until 31 July. Begin forwarded message: From: John O'Byrne > Subject: ANU - Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow in Dark Energy or Transients Date: 7 June 2016 8:54:21 pm AEST To: asa at physics.usyd.edu.au Classification: Academic Level A / B Salary package: Academic Level A ($68,307 ? 86,646) Academic Level B ($94,287 ? 107,381) + 17% Superannuation Term of Employment: 2 year continuing contingent funded appointment See http://jobs.anu.edu.au/cw/en/job/509137/postdoctoral-fellow-research-fellow-in-dark-energy-or-transients Position Overview The ARC Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics ("CAASTRO") aims to establish Australia as a world-leader in wide-field optical and radio astronomy. CAASTRO is answering fundamental questions about the nature of the Universe, is developing innovative ways of processing enormous data sets, and is enabling a diverse set of opportunities for students and early career researchers. CAASTRO is a research partnership between The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, The Australian National University, Swinburne University of Technology, The University of Queensland, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia, the latter two operating as the joint venture, ICRAR. CAASTRO is also collaborating closely with the Australian Astronomical Observatory, CSIRO, and other Australian and international partners. CAASTRO supports the activities of over 160 researchers, administrative staff and students. The successful candidate will be based at the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). They will be a core member of the SkyMapper Southern Survey (see skymapper.anu.edu.au) and the SkyMapper Supernova Survey, and join the CAASTRO DARK or DYNAMIC teams. The public SkyMapper Southern Survey, initiated by Prof. Brian Schmidt and now led by A.Prof. Christian Wolf at RSAA, is mapping the entire Southern Sky in six optical bands for a broad range of science applications. From 2017 onwards it will be complemented by a spectroscopic survey, led by RSAA's Prof. Matthew Colless, of over three million galaxies and stars with the new purpose-built TAIPAN facility at AAO. The SkyMapper Supernova Survey is a multi-year program to establish a low-redshift anchoring sample of type-1a supernovae with excellent photometric calibration to improve constraints on cosmological parameters. SkyMapper also has an established Alert program to follow up transients found at other facilities including FRBs and GW events. The Postdoctoral Fellow / Research Fellow will contribute to improvements in the calibration and automated processing of the SkyMapper surveys and assist in the operation of the Supernova survey. Further activities could include 2.3m+WiFES spectroscopic supernova observations, transient analysis and cosmological analysis. In addition, the successful applicant will be encouraged to develop their own related independent research area (30% of time). Applicants should have expertise in precision photometry and calibration as well as one or more of the following areas: transient object discovery, observational supernova studies and cosmological analysis. For more information see http://jobs.anu.edu.au/cw/en/job/509137/postdoctoral-fellow-research-fellow-in-dark-energy-or-transients Applicant Enquiries: Christian Wolf P: +61(0)2 6125 6373 E: christian.wolf at anu.edu.au Advertised: 06 Jun 2016 09:00:00 AM Aus. Eastern Standard Time Applications close: 31 July 2016 11:55:00 PM Aus. Eastern Standard Time ????????????????????????? "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept? ????????????????????????? ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Head (Teaching & Learning), School of Physics Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching), 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 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/people/john.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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sarah.brough at aao.gov.au Fri Jul 22 17:57:10 2016 From: sarah.brough at aao.gov.au (Sarah Brough) Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2016 17:57:10 +1000 Subject: [ASA] News from the ASA Women in Astronomy Chapter Message-ID: <1ce3-5791d200-2b-c6a42f0@38295989> Dear ASA Community, Following announcements we made at the Women in Astronomy (WIA) Chapter Lunch at the ASA ASM I wanted to update everyone on three pieces of news from the WIA Chapter of the ASA. These regard our new Chapter name and remit, our new conference gender-balance endorsement policy and an open call for organisers for the 2017 workshop. So please read to the end! 1. Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter Launch We are no longer the WIA Chapter ? as of 6th July 2016 we are now the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter. Our webpages are now accessible from https://asa-idea.org/. All WIA Chapter members have been carried into the new Chapter, any new members should join via the link on the webpage. This change of remit is motivated by the need for representation of minority groups in the astronomy community. We all want to be accepted. We all want to see ?people like us? to aspire to. We are not minimising the goal of gender balance, that will remain front and centre, but we will also address issues appropriate to minority groups. We will also consider other diversities: - Age - Cultural Background - Diverse Genders Sexes and Sexualities - Mental Health - Physical disability - Race - Religion Gender issues are themselves affected by intersectionality: The issues faced by straight, white, physically-able, female astronomers are not the same as those faced by females from minority groups. We particularly encourage representation from other groups in the Steering Committee as we continue to move forwards (next call for steering committee members in early 2017). We are currently building up to surveying the ASA community to determine our demographics. 2. Conference Gender-Balance Endorsement Policy We know that the fraction of women in science falls at each increasing level of seniority. One way to address this issue is to think about gender balance when organising a workshop or conference as this gives much needed diversity to meetings as well as aiding the visibility of women, which is crucial for their ongoing careers and provides valuable role models for younger women. We have developed a short list of steps in organising a workshop (listed on our webpages https://asa-idea.org/resources-to-take-action/conference-gender-balance-endorsement-policy/) and for those who ascribe to this, we offer endorsement from the IDEA Chapter. This endorsement is open to any conference organiser and we are quite happy for you to share this internationally. 3. 2017 Workshop. We are holding an open call for organisers of the 2017 Diversity in Astronomy Workshop. If your group would like to host this meeting, please email Sarah Brough a 1 page outline of your proposed meeting and a budget by Friday August 12th. Once selection has been made, we ask that you include the Chapter Chair in any organising committee to ensure the sharing of organisational memory. If you have any questions, comments or practical suggestions for the new IDEA Chapter please contact any member of the steering committee (listed on our webpages), Thank you for reading to the end! Many regards, Sarah Brough Chair on behalf of the IDEA Chapter Steering Committee