From vkilborn at swin.edu.au Mon Sep 5 17:25:04 2016 From: vkilborn at swin.edu.au (Virginia Kilborn) Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2016 07:25:04 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Fw: STA August Newsletter In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Please find the latest STA newsletter attached below. cheers Virginia 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 ________________________________ From: Science & Technology Australia on behalf of Science & Technology Australia Sent: Monday, 5 September 2016 4:15 PM To: Virginia Kilborn Subject: STA August Newsletter Science & Technology Australia - August 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?s been a busy month for Science & Technology Australia as we work towards our second Science meets Business and welcome the 45th Parliament of Australia. I?ve had the privilege over the last month to meet and speak with a number of the leaders of our member organisations. It?s clear there is much passion among our membership for the extraordinary work being done by Australia in science and technology, and a desire to better leverage our networks and connections to ensure issues of importance to the sector are heard, understood and acted on at the highest levels. To that end, I?ve begun a program of meetings with federal parliamentarians and the business sector as well as leaders in science and technology. As co-Chair of the National Research and Innovation Alliance along with Professor Les Field of the Australian Academy of Science, I was pleased recently to welcome the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon. Greg Hunt MP. At the Alliance meeting in Canberra last month, Minister Hunt made his first speech in the portfolio about science, announcing a boost to climate science capacity for CSIRO and a new program to foster international collaboration. The Minister invited STA to work with him and his team to help shape the future for science and technology in Australia. We also welcomed the Shadow Minister for Science, Senator the Hon. Kim Carr, who gave generously of his time and also indicated his desire and willingness to work with the sector towards long-term strategic support for Australian science and technology. I?m also meeting in the early days of Parliament with the former co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Science, who have indicated their keenness to continue to support STEM and build relationships across the sector and politics. And ? along with a number of our member organisations ? I participated in the Chief Scientist?s stakeholder consultation on the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap. Consultations and submissions close this Friday 9 September. The Eureka Prizes in Sydney last week highlighted an astonishing range of outstanding work being done across science and technology research, application and public engagement ? including by a number of people who are members of STA member organisations. It was an inspiring event and a great reminder of how important it is to tell our stories and celebrate the excellent and life-changing work being done by Australian scientists and technologists every day: warmest congratulations to all finalists and winners. The Eurekas were a fitting epilogue to a very successful National Science Week. Please do read on for some opportunities to celebrate and further your work, and to build your network: I encourage you to also forward this newsletter to your colleagues and members and encourage them to subscribe for news and opportunities that are relevant to them. I hope to see you soon, and if I haven?t yet had chance to chat with you ? please, call or email any time. Cheers, Kylie Science meets Business 2016 The second annual Science meets Business will take place on October 24 in Melbourne, with a range of outstanding speakers representing politics, industry and research. The Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, Vice-President and Lab Director for IBM Research, Dr Joanna Batstone, and CEO of ANSTO, Dr Adi Paterson are just a few of the speakers who will join us for this forward-looking and engaging day of information, brainstorming and networking. Member societies are eligible to send two delegates each, so if you are focused on building ties with the private sector, contact your society president to inquire about attending. We?re grateful to the generous organisations whose support enables us to stage this event at no cost to delegates, including our Major Supporter the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and Gold Sponsor, Defence Science and Technology. Sponsorship and partnership opportunities are still available: to inquire, please contact Gia Metherell on 02 6257 2891 or gia.metherell at sta.org.au. [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ed2baff1a44edef5b0e88a871/images/725c5174-6893-4024-977a-57a24c50dd8d.jpg] National Science Week August really is becoming Science Month ? more than 1,000 events were held across the nation during this year?s successful National Science Week. Citizen scientists helped to spot endangered animals by trawling through thousands and thousands of wilderness photos, helping to preserve our precious wildlife. Meanwhile, the SCINEMA International Film Festival was held in over 200 community venues: see the winning entries here. National Science Week 2017 will take place is from 12-20 August 2017 ? the theme next year is Future Earth. Life & Death 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 and ?SEX in Melbourne? in July, both of which were subsequently featured on RN?s Big Ideas. Tickets are now available for the next event in the series: Brisbane - MURDER ? 16 September. [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ed2baff1a44edef5b0e88a871/images/393daa07-9d40-4bc1-bd0b-0ce2a22f2ec5.jpg] MARS the live experience STA has partnered with the National Geographic Channel and Live on Stage Australia to bring to the stage ?MARS the live experience?, featuring legendary astronaut, and research leaders from NASA and the European Space Agency. Tickets are now on sale. [https://gallery.mailchimp.com/ed2baff1a44edef5b0e88a871/images/7e6ccf26-106a-49f3-a6a1-daf183b65b66.jpg] Member News Women in Science AUSTRALIA is holding its first National Symposium on Connecting Women in STEMM on 13-14 September 2016 at RMIT University in Melbourne The Australian Psychological Society is holding their first ever conference with the theme of "United for the Future". The conference will be held on 13-16 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists is holding its annual scientific meeting in conjunction the Molecular Pharmacology of G Protein-Coupled Receptors meeting in Melbourne 27-30 November. Registrations for MathsFest Australia 2016 are now open. MathsFest takes place between 28 November and 13 December with nearly 40 international speakers confirmed. The 23rd Australian Statistical Conference 2016 is on in Canberra from 5-9 December 2016. It will be held in conjunction with the 14th Australasian Data Mining Conference and the 9th Australian Conference on Teaching Statistics. The RACI National Centenary Conference 2017 is being held in Melbourne on 23-28 July 2017. Opportunities Grant applications are now open for the 2017 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Apply to take part in the 2016 Theo Murphy Australian Frontiers of Science ? The Microbiome: Exploring the role of microorganism in ecosystem processes and health Applications to attend the 9th JSPS HOPE Meeting in Tokyo, Japan with Nobel Laureates, are now open The Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) programme is open for applications for funding to support projects for women Nominations are open for the 2017 Clunies Ross Awards for contributions to the application of technology to benefit Australia Applications are open for early career researchers to attend the 67th Lindau Nobel Laureates Meeting dedicated to Chemistry The Australian Academy of Science is now taking applications for the new Max Day Environmental Science Fellowship Award. Copyright ? 2016 Science & Technology Australia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter or it has been forwarded to you by your scientific society. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences [Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From sarah.brough at aao.gov.au Tue Sep 6 09:48:02 2016 From: sarah.brough at aao.gov.au (Sarah Brough) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2016 09:48:02 +1000 Subject: [ASA] 2016 Pleiades Award applications are now open Message-ID: Dear ASA Members, Applications for the 2016 ASA Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter Pleiades Awards are now open. The Pleiades Awards recognise organisations in Australian and New Zealand astronomy that: 1. Take active steps to advance the careers of women through focused programs and 2. Strive for sustained improvement in providing opportunities for women to achieve positions of seniority, influence and recognition. The Awards are bestowed by the ASA IDEA Chapter to organisations that demonstrate a strong commitment to the aims of the Chapter. Applications are welcome from eligible organisations before the deadline of close of business (5pm Sydney time) Friday 28 October 2016. Further information and application forms are available from our webpages: https://asa-idea.org/the-pleiades-awards/ Many regards, Sarah Brough Chair, ASA Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter on behalf of the Steering Committee -- Sarah Brough Future Fellow PH: 02 9372 4848 Office Days: Mon-Thurs ---------------------- From itso at aao.gov.au Tue Sep 6 11:20:57 2016 From: itso at aao.gov.au (International Telescopes Support Office) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2016 11:20:57 +1000 Subject: [ASA] Call for Keck, Gemini, Magellan, and Blanco proposals in Semester 2017A Message-ID: <52711eb2-e5b1-574a-9c03-7b4a3b9ca21f@aao.gov.au> The AAO's International Telescopes Support Office (ITSO) is pleased to announce that proposals for Australian community access to the four facilities supported by ITSO (Keck, Gemini, Magellan, and Blanco) for observing time in Semester 2017A are now open. The details are as follows, and further information can be found on the respective telescope web pages accessible from the ITSO home page at https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/home ITSO staff are currently in the process of visiting all AAL member institutions to present an overview of these capabilities, and provide advice on how best to acquire the data that meets your needs. Please contact us at itso at aao.gov.au if you have any queries or require assistance with proposal preparation. Stuart Ryder International Telescopes Support Office #ITSOaao ------------------------------------------------------------------------ W.M. Keck Observatory 10m telescopes Proposal deadline: *5pm AEST, Monday 26 September 2016* Instrumentation: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/keck/instruments How to apply: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/keck/apply What's new in 2017A? * *Large Programs:* In Semester 2017A KTAC will give special consideration to a new class of Large Program. A KTAC Large Program will be one that enables high-impact science of wide benefit to the KTAC community; requires more than 3 nights per semester over 2 or more semesters; and seeks time from more than one KTAC partner (AAL, ANU, Swinburne). Large Program proposals will be allowed an additional page in the Scientific Justification section to include a scientific management and public data release plan. KTAC expects to award time in Semesters 2017A and 2017B (subject to Keck scheduling constraints) to at least one such Large Program provided it is satisfied the above criteria are met. * OSIRIS will be unavailable for science through May 1, 2017 for the imager detector upgrade. * Keck 1 LGSAO: A new infrared tip/tilt sensor (TRICK) is now available. * NIRC2 L-Band Vortex Coronagraph: The coronagraph will be available for science in "shared risk" mode in 2017A. * Both NIRES and KCWI will be undergoing commissioning during Semester 2017A, but will *not* be offered for scientific use until Semester 2017B. * KTAC will *not* be participating in the Time Domain Astronomy program that enables cadence and Target-of-Opportunity observing on Keck. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gemini 8m telescopes Proposal deadline: *5pm AEST, Friday 30 September 2016* Instrumentation: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/gemini/instruments How to apply: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/gemini/apply What's new in 2017A? * Astronomy Australia Ltd and the AAO have secured a limited-term partnership in Gemini for 2017, providing a total of 7 classical nights over Semesters 2017A and 2017B split between Gemini North and Gemini South. ATAC will have up to 2 classical nights on Gemini North plus 2 classical nights on Gemini South to allocate in 2017A. As a limited-term partner, Australia is ineligible to participate in the Gemini queue process; the exchange program with Subaru; or in the joint proposal process. * The Phoenix high resolution near-infrared spectrograph will be available as a visitor instrument at Gemini South in 2017A, while the TEXES high resolution mid-infrared spectrograph will be available as a visitor instrument at Gemini North in February 2017. * Gemini North will not be available from Monday July 10 2017 to the end of the semester, for work on the dome. Gemini North will also have dome shutter restrictions in place through 2017A. * GMOS-North will not available February 1 through March 19 2017 for installation and commissioning of the Hamamatsu CCDs. Investigators should however use the EEV DD CCD option when using the GMOS-N ITC for Semester 2017A. * The non-redundant mask in the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) will be offered for Semester 2017A, in shared risk mode. * The use of an On-Detector Guide Window (ODGW) star for flexure compensation with the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) is no longer required, opening up many targets which were previously inaccessible. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Blanco 4m telescope Proposal deadline: *5pm AEST, Friday 30 September 2016* Instrumentation: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/blanco/instruments How to apply: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/blanco/apply What's new in 2017A? * In Semester 2017A there will be 5 nights available to the Australian community to apply for. The Dark Energy Survey (DES) has been granted 105 nights per year, for five years, on the Blanco Telescope. In 2017A the first half of the nights of February 1-8 and 15-18 are allocated to DES. NOAO has also pre-committed 22 full nights during 2017A for the DECals survey. The specific nights allocated are: Feb 28; March 1-5 and 26-31; April 18-21; and May 18-23. * It is possible that the primary mirror of the Blanco telescope will be re-coated towards the end of 2017A, which will require a 3-4 week engineering block; whether this happens and exactly when will not be finally decided until the telescope is scheduled in November. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Magellan 6.5m telescopes Proposal deadline: *5pm AEST, Friday 7 October 2016* Instrumentation: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/magellan/instruments How to apply: https://www.aao.gov.au/itso/magellan/apply What's new in 2017A? * There will likely be a single MegaCam f/5 block, and a single MagAO block in 2017A, the timing of which will be determined by the Magellan Science Advisory Committee at its meeting on 9 Sep. * PFS will be taken offline in early-May or early-June 2017 for an upgrade to the CCD camera, spectrograph alignment, and slit input mechanism. * The Parallel Imager for Southern Cosmology Observations (PISCO) provides simultaneous imaging in the 4 SDSS bands g', r', i', and z' over a 9 arcminute field of view at 0.16 arcsec/pixel. PISCO is a PI instrument and is only available via collaborative arrangement with the instrument team. Contact Tony Stark (astark at cfa.harvard.edu) before submitting a proposal. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vkilborn at swin.edu.au Thu Sep 8 14:59:09 2016 From: vkilborn at swin.edu.au (Virginia Kilborn) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2016 04:59:09 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Two Astronomy ARC Centres of Excellence funded Message-ID: Dear ASA community, Today we heard the exciting news that two ARC Centres of Excellence have been funded: The ARC Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions, at The Australian National University, will answer fundamental questions in astrophysics, including the origin of matter and the periodic table of elements, and the origin of ionisation in the Universe. The Centre, led by Professor Lisa Kewley, will capitalise on innovative Australian technology and instrumentation to propel Australia to the forefront of astronomical research. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery, to be established at the Swinburne University of Technology, will explore the extreme physics of black holes and warped spacetime, inspiring the next generation of Australian scientists and engineers. Researchers at this Centre, led by Professor Matthew Bailes, will build on decades of Australian investment in gravitational wave and pulsar science, coalescing research activities into a focused national programme. The associated ARC announcement can be found here:http://www.arc.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/2835-million-awarded-nine-arc-centres-excellence $283.5 million awarded to nine ARC Centres of Excellence | Australian Research Council www.arc.gov.au $283.5 million awarded to nine ARC Centres of Excellence-media release issued by the ARC-8 September 2016 Congratulations to Lisa, Matthew and their teams, this is fantastic news for the Australian astrophysics community! Kind regards, Virginia President, ASA 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 yeshefenner at swin.edu.au Thu Sep 8 19:06:00 2016 From: yeshefenner at swin.edu.au (Yeshe Fenner) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2016 09:06:00 +0000 Subject: [ASA] AAL Board and Committee vacancies: Applications due 26th Sept 2016 Message-ID: Dear ASA members, Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL) is seeking applications for positions on its: * Board of Directors * 4 x Advisory Committees in the areas of: eResearch, Optical, Radio, and Multi-Messenger Astronomy * Astronomy Supercomputer Time Assignment Committee * Keck Time Allocation Committee See our advertisements for more details. Applications are due by 4PM AEST on Monday 26th September 2016. AAL encourages applications from everyone with the appropriate expertise and skills. AAL has a strong commitment to equity and diversity. We have a target of at least 25% female representation across all our Committees, and encourage applications from female and minority candidates. Feel free to circulate this email to your colleagues and suitable candidates. Kind regards, Yeshe ______________________________ Dr Yeshe Fenner, PhD, PMP Chief Operating Officer Astronomy Australia Ltd T: 03 9214 5520 M: 0430 708 995 E: yeshe.fenner at astronomyaustralia.org.au W: astronomyaustralia.org.au P: P.O. Box 2100 Hawthorn VIC 3122 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bgaensler at dunlap.utoronto.ca Fri Sep 9 23:17:13 2016 From: bgaensler at dunlap.utoronto.ca (Bryan Gaensler) Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2016 09:17:13 -0400 Subject: [ASA] Tenure track position in astrophysical instrumentation Message-ID: Dear colleagues, The Dunlap Institute is seeking a new junior faculty (assistant professor / tenure-track) hire in experimental astrophysics or astronomical instrumentation - see?http://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/assistant-professor-position-search-experimental-astrophysics-or-astronomical-instrumentation/?. The position comes with a reduced (50%) teaching load and a generous start-up package. The application deadline is 15th November, 2016. We are an exciting new research institute of around 50 faculty, postdocs and students, focused on innovative technology, training the next generation, and engaging the public. We?re co-located with the University of Toronto?s Astronomy Department and with the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), meaning we?re part of a diverse astronomy unit of 120+ people, which is in turn part of a vibrant university meeting the needs of 86,000 students and 20,000 employees. If you do clever things with photons or other messengers, and would like to know more about the position, let me know. Please also pass this on to others whom you think might be interested. regards, Bryan Gaensler Dunlap Director -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Joanne.Dawson at csiro.au Sun Sep 11 10:15:54 2016 From: Joanne.Dawson at csiro.au (Joanne.Dawson at csiro.au) Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2016 00:15:54 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ATUC Meeting 14-15th November 2016 In-Reply-To: <8230E269-5614-452B-9484-BCF080FC0F7C@csiro.au> References: <8230E269-5614-452B-9484-BCF080FC0F7C@csiro.au> Message-ID: <31D40783-EA3D-450A-ADD0-64D30A12F4D7@csiro.au> Dear Users of the Australia Telescope National Facility, The Australia Telescope Users Committee (ATUC) meet regularly to discuss issues that affect users of the ATNF. The next ATUC meeting is to be held at the ATNF headquarters in Marsfield on the 14th and 15th November, 2015. The programme will be posted on the ATUC web pages a week or two before the meeting. On the morning of the 14th, an Open Session will be held that consists of reports and updates on the various aspects of ATNF operations. All users are welcome to attend the Open Session which usually runs until mid afternoon. An agenda for the Open Session will be made available on the ATUC web page. On the afternoon and on the 15th, ATUC hold a Closed Session, during which a report to the ATNF Director is drafted. If you, as a user (or potential user) of the ATNF, are aware of any issues that need to be raised at the next ATUC meeting, or would like to offer praise or feedback on ATNF activities, please contact any member of ATUC over the next few weeks. Information on ATUC and how to contact its members can be found at: http://www.atnf.csiro.au/management/atuc Regards, Jo Dawson (for) Virginia Kilborn ATUC Chair -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Sun Sep 11 22:27:12 2016 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2016 12:27:12 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Gemini Instrument Upgrade Projects: Request for Proposals coming soon In-Reply-To: <68543311-D00C-4A34-9FB2-4027A0B015A4@gemini.edu> References: <68543311-D00C-4A34-9FB2-4027A0B015A4@gemini.edu> Message-ID: Gemini Observatory is planning to invite the community to participate in the 2016 Request for Proposals (RfP) for Instrument Upgrades. The instrument upgrade initiative aims to establish annual proposal calls for science-driven upgrades to Gemini's facility instruments ? including projects that may rely upon in-kind contributions or telescope time as compensation. Our plan is to provide opportunities for small upgrades (~$100K) every year, and provide additional funds (~$500K) to support more ambitious projects every other year. Accordingly, this year, our total budget is $600K for the program, from which we nominally expect to award one small and one larger project. Depending on the proposals received, we may however, choose to fund a different mix of one or more projects, within the limits of our $600K budget. Contracts can be awarded to profit or non-profit institutions or companies within the nations that fund the Gemini Observatory (regular or limited term partners). Gemini will accept proposals from individuals outside the partnership who have experience in using the instrument or significant experience in designing or building the instrument. To encourage a wide variety of participant organizations in this opportunity, Gemini will provide up to one night (10 hours) of observing time per project to be used on demonstrating the scientific potential of the upgraded instrument. The RfP will be released by or in October, 2016, and will remain open until the end of the year. Further information and updates can be found here: http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/future-instrumentation-amp-current-development/instrument-upgrade-projects-0 Short URL: http://goo.gl/bVidc1 Many thanks, Joanna Thomas-Osip > Ruben Diaz via Lucyna Chudczer > ????????????????????????? "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: