From simon.otoole at mq.edu.au Mon Feb 24 11:44:28 2020 From: simon.otoole at mq.edu.au (Simon O'Toole) Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 00:44:28 +0000 Subject: [ASA] IVOA Interoperability meeting, 4-8 May 2020, Sydney Message-ID: <7EAFC90C-BC21-42C9-AB15-0A8D4CA1DF40@mq.edu.au> Are you interested in sharing astronomical data and the tools that allow it? Do you run a portal that distributes data and would like to connect to the worldwide network that is the Virtual Observatory? Do you have a tool that manages and shares data that you?d like to tell everyone about? If you?re interested in data, data science and data management, then we have the meeting for you! Come to the next IVOA Interoperability meeting, which will be held on 4-8 May 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Early Career Researchers and PhD Students are especially encouraged to attend. Registration is FREE and is now open! Register here: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/ydXvCyoNVrcrrnJO0tZi5tu?domain=may2020.asvo.org.au The meeting is arranged by the Australian All-Sky Virtual Observatory (ASVO) through it?s Data Central node. We look forward to seeing you in Sydney in May! Best wishes, Simon O?Toole On behalf of the Organising Committee The meeting is co-hosted by: AAO Macquarie Macquarie Research Centre for Astronomy, Astrophysics and Astrophotonics Sponsorship is received by: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research CSIRO Astrophysics & Space Science ANU Research School for Astronomy & Astrophysics [Data Central] Simon O'Toole ? Senior Research Systems Engineer ? Data Central Project Scientist datacentral.org.au ? Australian Astronomical Optics, Macquarie University ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From James.Green at csiro.au Mon Feb 24 12:17:02 2020 From: James.Green at csiro.au (Green, Jimi (CASS, Kensington WA)) Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2020 01:17:02 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Ultra-wide-bandwidth Low Frequency Receiver Observer Training Message-ID: For those interested in observing with the CSIRO Parkes Radio telescope: The Parkes Telescope has undergone a number of changes from the user perspective recently with the advent of the new ultra-wide-bandwidth receiver (UWL) and its associated systems (such as the new control interface, DHAGU, and the backend, MEDUSA). As such we will have three observer training workshops next month, March 2020, ahead of the new semester starting in April (2020APRS). The training sessions are scheduled as follows: Friday 13th March 2020 9am-12pm AWST (UTC+8) at the ARRC Building in Kensington, Perth, WA Monday 16th March 2020 2pm-5pm AEDT (UTC+11) at Swinburne University, Melbourne, VIC Thursday 19th March 2020 9am-12pm AEDT (UTC+11) at CASS Marsfield, Sydney, NSW To express interest in attending one of these sessions, either in person, or remotely, please complete the form here: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/zbzvCK1qJZt22JxnNUMR_eQ?domain=forms.gle and you will receive further details for the relevant session soon. If the form does not work from your country, please email your expression of interest directly to me. The sessions will involve presentations on the capabilities of the receiver, the new interfaces, and then practical time for people to generate observing schedules and troubleshoot. To note we will also host a data reduction workshop later in the year dedicated to reducing and analysing the new UWL data. Kind regards, Jimi Dr. Jimi Green Parkes Senior System Scientist, CASS Group Leader CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science james.green at csiro.au | 08 6436 8879 ARRC Building, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA 6151 CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and we pay our respects to their Elders past and present. CSIRO Australia?s National Science Agency | csiro.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au Tue Feb 25 11:21:29 2020 From: caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au (Caroline Foster) Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:21:29 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ESO Users Committee's annual poll - deadline 1 April 2020 Message-ID: <8F74B021-5DB8-46EF-95C9-5865BE9313EC@sydney.edu.au> Dear Australian astronomers, Please help me spread the word by forwarding this email to relevant colleagues and collaborators. I am contacting you as your European Southern Observatory (ESO) Users Committee (UC) representative. The Users Committee (UC) represents ESO?s astronomical community forming a direct link between the users and ESO. The UC acts as an advisory body to the ESO Director General on matters related to the performance, scientific access, operation and user interfaces to the La Silla Paranal Observatory and ALMA. The UC welcomes opinions and suggestions from the community either through direct contact with the UC members (e.g. by replying to this email) or through the annual basis we ask users for feedback through our User Committee Poll, which has just opened. This year there is a special focus on Time Domain Astrophysics. The poll is open until 1 April 2020. It is an anonymous survey that is conducted independently of ESO by the UC, so your answers will only be seen by the UC members who will use them as input for the UC annual report and discussions during the annual meeting of the UC and ESO scheduled on 29+30 April 2020. During the UC meeting updates from ESO and feedback from the user community are exchanged and openly discussed. The meeting webpage includes a record of the last meeting with recommendations that will be discussed in April. As Australian ESO users, it is important that you fill the annual UC poll or contact me directly with comments so I can use your feedback to best represent you. Clear skies! Caroline -- Dr Caroline Foster ASTRO3D Fellow & ESO Users Committee Representative Pronouns: she/her/hers The University of Sydney Faculty of Science, Sydney Institute for Astrophysics 360B, A28 | The University of Sydney | NSW | +61 286 276 411 | +61 430 453 532 caroline.foster at sydney.edu.au | www.carofoster.com Usual office days: Monday and Friday (@USyd), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (until 2:30pm) INSPIRED ? the Campaign to support the University of Sydney sydney.edu.au/inspired 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. Please think of our environment and only print this email if necessary. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.brough at unsw.edu.au Tue Feb 25 13:44:32 2020 From: s.brough at unsw.edu.au (Sarah Brough) Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 02:44:32 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Applications now open for next Homeward Bound program! Message-ID: <05B66607-7A08-4BC1-9B98-E6286EC1A553@unsw.edu.au> Dear ASA Members, Mita Brierley, Katrina Sealey, Tayyaba Zafar and myself have all taken part in an amazing opportunity - the Homeward Bound leadership program for Women in Science. This program builds up over a year to the trip of a lifetime, learning strategy and leadership lessons alongside 75 + amazing women of different ages (honours students through to retirees), science backgrounds and geographical locations for 2-3 weeks onboard a ship traveling through Antarctica. And, you could do this too! Applications are now open for the 6th program due April 6th. https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/l6HeCE8kz9t33qnMBhNtjUY?domain=homewardboundprojects.com.au We can thoroughly recommend this experience! I (SB) describe my own experience here (https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/HRwrCJyp0qhqqny5xIzyNed?domain=womeninscienceaust.org). Many questions since have revolved around funding. I was fortunate enough to be fully funded (program and travel costs) by the AAO. If you are interested in doing this I definitely recommend asking your organisation what support may be available for you. Please feel free to ask any of us if you have questions prior to applying and share broadly with your networks, Many Regards, Mita Brierley, Sarah Brough, Katrina Sealey, Tayyaba Zafar -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Applications now open for next Homeward Bound program! Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2020 22:00:00 +0000 From: Homeward Bound Reply-To: Homeward Bound To: s.brough at unsw.edu.au Applications for #TEAMHB6 open 6 March 2020 View this email in your browser [Homeward Bound - Mother Nature Needs Her Daughters] [Team HB6 applications open] It's official! We are on the hunt for the next international contingent of incredible women who will help us build a 1000-strong global collaboration of women with a STEMM background to lead, influence and contribute to policy and decision-making as it informs the future of our world. Is this your time to take action? Step up as a leader? Be part of a life-changing experience? If not you, who? If not now, when? This is your chance to be part of something bigger. Applications for Team HB6 will open Friday 6 March, with submissions due Monday 6 April 2020 (AEST). To receive a HB6 application pack and information, sign up here. [Homeward Bound participants in Antarctica] Homeward Bound is a year-long development program in leadership, strategy, visibility, science and collaboration. Applications are open from 6 March until 6 April 2020. We are looking for a diversity of women with a background in STEMM, a commitment to the planet and a willingness to explore their leadership capability. Discover more about Homeward Bound... * Read about the Homeward Bound program, voyage and history on the about page of our website. * Read about our #TEAMHB5 participants, on our participants page. www.homewardboundprojects.com.au [Twitter] [Facebook] [Website] [Instagram] Copyright ? 2020 Homeward Bound, All rights reserved. Our mailing address: 64 Brougham Street Eltham, Victoria 3095 Australia Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jhurley at swin.edu.au Tue Feb 25 22:30:28 2020 From: jhurley at swin.edu.au (Jarrod Hurley) Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2020 11:30:28 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ADACS Internship Program 2020 - Call for Applications In-Reply-To: References: , , Message-ID: ________________________________ Call for Applications ADACS Internship Program 2020 Astronomy Data and Computing Services (ADACS) is an initiative by Astronomy Australia Limited (AAL) aiming to provide astronomy-focused training, support and expertise to allow Australian astronomers to maximise the scientific return from their data and computing infrastructure. A principal component of this initiative is to empower the astronomy community to harness the potential of the next generation telescopes and astronomy simulations. Internships and hands-on experience are essential parts of our training services. They aim to give users with an intermediate to advanced level of computing expertise the hands-on experience required to progress their skills further or seek alternative career paths (if they choose to do so). The next round of this internship program is now open for applications. We expect to have up to two successful applicants in this round. These applicants will work on a project for up to three months and will be based at the ADACS Swinburne node in Melbourne. ADACS will provide a weekly stipend at a rate similar to that of a PhD scholarship. Additional support for applicants who do not reside in Melbourne can be considered. We aim to provide the successful applicants with a realistic experience of working in a professional software development environment. In addition to the technical experience to be gained from working on projects associated with first-class computational and visualisation facilities the applicants will work directly within an Agile project management framework. ADACS operates a merit-based software and development service to the astronomy community with 3-4 projects typically designated for development each semester via an independent Time Assignment Committee (TAC). These projects can vary in length from a few weeks to months and involve aspects ranging from GPU programming to web development. We envisage that the successful intern will work alongside experienced ADACS developers on one or more of these projects during the internship. However, the scope of the internship need not be limited by these projects. Other opportunities will exist, such as to work directly on projects to enhance the OzSTAR high-performance computing (HPC) environment and development of ADACS internal infrastructure to support delivery of our programs. There is also the potential to shape a project to meet the skillset and/or interests of the applicant. Completed ADACS internships to date have included the following topics: - Large-scale Visualisation for ASKAP Data Cubes; - Machine Learning for Text Mining and Analytics; - Building a Job Monitor for Supercomputer Workflows. Relevant skills applicable to the internship are (but not limited to): * C/C++ * Python * HTML5/JS/React.Js/Django * Machine learning algorithms * GPU programming * Experience working with a linux operating system. Moderate experience in one or more of these areas will be a plus. However, there is no expectation that you will be an expert in any or all of these areas. How to Apply? Applications are due by 5 PM AEST Thursday 26th March 2020. Please send your applications to jhurley at swin.edu.au making sure to include: - a one-page cover letter outlining your strengths and suitability for the internship, including any pointers on the type of experience you are hoping to gain; - a CV of maximum four-pages. Please do contact ADACS (using the email address given above) if you have any queries about the program prior to making an application. ADACS encourages applications from all astronomy PhD students based at publicly-funded Australian institutions. ADACS has a strong commitment to equity and diversity. We encourage applications from female and minority candidates. Disclaimer: The nationality of the candidate and their work/student rights in Australia may impact our ability to accept some applications. Please contact the local HDR team of your university to check if you can accept such an internship opportunity or not. Please feel free to contact us and get our team involved as early as you want. ADACS is a collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology, Curtin University, and the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre. It is funded under the Astronomy National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Program via Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL). Best Regards, Jarrod Hurley Astronomy Data and Computing Services Swinburne University of Technology https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/YZ0YCK1qJZt22kAB9iMYmNk?domain=adacs.org.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au Thu Feb 27 21:15:19 2020 From: john.obyrne at sydney.edu.au (John O'Byrne) Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 10:15:19 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ASA membership renewal Message-ID: <613E765C-5B3A-4040-B648-CE8F345737EA@sydney.edu.au> To ASA members, Thanks to all the ASA members who have renewed their membership for 2020. If you haven?t yet, please remember that a discount applies to payments made by the end of February, so renew NOW! Also encourage your colleagues and students to join and support the astronomical community. * If you are working overseas, remember that we have membership status for International members to recognise your lesser ability to engage in ASA-supported activities. * If you are considering dropping your membership (hopefully not, but?) you can now elect to remain as a (free) member of the alumni of the ASA. See https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/L-LIC1WZXriMMWmzycL8dCq?domain=asa.astronomy.org.au for more details. If either of these are of interest, or you have any other questions about membership or payments, please email the membership Secretary, John O?Byrne (asa.secretary at sydney.edu.au) or the Treasurer, Yeshe Fenner (asa.treasurer at sydney.edu.au) Best wishes for the year ahead, John O'Byrne and Yeshe Fenner P.S. When renewing your membership, don?t forget the Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy (FAA) (https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/2OOEC2xZYvCppyGlqF1rXS4?domain=asa.astronomy.org.au) which is the ASA?s channel for accepting tax-deductible donations. Donations allow us to consider new initiatives to support the astronomical community. ????????????????????????? "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept? ????????????????????????? ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR JOHN O?BYRNE Associate Dean (Student Life), 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 https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/7PM0C3Q8Z2FppNMA1F2qh1I?domain=sydney.edu.au 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 andrew.cole at utas.edu.au Fri Feb 28 08:55:51 2020 From: andrew.cole at utas.edu.au (Andrew Cole) Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2020 21:55:51 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Postdoc position (microlensing/exoplanets) at University of Tasmania Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, We invite applications for a postdoctoral position in observational exoplanet studies in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Tasmania (Hobart campus). The position will start in mid-2020 and will be for 2.5 years contingent on funding and satisfactory performance. The research will be in the detection and characterization of exoplanets through gravitational microlensing, through a combination of time series survey and and follow-up astronomy of events, lightcurve modeling, and post-event high angular-resolution imaging. The appointee will work in collaboration with A/Prof Andrew Cole and Prof J.P. Beaulieu. The appointment will be at Level A for 2.5 years full-time equivalent. Evaluation of applications will begin on 27 March, 2020. The University of Tasmania provides a positive and supportive work environment and comprehensive benefits, including vacation, sick, and parental leave. The discipline of physics is the recipient of a Bronze Pleiades award for its commitment to advancing women in astronomy. We value our diverse work environment and welcome applications from qualified candidates of any gender, orientation, nationality, and background. Applications are submitted via this link: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/xE7RCmOxDQtjjN7OPTGRjKu?domain=careers.utas.edu.au, including a cover letter, CV, and brief research statement. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Andrew Cole (andrew.cole at utas.edu.au) for further information about the position before the deadline. Regards, Andrew Cole ?= Dr A.A. Cole -=- Associate Professor =? School of Natural Sciences University of Tasmania Private Bag 37 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Australia [cid:172F7BCF-1B86-4C38-B0D6-5A1447695F7E at staff.utas.edu.au] University of Tasmania Electronic Communications Policy (December, 2014). This email is confidential, and is for the intended recipient only. Access, disclosure, copying, distribution, or reliance on any of it by anyone outside the intended recipient organisation is prohibited and may be a criminal offence. Please delete if obtained in error and email confirmation to the sender. The views expressed in this email are not necessarily the views of the University of Tasmania, unless clearly intended otherwise. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Ally Signature.png Type: image/png Size: 47075 bytes Desc: Ally Signature.png URL: From stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au Fri Feb 28 11:52:01 2020 From: stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au (stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au) Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:52:01 +1100 Subject: [ASA] ESO Period 106 Call for Proposals Message-ID: <000601d5edd1$49d807e0$dd8817a0$@astronomyaustralia.org.au> ESO Period 106 Call for Proposals The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has released the Call for Proposals for Period 106 (for observations between 1 October 2020 - 31 March 2021). Under the terms of the Strategic Partnership between ESO and Australia, Australian-based astronomers have access to the facilities of the La Silla and Paranal Observatories, specifically the: * 3.6-m telescope ( 3.6); * New Technology Telescope ( NTT); * Very Large Telescope ( VLT); * Very Large Telescope Interferometer ( VLTI); * Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy ( VISTA); and * VLT Survey Telescope ( VST). Proposals for ESO time (in late August, Oct and Dec 2020) to use the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment ( APEX) antenna on Chajnantor will also be considered on the same basis as those from any ESO member state. The proposal deadline is Thursday 26 March 2020 at noon Central European Time (10pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time, 7pm Australian Western Standard Time). Complete details on how to apply can be found at the P106 Call for Proposals web page. All applicants should consult the Call for Proposals document for Period 106, and will require an ESO User Portal account to submit proposals. A wealth of information for Australian applicants can be found on AAL's Australian ESO Forum. Any questions about policies or the practical aspects of proposal preparation should be addressed to the ESO Observing Programmes Office, opo at eso.org . Applicants who may wish to seek advice on proposal or observing strategies, optimal choice of instrument, etc. are invited to contact AAL's ESO Program Manager at Stuart.Ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au . ESO will normally only cover the observing expenses for 1 observer per Visitor Mode run. However there have been cases where ESO has agreed to waive the costs of flights and accommodation within Chile for a student who accompanies their supervisor, provided the student is able to cover the costs for getting to and from Chile. Supervisors awarded observing time at La Silla Paranal Observatory in Visitor Mode are encouraged to contact the Visiting Astronomers section with any request for student support before submitting their Travel Form. What's new in Period 106? Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the expected changes in instrumentation offered and procedures for Period 106 given in Sec. 1.1 of the Call for Proposals. Among the items likely to be of most interest to the Australian community are: * New web-based proposal submission tool: Period 105 marked the transition away from the traditional ESOFORM LaTeX proposal file, to a new web-based Phase 1 tool ("p1"). Among the many new features on offer are the ability for the PI and Co-Is to edit proposals collaboratively; pull-down menus for selecting instrument options; querying Simbad for target information; and the ability to update submitted proposals right up to the deadline! See the ESO Messenger article for an overview of the new features, and try out the p1demo tool. Applicants who submitted a proposal in P105 using p1 will be able to "clone" the proposal for P106, which will pre-populate most of the fields and highlight those fields that will need to be updated. * New Large Programme proposals accepted in P106: Since Period 104, Large Programme proposals are only being accepted once per year during even Periods. Large Programmes can be requested to start either in P106 or in P107, but the programme can extend at most over four consecutive semesters (currently up to Period 109). ESO strives to execute Large Programmes over shorter periods of time (aiming at two semesters by default), while maintaining the ceiling set by ESO Council of 30% of the observing time allocated to Large Programmes. To that end Large Programme requests should not extend over a number of Periods larger than that set by their scientific requirements. All ongoing Large Programmes at the 3.6-m telescope will be completed during Period 105; therefore, Large Programme proposals for HARPS are encouraged. * Updating of ESO User Portal Profiles: ESO is now requesting all science users provide more detailed information in their User Portal profile, including gender, year of PhD, ORCID and a series of keywords for specifying scientific and technical expertise. Users failing to do this will not be able to submit a proposal as PI and/or as CoI in P106. * ESO Proposal Anonymisation: ESO strongly encourages applicants to begin formulating the scientific rationales in their proposals taking into account the anonymisation rules and principles of Dual-Anonymous Peer Review (DAPR). While DAPR will be implemented in full in the future and proposal anonymisation is not mandatory in Period 106, applicants should use this opportunity as a "dry run" to practice writing proposals in the required style. * Visitor focus availability: The Nasmyth A focus of UT1 is available for a Visitor Instrument during Period 106 until the start of preparatory work for the arrival of MOONS. In addition, a visitor focus for an interferometric instrument is available in the VLTI laboratory. Interested users should consult Section 3 of the Call for Proposals. * Survey Telescopes availability: P106 and P107 are the last periods for which the operation of the VST is guaranteed under the current agreement between ESO and INAF. P107 is also expected to be the last period of VIRCAM operations before the start of the modifications required at VISTA for the installation of 4MOST. * SOFI availability: The installation and commissioning of SoXS (the Son of X-Shooter) on the NTT is expected to start during P106. As a consequence, SOFI will be decommissioned one month beforehand. * nFLASH: Pending a successful commissioning in Q1 2020 nFLASH on APEX will contain two receivers replacing the PI230 and FLASH receivers: nFLASH230 (200-270 GHz) and nFLASH460 (385-500 GHz). Both are dual polarization receivers, and can only be used independently in P106. ______________________________ Dr. Stuart Ryder Program Manager (Mon, Wed, Fri) Astronomy Australia Ltd. T: +61 (02) 9372 4843 M: +61 (0419) 970834 E: stuart.ryder at astronomyaustralia.org.au W: www.astronomyaustralia.org.au O: c/o AAO, 105 Delhi Rd, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia AAL is committed to equity and diversity and endeavours to create an environment in which every individual is treated with dignity and respect. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1036 bytes Desc: not available URL: