From Lewis.Miller at anu.edu.au Mon Mar 16 15:46:03 2026 From: Lewis.Miller at anu.edu.au (Lewis Miller) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:46:03 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Registration for the 2026 Harley Wood School Message-ID: Dear ASA members, The registration for the 2026 ASA Harley Wood School of Astronomy and Astrophysics has finally opened. Please follow the registration link on the main page; https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/0kv-CBNqjlCM9Q4J5fzfAS2lmF4?domain=mso.anu.edu.au Please also find the information about the School, including the location, guest speakers and dates on the same website. The school is available to all university students in Australia and New Zealand, with a preference for those in postgraduate study. Best regards on behalf of the LOC, Lewis Lewis Miller (he/him) PhD Candidate lewis.miller at anu.edu.au Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From richard.mcdermid at mq.edu.au Wed Mar 18 10:49:34 2026 From: richard.mcdermid at mq.edu.au (Richard McDermid) Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:49:34 +0000 Subject: [ASA] Fwd: A ONCE-IN-A-MULTIGENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SUPERCHARGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT References: Message-ID: [outreach header image] A ONCE-IN-A-MULTIGENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SUPERCHARGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EMBARGOED: 10.30PM AEDT MONDAY 16 MARCH 2026 Science & Technology Australia (STA) welcomes the release of the Strategic Examination of Research & Development (SERD) ?Ambitious Australia? Report as a once-in-a-multigeneration opportunity to address many significant challenges facing our sector and the opportunity to co-design the implementation. STA President Jas Chambers commended the Government for commissioning the SERD, which is necessary to supercharge Australia's research system and the economy, strengthen our sovereign capability and build a knowledge-based economy. ?This is the first pivotal step in tackling the long-standing challenges facing Australia?s research, development and innovation (RD&I) system that will lead to lasting and intergenerational opportunity,? Ms Chambers said. ?We strongly encourage the Government to respond to the review with the necessary ambition to implement a robust RD&I ecosystem that underpins our economy and our wellbeing for generations of Australians to come.? The ?Ambitious Australia? Report outlines an overhaul of Australia?s RD&I system, to make it more targeted and cohesive, something STA stressed in its submissions to the panel. The new structure would include six priority areas, each with a ten-year goal. These sorts of long-term commitments are necessary to deliver the medical preparedness, environmental resilience, technological uplift and food security Australia needs, not for a decade from now, but for the very long-term benefit of our nation. We welcome the recommendation for a First Nations Committee as an important part of the new governance structure to focus on both ensuring opportunities for First Nations researchers and elevation of First Nations knowledges. The 'Ambitious Australia? Report also includes a range of other recommendations requested by STA, including building investment in grant schemes and research infrastructure to globally competitive funding levels and applying appropriate indexation. ?Just as households are feeling cost of living pressures, the research system is feeling the pinch of increasing research costs, from consumables to specialist equipment to wages. A new indexation rate must reflect the true cost of doing research, which is rising faster than the current rate applied.? The Report also includes various recommendations STA called for to support Australia?s STEM workforce, including increasing PhD stipend rates, supporting diverse and inclusive talent and skills development, attraction, and mobility. ?Our sector is hurting. An STA survey last year found nearly half of STEM professionals are thinking about leaving their role. Action is needed to improve job security and pay, which are the main reasons behind low morale.? The Report also has a welcome focus on ensuring the sustainability of research infrastructure and expanding their capabilities to include rapid prototyping to accelerate frontier research and foster collaboration with emerging industries. ?We are asking the Government to adopt an investor mindset, recognising the STEM research and development infrastructure is patient capital invested in Australia?s sovereign capability. We know every dollar invested in RD&I returns up to $5 to the economy.? ?Working together, the STEM sector, Government and business can set the country on a pathway to prosperity through transformational innovation leading to new and expanded businesses and industries.? Media note: A media doorstop with STA President Jas Chambers will be held at 8.00am AEDT, Tuesday 17 March at the Mural Hall, Australian Parliament House. A transcript of the media conference will be made available afterwards. Media contact: Paul Richards - media at sta.org.au or 0412 145 905 About Science & Technology Australia Science & Technology Australia is the nation?s peak body representing more than 235,000 scientists and technologists. We?re the leading policy voice on science and technology. Our flagship programs include Science Meets Parliament, Superstars of STEM, and STA STEM Ambassadors. [outreach footer image] The views expressed in this media release are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of Streem. You are receiving this email because you were included on Science & Technology Australia's media release. To unsubscribe and stop receiving emails from this organisation click here. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: A ONCE-IN-A-MULTIGENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SUPERCHARGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 136491 bytes Desc: A ONCE-IN-A-MULTIGENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO SUPERCHARGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.pdf URL: From richard.mcdermid at mq.edu.au Wed Mar 18 10:49:44 2026 From: richard.mcdermid at mq.edu.au (Richard McDermid) Date: Tue, 17 Mar 2026 23:49:44 +0000 Subject: [ASA] =?utf-8?q?Fwd=3A_Response_to_the_Strategic_Examination_of_?= =?utf-8?q?Research_and_Developement_Report_=E2=80=98Ambitious_Australia?= =?utf-8?b?4oCZ?= References: Message-ID: <3D3C408B-7341-4F86-8919-637B30CBFA99@mq.edu.au> [outreach header image] MEDIA CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT RESPONSE TO THE STRATEGIC EXAMINATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT ?AMBITIOUS AUSTRALIA? TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2026 Jas Chambers, STA President Science and Technology Australia welcomes this report ?Ambitious Australia?. It's an opportunity that is intergenerational in scope and the suite of recommendations, and there are twenty, should be seen as a package. Now that's a big ask, but it reinforces the ambition for change. We're open to answer any questions that you've got for the STEM sector. Journalist Having watched that press conference, do you have any confidence that it will be implemented as a package, or at all? Jas Chambers, STA President Yes, we have to be ambitious about this. The report is out there, it's here today, and it?ll come down to implementation. So, I think that asking a lot of questions around that, but in terms of actual change for this system, it does require something that is as bold as has been outlined. We've been waiting for this for many, many years, 40 years, I would say, to come. And we were excited as a sector, to look at the recommendations, to work with government, to work with industry, and talk to them as well about what their part of the equation is as well. Journalist The government consistently talks about funding for science, for research and development, but at least from an anecdotal perspective, most of my friends who have studied science or something along those lines, have not managed to get jobs in that sector. It's extremely difficult. Do you think that any kinds of changes in this report will include those outcomes in terms of people actually being employed in the sector? Jas Chambers, STA President Yeah, well, I think that you need to look at the workforce statistics around what we need as a country. We know that we have, just in the coming years, in the next decade, a need for about 24% uplift from people with Bachelor of Science degrees alone. That's about 550,000 people that we need in the sector from those sorts of backgrounds. At the same time, we know there are people leaving the sector as well, and so it's a matching up of those two tensions. That's what this report is about, and that's why it does need to be dealt with at a system level, because the changes that we require do need to be broad, they need to be sweeping, if we are going to make Future Made in Australia happen, and we consistently say that we want that to happen, then that's what we're going to need. Ryan Winn, STA CEO One of the things I?d say about the report is it has a really good, strong focus on workforce. The need around PhDs and the role of universities and industry to actually wrap around and create the career paths that are not just academic careers, but actually an R&D sector that spreads all domains. And this is where I think the report highlights the need for a full court press from not just government but actually the sector and universities and industry to really create those career pathways and what we need for the future. Journalist This report has arrived at a time of great disruption, accelerated disruption, lots of jobs displacement, all of these things. So just tell me sense of urgency wise, talk me through what the arrival of some of these new technologies mean? Jas Chambers, STA President Well, I think you're absolutely right. This report lands at a critical moment for us as society, as humanity and culturally, and that's why it is intergenerational in its scope to actually be able to make the changes that that we need. And I think that intergenerational element that does come through in the report is something we really need to pay attention to as a sector, and also as for our economy to make the changes that we need, we know that there's huge disruption going on right now in workforces around the country. So what do we need in terms of technology, science, engineering, mathematics, all those STEM sectors, what are they going to, you know, to create next for us? And so the collision of these things, I think, does require that systemic consideration. If we think about just to go to that intergenerational perspective as well. You know, we heard 35 years, 40 years ago, there was a shift in the economy. This is the shift now as well. Our economy is changing very rapidly. So we use this report, if we use the recommendations, and actually drive that for Australia. We've got an opportunity there. In terms of what the STEM sector can do. We've heard about the brain power of Australia's STEM sector. That brain power is currently not in places that we think it should be. It should be in the boardrooms. It should be talking to industry. There should be more politicians with STEM backgrounds, to the point that was made earlier about, you know, people don't get jobs in STEM. There are jobs in STEM, but there are jobs for STEM trained people across our economy, and that is absolutely critical to the uplift in the workforce that we need. So where are those people in our boardrooms? That's what we want to see, taking people from the field, from the bench and so forth, into executive, into boards, and driving some of the decision making that's been going on without them there. That's what we're looking for as part of this as well. Read the STA media release: A once-in-a-multigeneration opportunity to supercharge research and Development Media contact: Paul Richards - media at sta.org.au or 0412 145 905 [outreach footer image] The views expressed in this media release are solely those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of Streem. You are receiving this email because you were included on Science & Technology Australia's media release. To unsubscribe and stop receiving emails from this organisation click here. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Response to the Strategic Examination of Research and Developement Report ?Ambitious Australia?.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 138570 bytes Desc: Response to the Strategic Examination of Research and Developement Report ?Ambitious Australia?.pdf URL: From Cathryn.Trott at csiro.au Wed Mar 18 18:53:40 2026 From: Cathryn.Trott at csiro.au (Trott, Cathryn (S&A, Kensington WA)) Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:53:40 +0000 Subject: [ASA] ATNF Futures 2030 workshop: recordings and slides available [SEC=OFFICIAL] Message-ID: OFFICIAL Dear colleagues, The recordings and slides from the ATNF Futures 2030 Workshop are now available on the workshop website: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/gaCTCgZ0N1imA7DBPuNf2S4rvR5?domain=atnf.csiro.au A short summary of the outcomes of the workshop will be posted on the same website in the coming weeks. Warm regards, Cathryn Cathryn Trott (she/her) ATNF Chief Scientist, Australia Telescope National Facility Space & Astronomy | CSIRO cathryn.trott at csiro.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From s.sweet at uq.edu.au Wed Mar 18 23:54:11 2026 From: s.sweet at uq.edu.au (Sarah Sweet) Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:54:11 +0000 Subject: [ASA] A message from your ESO Users Committee representative In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Australian astronomers, Thanks very much to those who have completed the ESO Users poll. A reminder to those who have not yet completed it: please do take a few minutes to share your anonymous feedback with ESO: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/IotBCyojxQT0rxAgqfZf4SxKrOv?domain=eso.org. The poll is due this Friday 20 March. ESO appreciates your feedback and uses it to inform improvements and new initiatives. Thank you, Regards, Sarah --- Dr Sarah Sweet AFHEA (she/her) Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics School of Mathematics and Physics University of Queensland CRICOS 00025B ? TEQSA PRV12080 Mobile: +61 402 089 803 sarahsweet.com.au s.sweet at uq.edu.au sarah at sarahsweet.com.au I am sending this message at a time that works for me. Please don?t feel obliged to attend to it outside of when you?re working. --- From: Sarah Sweet Date: Thursday, 5 March 2026 at 3:05?pm To: asa at physics.usyd.edu.au Subject: A message from your ESO Users Committee representative Dear Australian astronomers, Please distribute this update to others as appropriate. I?m writing as your ESO Users Committee (UC) representative. My role is to represent Australian ESO Users and act as a capillary link between ESO and the Australian community. Annual User Poll - closes 20 March Please take a few minutes to complete the annual ESO User Poll: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/IotBCyojxQT0rxAgqfZf4SxKrOv?domain=eso.org. This year's special focus is time domain astronomy and target of opportunity observations. If you are a past, current, and future ESO user, you are encouraged to share your experiences regardless of research area. Responses are anonymous, and ESO genuinely reads every comment. Your input directly shapes recommendations on operations. UC49 Meeting and 2025 poll report The report from last year?s poll can be found at https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/K2JzCzvkyVCxM5O3QtXhnS9LBZN?domain=eso.org, including a summary of the ESO community followed by a ?fact sheet? from each country. Amongst the Australian respondents (25) and the broader ESO community, the report indicates high rates of satisfaction overall, with mixed feeling about how helpful LPO distributed peer review feedback was to improve proposals. The special topic was ?Quality assurance and data quality.? Most users were satisfied with their data, with some suggestions for improvements to the process and documentation. The UC met on 28-29 April 2025 in hybrid mode. The agenda, presentations and other documents are at https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/FN6tCANpgjCnNkGgLC9irSG5B6A?domain=eso.org. I draw your attention to the final document on that page containing the approved minutes of the meeting (https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/sNGHCBNqjlCM7Yz1pujsAS292e8?domain=eso.org), and in particular the UC recommendations under Section 19 on pages 18-22, including: * concerning the timing and communication of fast-track channel * ongoing monitoring of the review process * improvements to the quality assurance process and documentation ESO has since verbally responded to each of the recommendations by teleconference in November. That response is not public, but ESO considered all recommendations and I am pleased to report that, as usual, all are being acted upon. Please feel welcome to contact me directly should you wish to provide further information to the UC about any ESO-relevant topics. Best wishes, Sarah --- Dr Sarah Sweet AFHEA (she/her) Senior Lecturer in Astrophysics School of Mathematics and Physics University of Queensland CRICOS 00025B ? TEQSA PRV12080 Mobile: +61 402 089 803 sarahsweet.com.au s.sweet at uq.edu.au sarah at sarahsweet.com.au I am sending this message at a time that works for me. Please don?t feel obliged to attend to it outside of when you?re working. --- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: