Radio_School_2015

CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science is holding the 2015 Radio Astronomy School at the Australia Telescope Compact Array in Narrabri, NSW.

Monday 28th September to Friday 2nd October 2015.

The format of the school will be similar to previous schools, with a mix of lectures and practical hands-on sessions. Material will be presented by both radio astronomers and engineers. The lectures will focus on interferometry. The intended audience is postgraduate students and other interested researchers. No prior experience with radio astronomy is required.

 

Presentations

  • Visualising Your Data (Vanessa Moss)
  • Imaging and Deconvolution (Anna Scaife)
  • Observing Strategies (Shari Breen)
  • The Astronomer's IT Toolkit (Vanessa Moss)
  • Polarimetry Part II (Anna Scaife)
  • The Zero Spacing Problem (Naomi McClure-Griffiths)
  • Advanced Imaging Techniques (Anna Scaife)
  • Very Long Baseline Interferometry (Tasso Tzioumis)
  • The Square Kilometre Array (Naomi McClure-Griffiths)

 

Here is a bash script to download all of the presentations using wget.

 

Key Topics

  • Introduction to the Compact Array
  • Fundamentals of Radio Astronomy
  • Synthesis Imaging
  • Scheduling and Performing Observations
  • Calibrating Techniques
  • Data Reduction and Analysis
  • Tools of Radio Astronomy
  • Interpreting and Calibrating Polarisation Measurements
  • Wideband, widefield imaging
  • Observations at Millimetre Wavelengths
  • Specialised Observing Modes
  • Practical Sessions: Observing and Data Reduction
  • Very Long Baseline Interferometry
  • Introduction to Next Generation Interferometers

 

 

Registration

The registration fee will be $250 for students and $300 for others and covers all lunches as well as two dinner events. Once the registration form is completed you will be emailed a payment form. Please note that places are strictly limited and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is not complete until payment has been made.

 

Travel Information

Participants are responsible for organising their own transport to and from Narrabri. See this page for information on how to get to Narrabri. We have arranged for a bus to provide transport between Narrabri and the Australia Telescope Compact Array during the Radio School.

A Google Spreadsheet has been set up here where registrants can fill in their travel plans in the hope that it will be useful for arranging car pools etc. Please note that this document is publicly visible, and use of it is entirely voluntary! Please register above before filling in your travel plans.

 

Accommodation

While we have not made any block bookings for accommodation in Narrabri, we do encourage you to stay at one of the following: Club Motor Inn and the Southern Cross Motor Inn (newer); Adelong Motel; Mid Town Inn and BigSky Caravan Park (cabins; close to town) and Highway Tourist Village & Caravan Park (further out). Budget accommodation is available at the COT located on the main street. They offer a discounted weekly rate and cheap evening meals for their guests. Establishments close to Maitland Street offer easy access to food venues and pick-up points for the Radio School bus for travel to and from the telescope each day.

Please note that there will be no on-site accommodation available at the Radio School.

 

Excursion to Sawn Rocks

We are organising an excursion to Sawn Rocks which is located in the beautiful Mount Kaputar National Park on Friday afternoon. A bus will depart the telescope at ~2pm and return participants to the town in the late afternoon/early evening. If you wish to attend this excursion please remember to pack appropriate footware, a hat and a drink bottle. Some pictures Robin took during the 2012 radio school are below.

 

 

Contact

If you have any questions please contact the organising committee by emailing: radio-school-2015@atnf.csiro.au

Ian Heywood, Shari Breen, Phil Edwards, Amanda Gray, Simon Johnston, Josh Marvil, Margaret McFee, Jamie Stevens, Robin Wark

 

 

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