The Bolton Symposium, named after the first director of Murriyang, the CSIRO Parkes radio telescope, John Gatenby Bolton (1922-1993), provides a forum for early-career research (ECR) staff within the Australia Telescope National Facility to showcase their science, and to develop and strengthen collaborations within CSIRO. 

The Bolton Symposium for 2026 is being held this week at the S&A Marsfield site and online, with a theme of “Connecting Science and Technology“. This year, the primary purpose of the symposium will be for early career staff in Science, Technology, and Space to become familiar with the work Space and Astronomy does and how they can contribute to the future of ATNF and CSIRO S&A. The first day of the symposium featured an open session of research/engineering talks from ECRs and junior staff. The second part of Day 1 and the full Day 2 consist of a closed workshop and discussion sessions, along with social team‑building activities. The image above shows John Bolton on the occasion of his retirement in 1991, after 30 years at the Parkes Observatory. (Image credit: CSIRO Radio Astronomy Image Archive)