Photo credit: Bruce Tough
Future radio schools
13 Feb 2013: The next planned ATNF Radio School is in 2014. CASS will announce the date, location, and details at a later date.
ATNF Radio Astronomy School 2012
Slides from most talks are now posted on the programme page.
CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science is holding the 2012 Radio Astronomy School at the Australia Telescope Compact Array near Narrabri, NSW from Monday 24th September to Friday 28th September 2012. The format of the school will be similar to previous Radio Astronomy Schools, with a mix of lectures and practical hands-on sessions. Material will be presented by both radio astronomers and engineers. The lectures will cover both single dish telescopes and interferometers, however, the emphasis of this year's school will be on interferometry. The intended audience is postgraduate students and other interested researchers. No prior experience with radio astronomy is required. Participants are encouraged to present a poster describing their research.
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
The programme is available here.
Science Organising Committee
Thomas Franzen (Chair), Naomi Mcclure-Griffiths, David McConnell, Phil Edwards and Alex Hill
Important dates
- June 2012: First announcement
- mid-July: Second announcement + registration opens
- 24 September 2012: School Starts
Venue
Australia Telescope Compact Array, Narrabri, NSW Australia
Registration
The registration deadline was 31/08/2012. The deadline has now passed and the school is full as of 5 September 2012.
Registration was on a first come, first serve basis as places are limited. The registration fee is $175 and covers all lunches as well as two dinner events, but not accommodation and travel. After your registration has been submitted and paid for, you will receive confirmation by e-mail that your registration has been accepted and at that stage, please make sure to book your accommodation (see below). The registration form can be found here. Please send the completed form to Amanda Gray via e-mail (Amanda.Gray@csiro.au) or fax (+61 2 9372 4310). Registration is only complete on receipt of full payment.
Accommodation Advice
CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science has made block bookings with a range of accommodation providers and participants should make reservations with their preferred provider directly: be sure to mention the booking is for the CSIRO Radio Astronomy School to take advantage of the block bookings. Accommodation details can be found here.
Transport
Participants are responsible for organising their own transport to and from Narrabri. See here for information on how to get to Narrabri. The radio school will organise a bus to transport participants from the airport and train station to the hotels listed under accommodation on the Sunday evening. More details will be added shortly.
Post-school events
We will be arranging a meal in Wee Waa at the Seplin Estate Winery on the evening of Monday, 24 September. A trivia night will be incorporated into the evening. An evening BBQ on-site at the Compact Array will be held on Wednesday, 26 September. This will be followed by an astronomy talk. For those participants leaving Narrabri on Saturday, there will be an optional trip to Sawn Rocks in Mt. Kaputar National Park on Friday afternoon.
Catering
Included in the registration fees are all lunches, morning and afternoon teas, and two evening functions.
Student Assistance
The deadline for applying for student assistance was 17/08/2012.
Contact Information
For further enquiries, contact the school organisation team at radio-school@atnf.csiro.au