Newsletter Issue 06/2020

Stay healthy and safe!

Coronavirus COVID-19

Operation of the RadioNet office, the RadioNet partners and collaborators (SKA, ALMA) is slowly recovering. Most of the telescopes are operational. However, the visits and events are still affected by travel restrictions. Most of the events are postponed until 2021 - for details please check our calendar.

Announcement: RadioNet Technical Dissemination Workshop on new trends in Radio Astronomy instrumentation, September 21-22, 2020 in Bonn

RadioNet Workshop on New Trends in Radio Astronomy Instrumentation

The RadioNet Technical Dissemination Workshop on New Trends in Radio Astronomy Instrumentation will take place on September 21-22, 2020 in Bonn. The workshop is organized as local AND virtual event.

This meeting is combining several aspects of engineering and operational issues at radio observatories all over Europe and beyond. It provides the unique opportunity to cross-border different communities to see what ‘the others’ are doing and planning, and to enhance communication between engineers, scientists, and operators. Engineers and scientists working at various observatories are welcome to present their projects.

Registration closes on August 15, 2020. For more details see the event page.

RadioNet happy to support the CASA-VLBI workshop

JIVE is organizing another CASA-VLBI workshop on November 2-6, 2020. The purpose of this workshop is to educate and train users of the EVN and other VLBI facilities in the use of CASA for VLBI data processing.

Depending on the situation, JIVE Headquarters in Dwingeloo is planned as venue, however online edition is also an option.

The registration deadline is July 31, 2020. More information on the event page.

ADASS 2020, November 8-12, 2020 - virtual meeting

ADASS 2020 goes virtual

The Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems (ADASS) conference will be held on November 8-12, 2020 in Granada as virtual meeting. The meeting received RadioNet support.

The annual ADASS conference provides a forum for astronomers, software engineers, and data specialists from around the world to discuss software and algorithms as used in all aspects of astronomy, from telescope operations, to data reduction, outreach and education. In addition to presenting their work, delegates engage in discussions on emerging technologies and debate future directions in areas such as common data formats, software reuse and data dissemination. More here.

ALMA Cycle 8 postponed until 2021 and Cycle 7 will continue

ALMA Cycle 8 is postponed until 2021 and Cycle 7 will continue

The start of ALMA Cycle 8 has been postponed until 2021 October. It is anticipated that the Cycle 8 Call for Proposals will open again in March 2021.

ALMA Cycle 7 will continue through September 2021, with currently non-completed projects ranked A, B and C remaining in the observing queue.

The ALMA Regional Centres (ARCs) continue to provide support to their communities. Please contact the ALMA Helpdesk if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

SKA Update

• South Africa has ratified the SKA Observatory Convention on June 2, 2020. South Africa is the future home of the SKA’s mid-frequency telescope and it is the third country after the Netherlands and Italy to complete its national process supporting the establishment of the SKA Observatory.

• The 4th edition of the SKA’s quarterly magazine, Contact, is out. It brings together and covers the broad range of SKA activities taking place around the world in a single publication. Interested readers can browse it and subscribe here.

POLICY NEWS

ESFRI Roadmap 2021: Extension of deadline

The ESFRI launched the Roadmap 2021 Update, a two-year-long process that will eventually lead to the creation of a new ESFRI Roadmap, one that will include new RI Projects and present the evolution of Research Infrastructures currently on the Roadmap. All ESFRI Roadmaps have been very influential and provided strategic guidance for Member States and Associated Countries investments. The deadline for proposals for ESFRI Roadmap 2021 has been extended to September 9, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The original call is updated without any other modifications. Read more here.

EC´s European Research and Innovation Days 2020 – virtual

This EC’s annual flagship event brings together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and citizens to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond. This year’s format will provide an opportunity to connect, take stock of research and innovation achievements in the global response to the pandemic and build on the EU’s response: worldwide coordination of excellent science for global health, social and economic recovery. The event is scheduled on September 22-24, 2020.

ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES

RadioNet's Transnational Access programme ensures free of charge access to the best European radio astronomical research infrastructures. This opportunity is open to all European researchers and to some extent to researchers from non-EU countries. More

Virtual Access to ALTA

The Westerbork Apertif Long Term Archive (ALTA) is a brand new facility offering to the world-wide astronomical community free virtual access to data and scientific products produced from all sky surveys of the Northern sky that will be conducted with the new Apertif frontend of the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT), as well as tools to query, further exploit and perform data mining of these products adaptable to diverse research goals.

APEX Call for proposals

Due to the COVID-19 situation and its effect on observations, the spring Call for Proposals for observations with APEX (Swedish time) has been cancelled. The next Call for Proposals will be announced after the summer.

Image © ESO

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

UMAN – Research Associate at the UK ARC Node

ESO – Telescope Instrument Operator

SKA – Network Architect and Project Manager MID Infrastructure

Check also EURAXESS

UPCOMING EVENTS

supported by RadioNet

• New Trends in Radio Astronomy Instrumentation - virtual or Bonn/DE - September 21, 2020

• CASA-VLBI workshop – Dwingeloo/NL and/or virtual - November 2, 2020

• ADASS2020 – virtual - November 8, 2020

Links to these and to other related events are in our Calendar.

EDITORS:

RadioNet Management
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie
Auf dem Hügel 69 // DE 53121 Bonn

Subscription (Unsubscription) send e-mail: RadioNet@mpifr.de

RadioNet has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730562, and contribution from the partner organisations