SPECIAL SESSION 1: Astronomy Challenges for Engineers & Computer Scientists

The Astronomy projects being developed at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), of which Portugal is a member, cover areas almost unexplored by science, such as Interferometry in the infrared with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) and in the sub-millimeter with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).
New domains will be open to observation. In parallel, innovative diagnostic tools and techniques are being integrated, as well as new ways of accessing and operating the facilities. The large telescopes in operation, and the ones under construction or being designed (as the European-Extreme Large Telescope, E-ELT), real data collecting machines, require innovative technologies (adaptive optics for example), complex systems and techniques for the data handling, processing and analysis as well as new attitudes in the way astronomers access their own data.
Further to that the use of the “Virtual Observatories” building upon various data banks and data bases, which include data from ground and space observations, also add new dimensions and opportunities. Consequently, the role of Astronomy as a privileged area for multidisciplinary training, across various fields of science and technology, shines out clearly.

The integration of the researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, becomes even more challenging in order to fully prepare them in those new wide fields and to expose and involve them, right from the beginning of their careers, to international collaboration and participation in multinational and multidisciplinary teams.

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Grant application form (in Portuguese) available here. Scroll down to see the grant results.

Programme - September 6
 

Organizers: Teresa Lago (FCUP/CAUP), Michel Dennefeld (IAP/UPMC), Paulo Garcia (FEUP/SIM)



Sponsor: 
Enhancement
 Programme
 OPTICON
 funded 
under
 7th 
FWP 
(Seventh 
Framework
 Programme)



Objectives

To 
promote
 the 
exciting 
opportunities 
and 
challenges
 of 
Astronomy
 offered
 to
 engineers 
and
 computer 
scientists.



Public

PhD's,
 engineers, 
PhD
 students
 or
 finalists
 of 
Engineering 
&
 Computer
 Sciences;
 also
 of
 interest
 for 
astronomers
 or 
Astronomy 
PhD
 students 
for 
updating
 in 
the
 particular 
fields.



Duration

One 
full
 day, 
between
 11 
and 
18h, 
allowing participants
 to 
travel 
from
 Porto, 
Aveiro, 
Coimbra, Faro, 
Évora, 
Braga,
 etc. 
to 
Lisbon and
 return
 home
 the 
same
 day.



Structure


“Overview 
of
 Astronomy 
made 
in
 Europe”

11:30
–
11:40h 
Opening
 –
Teresa 
Lago
 (Full Professor, FCUP/CAUP)

11:40
–
12:10h 
The
 Science
 ‐
 Bruno 
Leibundgut

 (Director 
for 
Science,
 ESO)

12:10
–
12:40h
 The 
Infrastructures
 –
 Andreas
 Kaufer
 (Director
 of
 La
 Silla
 Paranal
 Observatory,
 ESO)

12:40
–
13:00h
 discussion


13:00
–
14:00h 
lunch 
break
 ‐ 
we 
are
 organizing 
an
 “exchange 
of
 ideas” light 
lunch 
open 
to 
the 
participants 
registered
 for
 the session; 
attendance 
needs
 confirmation.



“The
 main
 projects
 of 
the
 decade”


14:00
–
14:30h
 Technology 
in
 Astronomy 
­
VLT/VLTI 
a
s showcase
 –
 Roberto
 Tamai
 (Director
 of 
Technology
 Division, 
ESO)

14:30
–
15:00h
 Alma
 – 
Xavier
 Barcons 
(Instituto 
de Física 
de 
Cantabria
 (CSIC‐UC)
 &
 ALMA
 Board)

15:00
–
15:30h
 E-­ELT
 –
 Roberto
 Gilmozzi
 (Director
 of
 Telescope
 Division,
 ESO)


15:30
–
16:00h 
New
 Technologies 
for
 Astronomical 
Instrumentation
 –
 Colin
 Cunningham
 (Director
 of
 UK
ELT 
Programme)

16:00
–
16:30h
 Control
 Software 
&
 Data 
Reduction
 and
 Analysis 
–
 Michèle
 Péron 
(Director
 of
 Engineering
 & 
Software 
Development,
 ESO)

16:30
–
17:00h
 coffee
 break

17:00
–
17:45h
 Round 
Table &
 General
 Discussion 
– 
João
 Alves
 (Institute
 of
 Astronomy,
  University 
of
 Vienna),
 Colin
 Cunningham 
(UK
 Astronomy 
Technology 
Centre), 
Michel 
Dennefeld
 (Institute
 d’Astrophysique 
de
 Paris
 &
 Université 
Paris 
6),
 Roland
 Gredel
 (Max
 Planck
 Institut 
fur
  Astronomie,
 Heidelberg),
 Teresa 
Lago
 (School 
of
 Sciences 
&
 Centre 
for 
Astrophysics,
 University
 of 
Porto).

17:45h 
Close 
of 
the 
Session.

 

Important:
A special fee for attending only SPS1 (Astronomy Challenges for Engineers & Computer Scientists) is 60 euros (for registrations before August 9, 2010). However, it does not include proceedings nor social programme, just light lunch and coffee breaks. Late registration will be 100 euros.

Os participantes da lista abaixo tiveram financiamento da organização para a registration fee (todos) e deslocação (exceptuando os provenientes de universidades de Lisboa).

Já se encontram inscritos não sendo necessária a inscrição no site.

A deslocação deverá ser em comboio, devendo dirigir-se a qualquer agência Abreu, mediante apresentação de documento de identificação, pedindo a compra do respectivo bilhete de comboio. Na agência peçam para contactar Maria de Jesus (PCO de Linda-a-Velha, Tel: 21 415 61 24).

Nome:
Alexandre Pereira Cabral
Ana Luísa Parreira Nunes
Avelino José Correia Martins
Carla Alexandra Fernandes Domingues Gomes da Costa
David Miguel Ventura de Castro Alves
Ehsan Shahamatnia
Felipe Afonso Vieira
Filipe Miguel Soares Pereira
Francisco António Ferraz Martins de Almeida Maia
Francisco Miguel Carvalho Barros da Cruz
Germano Paulo Johansson Neto
Hugo Daniel dos Santos Macedo
Hugo Miguel Pereira Peixoto
Jorge David Oliveira Guimarães
José Manuel Rebordão
Manuel Adler Sanchez de Abreu
Paulo Andrade
Ricardo Macedo Pontes
Samuel Marcelino Brás
Tânia Fontes
Vítor Diogo Pinto Leite