Pathways to SKA Science in Australasia

This conference, to be held at AUT University on February 16-18 2010, aims to highlight recent SKA developments in Australia and New Zealand and to review the main areas of SKA science.

Square Kilometre Array project

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is the next generation radio telescope, planned to probe the Universe at a level of sensitivity and completeness orders of magnitude beyond what has previously been achieved, targeting science ranging from cosmology to extraterrestrial life.  It is an international collaborative effort involving astronomers and engineers from 19 countries.

International SKA website

SKANZ 2010

On the road to the SKA, a number of pathfinder telescopes are currently being constructed, to prove new technologies for the SKA and, importantly, refine the thinking behind the science goals for the SKA.  In particular, the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope (ASKAP) is under construction in Western Australia (see www.ska.gov.au and www.atnf.csiro.au/projects/askap).

Having the meeting at this time is appropriate to celebrate the signing of the Australia - New Zealand SKA Cooperation Agreement and the commissioning of a new 12m antenna at Warkworth, near Auckland, which it is hoped will be a "path-finder" for further New Zealand involvement in ASKAP and the SKA.  It will be a good opportunity to publicise SKA-related developments within Australia and New Zealand and to foster greater involvement in these developments, both science and engineering, especially in New Zealand.

The meeting will include a visit to the Warkworth site followed by wine tasting at a local vineyard.  The conference dinner will be in Auckland's famous Sky Tower Observatory restaurant.

Aust/NZ Workshop in SKA Data and Signal Processing

This workshop will take place on 15 February, and will bring together professionals from New Zealand and Australian academia and industry to discuss the issues and challenges in data and signal processing as well as other topics of advanced computing and networking related to the SKA and radio astronomy in general. The workshop aims establishing a framework for New Zealand research and industry in engaging with Australian SKA Research and Development related to data and signal processing.

More information

SKANZ 2010 conference

SKA Data and Signal Processing workshop

Updated 4 February 2010