The Square Kilometre Array, Radio Astronomy in Africa
Event details
| Date | 18.05.2016 |
| Hour | 17:15 › 18:00 |
| Speaker |
Bernie Fanaroff |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
In this presentation I will describe the ambitious Square Kilometre Array (SKA)
international project and its key science cases. I will describe the SKA design and
construction process and the schedule for the first and second phases of the SKA
construction. I will also describe South Africa’s bid to host the SKA in Africa, the
establishment of a radio-quiet observatory site and its infrastructure by the SKA South
Africa project, the design and construction of the 64-dish MeerKAT telescope (a precursor
of SKA) and the unique technology developed for it. I will also describe the SKA South
Africa Human Capital Programme, which has seen the growth of vibrant astronomy and
instrumentation groups in South African universities and how the SKA has been used to
develop local communities. I will talk about the African VLBI Network and how it is
being used to develop scientific and technical capacity and skills in South Africa’s eight
partner countries in Africa. I will describe our new project, Big Data Africa, which builds
on the data challenges of the SKA, and the African Data-Intensive Research Cloud. In the
context of this international frontier project, Swiss expertise in high technology,
innovation and education will be welcome in making the challenging SKA project
a successful one.
international project and its key science cases. I will describe the SKA design and
construction process and the schedule for the first and second phases of the SKA
construction. I will also describe South Africa’s bid to host the SKA in Africa, the
establishment of a radio-quiet observatory site and its infrastructure by the SKA South
Africa project, the design and construction of the 64-dish MeerKAT telescope (a precursor
of SKA) and the unique technology developed for it. I will also describe the SKA South
Africa Human Capital Programme, which has seen the growth of vibrant astronomy and
instrumentation groups in South African universities and how the SKA has been used to
develop local communities. I will talk about the African VLBI Network and how it is
being used to develop scientific and technical capacity and skills in South Africa’s eight
partner countries in Africa. I will describe our new project, Big Data Africa, which builds
on the data challenges of the SKA, and the African Data-Intensive Research Cloud. In the
context of this international frontier project, Swiss expertise in high technology,
innovation and education will be welcome in making the challenging SKA project
a successful one.
Practical information
- General public
- Free
Organizer
- LASTRO