Autumn 2023 AusSRC update

The AusSRC have hurtled headfirst into 2023, with international visitors and involvement in the Stargirls STEM Camp.

Reach for the stars

Stargirls STEM Camp ran from 23-25 January, where female and non-binary high school students can be inspired by industry-leading women scientists working in astronomy, engineering, and data sciences.

Dr Karen Lee-Waddell, Director of the AusSRC, is one such frontrunner of the astronomy and data sciences in Australia. She shared her astronomical journey from first seeing the Northern Hemisphere constellations as a child, to studying astrophysics, space sciences and even classics at university while serving in the Canadian military. Upon completion of her PhD in Ontario, Canada, Karen moved to Sydney to work with ASKAP – one of the SKA precursor telescopes.

There were 18 Western Australian students from years 9 to 12 involved in the Stargirls STEM Camp, who had some fantastic questions about the electromagnetic spectrum and how radio astronomy differs from optical astronomy. Karen emphasised that if the students chose a career in astronomy, they could be the people untangling the mysteries of the universe – especially once the SKA-Low is in full operation by the end of the decade.

Sharing local success for international collaboration

The AusSRC was excited to have three visitors from Canada – gone are the days where international travel was impossible! Séverin Gaudet, Jennifer West and Sharon Goliath are from the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC) and Dominion Radio Astrophysical (DRAO) – some of the Canadian partner institutions that will form the basis of the Canadian equivalent to the AusSRC. They came to Perth to visit the AusSRC team and other key personnel.

The Canadian government has recently approved a grant to fund the country’s SKA Regional Centre, and we all took the opportunity to share experiences, knowledge, and success stories from the current AusSRC program. A global data network is only as robust as its nodes and connections, so it is exciting to have a SKA Regional Centre in Canada that will collaborate and follow the lead of the Australian SKA Regional Centre.

Kate Holmes, Administrative Assistant, AusSRC