MCCT SKADS Mixed Workshop

Towards third generation calibration in radio astronomy

Requirements for participation, EC eligibility rules, and costs:

The selection for participation in the Workshop will be made on the basis of performance in a website-based training/competition over the summer (see SKADS Set of Standard Challenges). We are looking primarily for people who have demonstrated “productivity in writing software”, with emphasis on Python and C++. Prior knowledge of radio astronomical data reduction is secondary.

Everyone who applies before June 30th will receive instructions for the web-based training/competition, which opens on July 15th.

Although everybody can pre-register and participate in the preparatory web-based training/competition, participation in the Workshop and eligibility for EC funding to attend the Workshop are subject to further restrictions.

In order to qualify for attending the Workshop, candidate participants must have finished their undergraduate studies before the start of the Workshop — this means that they must have at least a BA or BSc degree. A potential attendee cannot register for the Workshop before having finished her/his undergraduate studies, even if she/he has already started some post-graduate studies such as master courses. This is a strict rule.

Both the participation fee and the full board lodging costs will be covered by the MCCT-SKADS programme for selected, eligible participants with less than 10 yr of experience in research. In this group, all researchers are eligible for funding regardless of their nationality or place of work. These participants will also receive a contribution in their travel expenses, which should be enough to fully cover e.g low-cost airline tickets and/or other means of public transport to/from the Workshop.

Researchers with more than 10 years of experience are also eligible for funding provided that they are nationals of EU member and associated states, but currently working outside these countries.

Participants are expected to stay at the Nançay radio astronomy Station for the full length of the school, arriving on Sunday 27 September 2009 and departing on Saturday 10 October. There is a participation fee of 150€ (taxes included), and a full board lodging cost from 27 September till 10 October of about 400 € (TBC; taxes included) has been arranged. The working language of the Workshop will be English.