AstroTech at SPIE 2024

AstroTech hostied an alumni reception during the SPIE conference, on June 18 from 6:30-8:30 pm in room G215 (second floor) in Pacifico North.

The SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation conference is a valuable technical event for research on ground- and space-based telescopes, supporting technologies, and instrumentation.

AstroTech is an initiative to make the field of astronomical instrumentation more inclusive, beginning with a one-week summer school for undergraduates and graduate students.

The AstroTech community comes together every summer for a 1-week series of workshops that includes new participants, returning participants, and instructors. The instructors are a dedicated group of individuals working to expand the community of astronomical instrumentalists. Participants work in small teams to design, build, and test an optical instrument that meets their own science goals. Everyone at AstroTech becomes part of a community committed to advancing the field of instrumentation and the workshop is just the beginning.

AstroTech 2025 will be held at

University of California, Berkeley

Program dates: TBA

“Amazing, seeing so many diverse people, with different backgrounds and are currently in different paths within instrumentation was so important to me, and it helped me see the diversity that should continue to be in this field.”

2023 AstroTech participant

Unique aspects of AstroTech

Astronomical Instrumentation:

A Hands-On Approach

AstroTech broadly covers all aspects of astronomical instrumentation, including principles of optics, instrument development, career development in instrumentation, inclusive teamwork and collaboration. Participants work in teams to design, build, and test a spectrograph in an optics lab.

Career Networking

AstroTech summer school includes a career networking session and a partner event with people working in instrumentation: industry, academia, and government sectors. AstroTech leadership plans to host events for alumni at SPIE and AAS conferences to keep the community thriving and engaged long after summer school.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

AstroTech has a specific goal of increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion within astronomical instrumentation. One of the unique pieces of AstroTech is a session on Inclusive Teamwork. Participants and instructors learn strategies for how to be heard and valued as team members and how to ensure teammates are valued and heard as well.

Part of a Community

Participants who join AstroTech become part of a community that values inclusion and equity aims to increase and supports the participation of women and under-represented groups in the field of instrumentation. Learn more about the AstroTech instructional team.

Professional Development for Instructors

AstroTech supports instructors, early career scientists and engineers, in their career development. AstroTech provides funds for instructors to attend the ISEE Professional Development Program. Instructors that attend the PDP learn about and practice: inclusive curriculum design, effective teamwork, assessment, and facilitation.

AstroTech FAQ’s

AstroTech Leaders

Jessica Lu

Co-Director

Associate Professor of Astronomy, University of California (UC) Berkeley; instrumentalist, including Project Scientist for the Keck All-Sky Precision Adaptive Optics (KAPA) instrument.

Candice Brown Pacheco