Thank you all who attended the

Preparing TMT Future Science and Technology Leaders:

an annual workshop for graduate students and postdocs

Tuesday, August 22 through Tuesday, August 29, 2017  

Santa Cruz, California, USA

 

The Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory (TIO) and the Institute for Scientist & Engineer Educators (ISEE) are hosting an 8-day workshop at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), co-sponsored by the University of California Observatories.

This year’s workshop participants include 42 graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and professionals representing all of TIO’s international partners: Canada, China, India, Japan, Caltech, and the University of California. 

Participants in the workshop will gain:

  • Knowledge about opportunities for future involvement with TMT
  • Valuable skills such as project management from TMT leaders
  • International teamwork and leadership experience 
  • Knowledge about the instrument design process and plans for TMT’s second-generation instruments
  • Opportunity to help design a potential future TMT international program
  • Networking with the TMT community

The workshop agenda includes presentations from TMT leaders on topics such as project management, TMT instruments, systems engineering, and software, as well many sessions that give participants an opportunity to work on small international teams. Participants will tour Lick Observatory and the UCSC Laboratory for Adaptive Optics. There are two workshop activities that span multiple days:

  • TMT Mini-Projects: Participants will collaborate on small (3-4 hr) projects informing specific case studies or problems of interest to the TMT Project Office, the TMT community, and the ISEE/TMT International Program.

     

  • Instrument design: Participants will work in small international teams to work through the process of designing an instrument, including conceptual design, defining science cases and requirements, and down-selecting. Some participants will act as a science advisory committee (SAC), gaining experience in how SACs work.

As part of the workshop, a poster symposium will be held which will include the UC Santa Cruz community interested in TMT and ISEE workforce development activities.

 

Confirmed workshop leaders & instructors

Participating Organizations:

  • Thirty Meter Telescope

  • University of California Observatories

  • Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators