Focus Meeting 13 - Abstracts
Engagement of countries with emerging astronomical communities in international efforts & Governance of International Projects
McBride, Vanessa
With future significant astronomical discoveries contingent on large, expensive international projects, the question arises as to how countries with emerging astronomy communities can participate in discovery. I will reflect on experiences from both a South African perspective, and also bring points of view from a number of the Regional offices of Astronomy for Development.
Engagement of countries with emerging astronomical communities in international efforts and Governance of International Projects (panel)
Hojaev, Alisher S.
We just started the work on state-of-art 4 meter telescope (with adaptive secondary mirror and laser 'guide stars' correcting system technology applied) > to install at Maidanak observatory (Uzbekistan) which, as probably one knows, has excellent seeing conditions (<fwhm> ~ 0.6 sec of arc). This would be the first such instrument in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, but also unique among Muslim countries. This project is encouraged by COMSTECH of OIC. The initiative group is working to elaborate the concept, the design and the focal plane instrumentation; has started the fundraise activity, the preparing the advanced scientific planning of the facility and possible international collaboration.</fwhm>
Engagement of countries with emerging astronomical communities in international efforts & Governance of International Projects
Whitelock, Patricia
I will moderate a panel discussion involving: Ron Ekers (Australia), Alisher Hojaev (Uzbekistan), Vanessa McBride (South Africa), Peter Michelson (USA), Silvia Torres-Peimbert (Mexico) and Bob Williams (USA).We will discuss various issues related to the optimum way to organize, fund and coordinate major ground and space based activities. What guidance for future international projects can be derived from studying the governance, fund-raising and project management strategies of past and current projects? What questions are so important and challenging that they can only be addressed by coordinating truly global resources? How can such projects ensure the engagement of astronomers in countries that do not have the resources to make major financial contributions to large ground facilities or space missions?
Session 4: Engagement of countries with emerging astronomical communities in international efforts & Governance of International Projects
Ekers, Ron
The SKA is an example of a major International project with a rapidly evolving governance structure, commitments from funding agencies and project management. It was on a scale that could only be addressed by coordinating truly global resources and its inception was already global. The SKA project has evolved in parallel with the formation of the IAU Working Group on Future Large Scale Facilities. How well is it meeting the objectives envisaged by the WGFLSF? Is it successfully engaging astronomers in countries that do not have the resources to be major partners?
Emerging Observatories for Multi-Messenger Astrophysics on the Roof of the World
Xue, Suijian
The unique geography and advantage of the Tibetan Plateau, “the Roof of the World”, has long been elusive for astronomy. After one decade’s endeavor, Ali Tibet, an extensive and easily accessible mountain ridge with altitude over 5000 – 6000 meters, has been identified and monitored astronomically since 2011. With more and more data, as well as some pioneering experiments being carried out, the site has potential to become an international observing base, which offers great scientific opportunities for the world communities to engage in joint efforts to open new windows in the era of multi-messenger astrophysics. I will outline the opportunities and challenges of some ongoing and planned projects, including global time-domain observations of GW counterparts in ultraviolet, detection of the primordial GWs through CMB polarization measurement, and innovative stereoscopic water Cerenkov-type detectors for characterizing extremely high-energy photons and cosmic rays. We expect that unique observatories featuring multi-messenger astrophysics on the Roof of the World will eventually emerge as the northern hemisphere’s counterpart of Atacama.
Participation of Emerging Countries in Major Projects
WILLIAMS, Robert
The engagement of countries with emerging infrastructures in astronomy can be an important component of their continued development. Alternatives will be suggested for possible ways to incorporate such countries into major international projects as minor partners, especially as a means of connecting their communities with innovative facilities and technology.
Engagement of countries with emerging astronomical communities in international efforts and Governance of International Projects
Torres-Peimbert, Silvia
Astronomy research has become more demanding of high level technology, which requires significant amount of economic resources. It is no longer enough to establish consortia of universities to design, build and maintain a large facility, but it has become necessary to establish consortia of several countries to construct larger projects. In this aspect the emerging communities have great difficulty in bridging the economic and technological gap to contribute significantly to astronomical meaningful results. The effort of promoting international cooperation in this aspect should be encouraged at all levels: individual scientists, scientific societies and government agencies.