The Eighth Summer School in Synthesis Imaging will take place from June 18 (Tuesday) through June 25 (Tuesday) of 2002. The summer school will be hosted by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and held in the Workman center on the Tech campus in Socorro, New Mexico. Data reduction tutorials on June 21 at the Array Operations Center (AOC) will allow attendees to get "hands-on" experience with data calibration and imaging for both VLA and VLBA data. NRAO scientific staff will be available at the AOC to aid and advise participants. A tour of the VLA site will be given on June 23.
The Summer School will cover all basic aspects of radio interferometry, including both connected element (e.g. the VLA) and Very Long Baseline interferometers (e.g. the VLBA). Lectures will be given by the NRAO staff, faculty from New Mexico Tech, Caltech, and by staff members of other observatories. The range of subjects will be similar to past Summer Schools, and can be reviewed by consulting "Synthesis Imaging in Radio Astronomy II", the published collection of lectures from the 6th NRAO Synthesis Imaging Summer School (ASP Conference Series, Volume 180, 1999). The lectures will be given at a level appropriate for graduate students in astrophysics. There will be ample time for questions and discussion following each lecture and at the end of each day. The registration fee will include a copy of the book in the registration package.
There will be a limit on attendance of 150 people. A fee of $120 will be assessed, sufficient only to cover our local expenses and a copy of Vol. 180. We are investigating the possibility of providing some financial assistance. Details about eligibility and the application process for financial assistance will be described in the second announcement. The registration fee will include transportation to and from the Albuquerque airport on June 17, and on June 25 or 26, daily transportation to/from hotels, and a tour of the VLA on June 23. A summer school dinner, held outdoors on the New Mexico Tech Campus on Thursday evening is also included in the registration fee, as is a cookout at Water Canyon on Saturday, June 22.
Rooms will be blocked out at Socorro motels for the school, and information on these motels will be sent to participants in a general mailing in February of 2002. The daily cost of a single currently ranges from $37-$77 and sharing a double from $22-$40 per person including tax. Motel registration will be the responsibility of the attendees.
To indicate your interest in attending the summer school, please pre-register electronically by directing your web browser to http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~gtaylor/synth02/synth02.html, and following the directions for electronic pre-registration. More information about the meeting, lectures, and the town of Socorro is available from the web page.
- Greg Taylor
on behalf of the organizing committee: Greg Taylor (chair), Joan
Wrobel, George Moellenbrock, Dave Westpfahl, Terry Romero,
Skip Lagoyda, and Terry Lopez