CONTACT ISSUE O6 DECEMBER 2020 FINAL SPRINT BEFORE SKA OBSERVATORY LAUNCH LET’S TALK ABOUT... THE ORIGINS OF LIFE DELIVERING A ‘SOFTWARE TELESCOPE’ CONTENTS 06 09 SKA Global HQ corridors were sadly empty for much of this year due to the pandemic COVID-19 workplace procedures, 12 25 28 risk assessments and controls recently got the stamp of approval from the British Safety Council (BSC). FOREWORD INSIGHT Dear Friends and Colleagues, 03 Prof. Philip Diamond, SKA Director-General 18 Delivering a ‘software telescope’ 21 Trouble in the skies? – An interview on 2020 – what a year! If you cast your mind back, • December 2019 – March 2020: successful satellite mega-constellations IN BRIEF the big news at the beginning of the year was SKA1 critical design review; the Australian bushfires; we all felt for family, • March 2020: successful operations review; friends and colleagues in Australia and didn’t 04 Remembering Nichi D’Amico PATHFINDERS • April 2020: successful, external, cost audit; think things could get much worse. Well, it looks 04 Uncovering the birthplaces of planets with the SKA 24 LOFAR contributes to new solar eruption warning system different now! In January the WHO announced • June 2020: South Africa ratifies; 05 Teams ready for SKA Science Data Challenge 2 that a deadly coronavirus had been detected, I • July 2020: successful business-enabling 24 CHIME detection may resolve mysterious origin of FRBs don’t think any of us (except the epidemiologists review; 05 Towards SKA Regional Centres - the Portuguese case 25 First direct detection of a brown and pandemic experts) understood what that • September 2020: Australia ratifies the 06 CSIRO’s iconic Parkes radio telescope dwarf with a radio telescope meant – we do now. We’re living with the global Convention; given Indigenous name impact of COVID-19 and will be for some time to 26 ASKAP creates ‘Google Map’ of the Universe • September 2020: the SKA Board of Directors come, although it is wonderful to see the rapid 07 Monitoring wildfires in Portugal with endorses the SKA1 Construction Proposal 27 Upgraded GMRT gives new insights development and roll out of vaccines; let us hope SKA-related technology (CP) and the Observatory Establishment and into galaxy evolution 2021 sees a return to a normal world. 07 UK fellowship awarded to expand LOFAR research Delivery Plan (OEDP); The world of politics in 2020 has been fascinating TEAM SKA • December 2020: Italy, Portugal and the UK and worrying, with a hugely visible presidential ratify the Convention; FOCUS ON election in the USA – and significant threats to 28 Prof.Tao An – Head of SKA group at • December 2020: the Council Preparatory democracy, although it is good to see the checks Shanghai Astronomical Observatory Task Force completes its 19th and final 08 Final sprint before SKA Observatory launch and balances working. For those of us in the UK, meeting and passes its final report and 09 The SKA Observatory: our future and our European neighbours, Brexit has been a numerous policies to the SKAO Council for EVENTS show that has been painful to watch. The world approval. woke up, yet again, to the need to fight endemic LET’S TALK ABOUT 32 Workshop: Heritage, History and Indigenous Astronomy racism with the explosion of the Black Lives Achieving all of these milestones is testament to the highly professional team at SKA Organisation 10 The origins of life 32 Workshop: Tackling research accessibility Matter movement; and saw sexism and misogyny tackled but not yet beaten on various fronts. and across our partner institutes; it is an 33 Announcing the 2021 SKA science conference enormous body of work and I congratulate all On a more parochial and much more positive FEATURED IMAGE staff and colleagues, all of whom contributed to NEWS & JOBS note, after an extremely good year for the SKA, this achievement. 12 Goodbye to Arecibo we end it the best possible way with a Note 2021 will see an equally auspicious year for the 34 News Roundup / Partner Publications Verbale from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office informing us that the SKA SKA, with the birth of the SKAO in January, to HQ CORNER 35 SKA Jobs Observatory Convention will officially enter into be celebrated at its first Council meeting. This force on 15 January 2021, marking the start of a will be followed soon thereafter by the formal 14 2 minutes with… Dr Sheila Kanani – Outreach & new era in the SKA history. transition from the SKA Organisation to SKAO Diversity Officer, Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and then, hopefully, Council approval to begin Previous editions of Contact, and our various SKA construction. I also hope to see more 14 Keeping team spirit alive in the time of COVID-19 news items and press releases have covered countries join the Observatory as Members. 15 Marking Black History Month the various milestones this year, but it is worth gathering them all in one place, because it is an I wish good health and good cheer to all of you, 15 Nigeria’s first radio astronomer impressive story: the SKA family, as we end 2020, with a bright 16 SKAO procurement preparations ramping up • August 2019: The Netherlands ratifies the light in front of us for 2021. 17 Two years of agile software development at SKA SKA Observatory Convention; Prof. Philip Diamond, SKA Director-General 2 CONTACT | DECEMBER 2020 3 IN BRIEF IN MEMORY OF TEAMS READY FOR SKA NICOLÒ D’AMICO SCIENCE DATA CHALLENGE 2 (1953 – 2020) BY SKAO Registration is complete for the SKA BY ANDREA POSSENTI (INAF) his key role Science Data Challenge 2, with around in the Parkes 30 teams taking part from more than 60 institutions all over the world. The completely unexpected and sudden death of Prof. Nicolò Multibeam surveys (1998- D’Amico (Palermo 1953 – Soleminis 2020), President of the The challenge will see teams analyse a 2004), which Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), has been an 1 terabyte (TB) simulated SKA HI data doubled the number irreparable loss for the Italian astrophysics community and cube, using their own software tools to of catalogued pulsars beyond, and left a huge void in all the many people who, like identify and determine the properties and led to the discovery me, had the privilege to work with him. During the years of his of galaxies across a distance of four of the still unique double pulsar Presidency, Prof. D’Amico fully exploited his natural aptitude billion light years. to synthesise all the received suggestions into a precise vision PSR J0737−3039. That made him one of the recipients of for the development of astrophysics: to maximise the quality the prestigious “Descartes Prize” for outstanding European An international network of high- scientific collaborations in 2005, among other prizes. Prof. of the research, and to make that a flywheel of growth, while performance computing centres are “The external SRC network will be Feedback from participants and the D’Amico meanwhile obtained a full professorship at the paying special attention to education, outreach activities and a crucial element to the challenge, how the SKA Observatory interacts computing centres will be used to University of Cagliari and became director of the local science communication. He was the voting member for Italy providing access, processing and with our user community, so beginning further inform work on the SRC model. Astronomical Observatory and, later, director of the project in the SKA Board of Directors, and thanks to his remarkable storage for the data. This is similar to put this idea into practice via the SKAO is also encouraging best practice for the construction of the Sardinia Radio Telescope. In managerial capabilities, coupled with an always crystal-clear to how the SKA Observatory will Data Challenge is an important step by working with the UK-based Software autumn 2015, he was nominated President of INAF, and he and sound approach to the world of the institutions, he was disseminate the telescopes’ data in demonstrating how this will work Sustainability Institute to give awards to was confirmed for a second term in December 2019, the first the main actor in securing the long-term Italian funding for the via SKA Regional Centres (SRCs) in effectively as a system,” says SKA teams that demonstrate reproducibility president to be reconfirmed in the history of this prestigious project and in promoting SKA. the future. Science Director Dr Robert Braun. “It (using methods that can be replicated Italian institution. has also strengthened links between by others to achieve the same results). Graduating in Physics in 1977, only four years later Prof. Eight facilities are involved, including these facilities. We’ve had their Reproducibility lies at the heart of the D’Amico, known as “Nichi”, was already “permanent” at two prototype SRCs: IRIS UK (part representatives together in a virtual SKA’s Open Science approach to its the University of Palermo. After beginning with gamma-ray Above: Prof. Nichi D’amico during the second SKA IGO of the UK Science and Technology room discussing provision and access, future operations. Making software astronomy, a visit to CSIRO in Australia re-oriented his studies Negotiations meeting in January 2016 at the Accademia dei Facilities Council), SKA France, which is something we have never had processing techniques open in this way towards radio pulsars, the apex of which was reached with Lincei in Rome. Shanghai proto-SRC, Australia before now.” means they can also be built on for proto-SRC, Italy’s National Institute other, different purposes in the future. for Astrophysics - Information and Through December teams will each be Communications Technologies (ICT), given access to one of the computing UNCOVERING THE Institute for Astrophysics of Andalucía facilities, ready for the challenge to Above: Map of high-performance (IAA) in Spain, ENGAGE-SKA in formally kick off on 15 January.