2 minute read
Growing interest in SKA project in Poland
from Contact 14
BY MATHIEU ISIDRO (SKAO)
Over the past few months, several engagement opportunities have seen new ties develop between the SKAO and Poland, supported by an enthusiastic Polish grass-roots effort to explore potential future participation in the Observatory.
This year’s European Astronomical Society meeting, held in Krakow in July, provided an ideal opportunity to brief the assembled Polish astronomical community on the status of the SKA Observatory, its scientific community, and science operations. With support from the Polish Astronomical Society, the Observatory organised a town hall open to all members of the Polish astronomical community.
Interventions by SKAO Head of International Relations Thijs Geurts, Senior Scientist Dr Tyler Bourke, Head of Science Operations Dr Shari Breen, and Electronic Engineer Bartosz Idzkowski generated plenty of interest from the full room. Deputy Head of the National Centre for Nuclear Research Dr Agnieszka Pollo moderated the session, and has since visited the SKAO Global Headquarters for further discussions.
In September, the Observatory was invited to host a followup session at the Polish national astronomy meeting in Toruń. Dr Agnieszka Slowikowska, the new director of Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE), organised and moderated the session to discuss the prospects of Poland developing closer links with the SKAO.
The promising discussions are the start of an effort in Poland to explore closer links with the SKAO. This effort would see the creation of a national consortium, with a view towards future membership of the Observatory. Poland’s scientific interests in radio astronomy are many, with existing expertise and participation in low-frequency radio astronomy through hosting LOFAR stations, and its participation in European VLBI observations through JIVE. Poland also participates in SALT, the South African Large Telescope, where it holds a significant share.
