Countdown to the 2021 SKA Science Conference

Excitement is building for the 2021 SKA Science Meeting, “A precursor view of the SKA sky” taking place from 15-19 March. More than 900 participants from across the SKA community will gather online to hear the latest results from pathfinder instruments around the globe, covering the full range of SKA science.

It’s two years since the last SKA Science Meeting, and this time around there were over 400 abstracts submitted for consideration, reflecting the great enthusiasm and vibrancy of the research community. These abstracts have now been whittled down into a programme of proceedings, with 82 plenary talks and over 100 splinter talks.

“It’s a great opportunity to hear about all the wonderful science that has been produced thanks to the SKA precursor and pathfinder instruments, in a special year for us which has seen the birth of the SKA Observatory,” says SKAO Project Scientist Dr Anna Bonaldi, part of the Scientific Organising Committee. “This is the first fully virtual event from SKAO, which will allow a much bigger participation, both in terms of the number of attendees and where they are in the world.”

The plenary sessions will be run twice, 12 hours apart, in order to accommodate participants in all time zones. Poster sessions will also be held using Gather.town, a 2D world allowing participants to walk around a poster hall using an avatar, and interact with the presenter and other participants alike by video and audio.

“After a year in which we couldn’t travel much and interaction has been somewhat restricted, I’m looking forward to this opportunity to connect with our science community, which is so broad, to hear about all the work they have been doing,” Dr Bonaldi adds.

All are welcome to register for the event; registration will remain open throughout the conference, costing £40 (or £20 for students) to cover the cost of the online events platform as well as technical and logistical support. SKAO looks forward to seeing you there!

By SKAO