Director's update

Published in the RSAA Lunations
Vol1 Issue48 1–29 February 2024

The coming year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Commonwealth Solar Observatory at Mount Stromlo. To mark this occasion, ANU will be hosting a series of events in 2024 for our science community, the public and our supporters. RSAA will host a 1 day symposium highlighting contributions of RSAA scientists in key areas where the School has had and continues to have impact. The symposium format will include talks from RSAA alumni, and will be followed by a gala dinner. The entire RSAA community will be invited to join us for this event. As part of the public facing aspects of the 100th anniversary, we are organising a series of 4 public lectures in April, June, September, and November. I am delighted that Naomi McClure-Griffiths, Matthew Colless, Lisa Kewley and Brian Schmidt have agreed to participate. We will also share the mountain during a public Open Day on 7 September. Look out for details of all events in the coming weeks.

This year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the AAT, which will be marked by a symposium in the week prior to Starfest. 

Speaking of Anniversaries, this week sees the celebration of 10 years since commencement of the of SkyMapper Southern Sky Survey. The occasion will be marked by the Skymapper@10 Fest in the Duffield Lecture Theatre, this Friday 16 February 10am-3pm. All are welcome.

2024 is also a big year for planning our research future.  The School will host an external review, and is undertaking its strategic plan. In the coming weeks our Associate Directors will host town hall meetings to discuss future directions in the School. All members of RSAA are encouraged to participate in these important discussions. At the National level, preparations are also underway for development of the next Decadal Plan to be released in 2025.

Finally, we have welcomed Professor Melissa Ness to the Faculty, and welcomed back Brian Schmidt and Matthew Colless from their sabbaticals!

Stuart Wyithe

Image: Moon in rock formation, Cristy Roberts