Expressions of interest are now being accepted for the next semester of the Astronomy Data and Computing Services (ADACS) Merit Allocation Program. The deadline for submissions is Friday 2nd October, 2020 at 8pm AEST​.

Those who could benefit either from training or the development effort of software professionals are encouraged submit a simple one-page document expressing their project idea. ADACS staff will then follow-up with applicants to organise a discussion with a goal of organising a final application, to be due the first week of November.

All applicants must participate in the EoI process in order for a final submission to be accepted.

Please visit this link for specific EoI instructions and for more details about the program. For more information about ADACS, contact Senior AAL Program Manager Robert Shen.

ADACS is a collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology and Curtin University.  It is funded under the Astronomy National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Program via Astronomy Australia Ltd (AAL).

AAL is pleased to announce that five nights of CTIO time will be available to the Australian community on the 4m Blanco Telescope in Semester 2021A  (1 February 2021 – 31 July 2021).
The proposal deadline is 6 October 2020, 17:00 AEDT.

Proposals will be assessed by the Australian Time Allocation Committee (ATAC), and must follow the new ATAC Policies and Procedures. Proposals must be submitted before the deadline using the Lens proposal form, see here. 

The Blanco telescope offers two instruments, the wide-field imaging camera DECam and the CTIO Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (COSMOS). Further details about the available nights and instruments can be found here. Note, though the CTIO remains closed due to COVID-19, proposals are being solicited for Semester 2021A. When it resumes, all CTIO observations are expected to be completed remotely, see here for further details.
   
A trial implementation of the dual-anonymous proposal review process for regular proposals (including for the Blanco Telescope) was implemented in 2020B, and will continue in 2021A. Proposers are required to anonymise their proposals following the guidelines here. Examples of re-worked text can be found here. A strict compliance with these guidelines is required.

Feedback regarding the trial or questions regarding this call should be sent to the ATAC Technical Secretary, or to the AAL Program Manager, Dr Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer.

​In Semester 2021A the Australian astronomical community will have access to 4.5 nights of observing time with the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI). Proposals for GSAOI observations on the Gemini South telescope in Semester 2021A (1 February 2021 – 31 July 2021) are due by 5:00pm AEST, Tuesday 6 October 2020.

​Gemini proposals must be submitted using the 2021A release of the Phase I Tool (PIT) that can be downloaded here.
 
Please use this link for a step-by-step guide and tutorials for submission of proposals using the Phase I Tool. See here for information about GSAOI and full details on instrument status.
The official Gemini Observatory Call for Proposals is also available here.

Updates about the COVID-19 measures at the NOIRLab and Gemini South are available here. Classical mode observations will be taken by the Gemini Observatory staff, with remote assistance (control) from PI teams. The Observatory will work with the individual teams to ensure the best strategy for their observations and the quick access to the raw data.

For more information, please contact the ATAC Secretariat: ​aat@astronomyaustralia.org.au
​or
AAL Program Manager Dr Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer: 
lucyna.chudczer@astronomyaustralia.org.au