Sol Plaatje University hosted the Ilifu Big Data Hackathon from 12 – 13 March 2020. The Ilifu Human Capital Development and Outreach Committee in partnership with SPU’s School of Natural and Applied Sciences aims to promote active usage of ilifu (a big data infrastructure for data-intensive research) through hands-on activities, training and skills development. The aim of the Hackathon is … Read More
The impact of a social network of peers on academic achievement and dropout rates in minorities is a well- studied subject (1). While no formal study of this kind has been carried out in South Africa, generally, findings internationally agree that the less isolated minority students are, the more likely they are to succeed individually, and as a group (2). … Read More
We are excited to announce that we will be joined by a new postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Francesco Cavallaro, who will be based at the University of Cape Town. Dr. Cavallaro will be working with the ThunderKAT, MIGHTEE and MeerLICHT projects on research into stellar radio emission. Dr. Cavallaro joins us from Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) in Catania, Sicily, … Read More
The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy (IDIA), a partnership of the University of Cape Town (UCT); University of Pretoria (UP) and University of the Western Cape (UWC), has taken the decision to close its offices. This is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of a State of National Disaster, and our decision to implement precautionary, proactive measures to … Read More
Academics from the University of Cape Town (UCT) are part of a research group led by the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics that has observed a black hole ejecting material at close to the speed of light out to some of the largest angular distances (separations) ever seen. These observations have allowed a deeper understanding of how black holes … Read More
The Inter-University Institute for Data Intensive Astronomy was honoured to have Prof. Ewine Fleur van Dishoeck, professor of Molecular Astrophysics at Leiden Observatory and president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), who dedicated a whole morning out of her incredibly busy schedule to deliver a special colloquium at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of the Western … Read More
We are pleased to announce that SPARCS X 2020 “Capturing science from the pathfinder survey data” will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 8-11 September 2020. Registration will soon be open via: https://www.idia.ac.za/SPARCS2020/ SPARCS is the forum to maximize the scientific return from the SKA Pathfinder projects’ continuum surveys. The SKA PAthfinder Radio Continuum Survey (SPARCS) Working Group has the following goals: To coordinate developments of techniques, to avoid … Read More
IDIA’s Development and Outreach shines at international Science for Development meeting. An international, interdisciplinary workshop on “Science for Development” was be held on January 30-31, 2020 at the South African Astronomical Observatory in Cape Town, South Africa. The aim of the workshop was to create a space for interaction between natural scientists, technology experts, social scientists and development practitioners in … Read More
IDIA is pleased to welcome Prof. Ewine F. van Dishoeck from Leiden Observatory (Leiden University) who will be our next speaker for the SEADS Series. Prof. van Dischoeck is the current President of the International Astronomical Union. The elements we know, from helium to uranium, are made in stars. Now, research is looking into how these elements combine – still … Read More
This SEADS seminar was held at the South African Astronomical Observatory because access to the UWC campus was not possible. We are grateful to SAAO for hosting the seminar. It was therefore also streamed online with good participation in spite of the logistical challenges we faced. Dr. Ramanujam covered many topics in his presentation, giving an overview of popular science … Read More
