A workshop to discuss the current status of the EST has taken place at Bairisch Kölldorf (Austria), between 9 and 11 October.
This conference was organised by the Institut of Physics IGAM (University of Graz), the Austrian Academia of Sciences, the Mayor Bad Gleichenberg and PRE-EST, the project which is working towards the construction phase of the European Solar Telescope.
The workshop was dedicated to review the main issues concerning the EST Preparatory Phase. The contacts with potential stakeholders and funding organisations in the regions of central Europe, discussions on possible collaborations and science cases as well as the public outreach strategy, were some of the issues to be discussed. This kind of events are crucial in the development of such strategic infrastructures, since it allows to introduce the project to a specialized audience. In the frame of this workshop, a meeting between member of PRE-EST with ministry, university of Graz and academy representatives took place, in order to explain them the project. With this event, Austria promotes the first presentation of EST to its community.
EST, the European Solar Telescope, is a revolutionary 4-metre aperture telescope designed to investigate our active Sun at unprecedent resolution. Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation it will help scientists understand the magnetic coupling of the solar atmosphere. EST will be installed in the Canary Islands (Spain) to benefit from unique observing conditions. First light is planned for 2027.
EST is supported by the European Association for Solar Telescopes (EAST), involving 21 research institutions in 15 countries across Europe. It is included in the Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) since March 2016. The project has received funding from the European Union's H2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 739500.
More information: http://science-media.org/conferencePage.php?v=25
Contacts
Dr. Arnold Hansmeier (University of Graz) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Dr. Manolo Collados (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, EST Project Coordinator) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.