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MeerKAT and SKA astronomy projects making ‘good progress’

29th April 2016

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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The memorandum of understanding (MoU) for institutionalising cooperation in radio astronomy between South Africa and the other Square Kilometre Array (SKA) African partner countries was approved at the recent third SKA African partner countries Ministerial meeting, at Muldersdrift, north-west of Johannesburg.

The MoU was signed by the three Ministers attending the meeting. These were South African Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor, Botswana Infrastructure, Science and Technology Minister Nonofo Molefhi and Mauritian Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research Minister Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun. The MoU will be signed by the other Ministers in their respective countries in due course.

Pandor also announced, in her opening address to the Ministerial meeting, that the country’s radio telescope array, MeerKAT, would be ready for science by the end of June this year. By then, 21 antennas would be mounted and ready. “This is excellent progress,” she affirmed. MeerKAT, which will have 64 dish antennas when completed, is intended to be both a major astronomical instrument in its own right and a precursor to the international SKA radio telescope, the core elements of which will be cohosted by South Africa and Australia, and which will be the world’s biggest radio telescope.

In response to a question from Engineering News, SKA South Africa (the local organisation responsible for South Africa’s participation in the SKA as well as for the development of the MeerKAT) calculated that, from 2005 until the end of last month, South Africa had invested some R2.4-billion in the SKA and MeerKAT programmes, including the KAT-7 prototype array of seven dishes.

During Phase 2 of the SKA programme, outstations will be set up in a number of other countries. The SKA African partner countries will each host at least one outstation. These countries are Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia. South Africa and the eight SKA African partner countries are also partners in the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN), being developed with South African expertise. This involves the conversion of obsolete large telecommunications dishes into radio astronomy antennas and is also covered by the MoU.

The conversion of an obsolete telecommuni-cations dish into a radio astronomy antenna in SKA African partner Ghana was going very well. It was providing valuable lessons for similar conversions, planned to take place in the other African partner countries.

“We’ve [also] made excellent progress in a number of areas with big data development, using the SKA as a catalyst,” highlighted Pandor. “I think we’re beginning to see some really exciting opportunities and programmes arising from this. “Plans are under way for a national level data facility for MeerKAT, initially.” Later, this would be adapted to serve the SKA and other instruments. Up to 100 young big data scientists will be trained in South Africa over the next five years. A joint project with Dutch astronomy agency Astron and US group IBM had been started to develop a prototype big data system for the SKA.

“All the initiatives we have towards developing new young scientists have involved all the African [SKA partner] countries,” she pointed out. Big data investment in Africa was probably essential if Africa was going to play a major role in the future global economy. She stressed that, when development was collaborative, a lot of resources were saved but both national and continental capabilities were developed.

SKA South Africa’s human capital development (HCD) programme had recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, she pointed out. It has trained some 700 people so far, including at undergraduate, honours, master’s and PhD level. “This is absolutely exciting!” These figures include 133 students from other African countries, of whom 91 came from the African partner countries. “They’re going back home to continue science work.”

Support was also being given to schools in Carnarvon, the nearest town to the MeerKAT/SKA site. As a result, five Carnarvon children have achieved university entrance in mathematics and science and have been awarded bursaries by the HCD programme to study these disciplines at university.

“The SKA remains, therefore, an important African endeavour,” she concluded. It had huge potential to raise the profile of science and technology across the continent.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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