Software Systems for Astronomy (SSFA) - July 3 - August 11, 2023 (cancelled)

Please note for those applying for our SSFA summer program at UH Hilo, if you are not currently registered at UH Hilo.

SSFA will be offered on-line this summer 2023 for the eighth annual Software Systems for Astronomy. An intensive software class for those interested in Software in Astronomy is offered by Professor Albert Conrad.

SSFA (Software Systems for Astronomy) teaches students the basics they need to produce software tools and systems that astronomers and telescope operators find intuitive and efficient to operate. SSFA provides a bridge between these two disciplines, the branch of astronomy that teaches students practical observing skills and the branch of computer science that teaches students how to develop reliable, user-friendly, software systems. SSFA is a course on telescope and instrument control systems, observation planning tools, and data analysis software. This course will be offered by Dr. Albert Conrad.  Students will work with existing software tools and current design methodologies.  A required lab tied to the class will also be offered for hands on experiential learning.   In the lab students will implement their software designs and then apply the software systems they have created to real-life problems in astronomy. Lab exercises complement the presentations in control systems, planning tools, data analysis, and archiving given in the lectures. Team programming techniques and proven methods for providing robust software solutions are also exercised in the lab. Prerequisites: ASTR 110 or ASTR 180; CS 150. Prerequisites are waived for observatory employees who wish to take the course for professional development. This is a great summer course at the foothills of Maunakea, location for many of the best observatories in the world.  2020 Syllabus <Link>

 

Interested in the SSFA program? Email Dr. Al Conrad at aconrad@hawaii.edu

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~aconrad/ssfa/

Interested in other summer programs, check out: our Summer classes offered at UHH

 

Note: "Prerequisites are waived for observatory employees who wish to take SSFA course for professional development."

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About Dr. Albert Conrad

As both an astronomer and a software developer, Dr. Albert Conrad has developed and used software systems for all phases of observing: from planning the observation, to taking the data, to analyzing the data in preparation for publication. Dr. Conrad’s research interests include asteroid systems and developing novel techniques to study comets, planets, and the moons of planets, in particular Jupiter’s moon Io. His complete bibliography includes over 100 publications including 26 articles in refereed journals. These range from his early software designs for the Keck Observatory, to his discovery of a small moon orbiting asteroid (41) Daphne. He enjoys sharing the results of his research through teaching, public lectures, and K-12 classroom visits. Dr. Conrad received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1994. He then worked as software engineer and support astronomer at both Lick and Keck Observatories before moving to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy to lead the development of a next generation adaptive optics system. Currently, as staff scientist at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, he develops systems for high angular resolution and conducts research in planetary science. He enjoys cycling, sailing, and outrigger canoe paddling.

 

 

 

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Special instructions for non-UHH students applying to SSFA:

(last updated 4/26/22)