gbtnews 12 December 2000

NAIC -- NRAO School on Single-Dish Radio Astronomy --
	 Techniques & Applications

First Announcement

The Arecibo (NAIC) and Green Bank (NRAO) Observatories are organizing
the first "NAIC -- NRAO School on Single-Dish Radio Astronomy ---- 
Techniques & Applications". The school will take place from June 10 
(Sunday) to June 15 (Saturday) 2001 in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The next 
school is planned for June 2002 in Green Bank. The school is
intended for astronomy graduate students, postdocs, and experts in
other astronomical fields who would like to exploit this branch of
radio astronomy. It aims at:

-- preparing new users of the Arecibo, Green Bank and other single-dish
   radio telescopes for all aspects of the observing process;  
-- providing an intensive course on current single-dish capabilities and 
   how to maximize returns from a single-dish telescope;
-- providing "hands-on" experience for the participants;
-- publishing the proceedings in book form.

The school will consist of an intensive series of lectures (see the 
preliminary program below), in conjunction with "hands-on" projects. 
In order to provide as many examples from the "real" single-dish
world as possible, we invite both lecturers and participants to present 
posters related to their research experience with single-dishes, 
emphasizing observational and data-handling techniques.

The number of participants will be limited to approximately 40 people.
A registration fee of $125 will include: travel to/from the airport and
daily travel to/from the hotels, the welcome reception (held on
Sunday, June 10), the social events (Wednesday morning, June 13), 
the school banquet (Thursday, June 14), and a copy of the proceedings.
Financial help should be available for a number of participants.

To find more information about the school and to register, please go to:
http://www.naic.edu/meeting.html.
For additional information contact: school@naic.edu.

Preliminary Program:

-- Single-Dish Fundamentals:
    Introduction: Why single-dishes?
    General Theory: Fundamentals of radio astronomy & antennas
    Theory of Measurement with Fully-Filled Apertures
    The Receiver System 
    Backends
    The Fundamentals of: Continuum, Spectral-Line, Pulsar,
        Planetary Radar Observations

-- Single-dish observing branches and associated techniques:
    Polarization
    Continuum 
    Spectral Line 
    Pulsars 
    Planetary Radar Observations
    Bolometery

-- Calibration and Data Reduction:
    Calibration Techniques at Radio Wavelengths
    Calibration Techniques at Millimeter Wavelengths
    VLBI from the single-dish calibration point of view 
    Reduction & Analysis Techniques 

-- Special Topics:
    Remote Observing
    The Effects of the Atmosphere and Ionosphere
    RFI and How to Deal with it (Both in Hardware & Software) 
    Stray Radiation and How to Deal with it
    Short-spacings correction from the single-dish point of view
    Focal Plane Arrays
    The Future for single-dishes

-- Hands-On Projects:
    AIPS++ "Dish" Lectures & Tutorials
    Visualization Tools
    Planning, data acquisition and analysis of simple observations 
     with a real telescope