Gemini e-Newscast #38

Jun 7, 2012

Gemini Science Meeting updates: schedule, poster abstracts, and student funding

The detailed program schedule for the Gemini Science and Users Meeting is now posted at www.gemini.edu/gsm12/program-amp-invited-speakers. The schedule includes exciting science results, discussions with the new Users' Committee about current user issues, and important workshop sessions to discuss future instrumentation and plans for Gemini. Posters can still be contributed; abstracts received by June 15 will appear in the meeting materials.

AURA is providing some travel funding for students who are working with Gemini data. Please contact Lucia Medina lmedina@gemini.edu if you are a student or are working with a student who should be considered for this support.

Regular registration ends on Friday, June 8. Late registration at a higher fee will continue to be available. See the meeting web page for the latest and complete information.

Continuing improvement of the Observing Tool

We continue to improve the Observing Tool (OT). The major new features in the 2012B OT, to be released in mid-June, include automated guide star selection for all operational instruments and wavefront sensors and improved initial program "skeleton" creation using all the instrument configuration information from the 2012B Phase I Tool proposal. The initial programs will come with template observations for all instrument modes requested at Phase I. The templates will be filled in with instrument configuration details such as filters and slits. It will be possible to apply these templates to the targets and conditions and to re-apply the templates when changes are made as a form of bulk editing. This plus automatic guide star selection and automatic GCAL calibration settings should make Phase II preparations easier than in the past. I welcome your feedback on your experience with the new tool, including suggestions for improvements in future releases. Please send email directly to nlevenson@gemini.edu.

Gemini YouTube channel launched

Gemini Observatory now has a YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/GeminiObservatory. New video content will be posted regularly over the coming months. The latest is a two-part feature on the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS), in Spanish with English subtitles.