Latest update: 24/12/2021.
Virtual and in-person attendance
Is this an online or physical conference?
Initially our intention was to open the venue for about 50 attendees, in addition to those joining virtually. Because of the pandemic, the entire event is now online for everybody, streamed thorough a Zoom Webinar system. If you find any reference on this website to in-person participation, it would be only because we forgot to update that webpage.
Is there a registration fee?
Yes, 8 EUR to be paid on this webpage (for security reasons it cannot be on the Indico website). Every attendee has to pay this fee, which cover administrative costs. This "basic" registration also allows to join the Zoom Webinar platform and access the video recordings later on. An exception is made for students in non-astrophysical disciplines, who can attend only part of the lectures with a reduced fee (3.50 EUR). See more details below.
Can you say something more about the online format?
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Lectures will be taught in a Zoom Webinar, to minimize the risk of technical glitches.
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Tutorials, since they are more interactive, will be in a Zoom Meeting Room.
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Here there is an explanation of the differences between Webinar and Meeting Room.
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To enhance interaction, the LOC has set up a Slido channel (https://www.sli.do/ Enter code: #111213)
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By February 1st you should receive an email with the instruction to connect: check your spam bin if you don't receive anything by that date.
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In the next few weeks the Timetable will be updated; by clicking on each slot (and then on the "list" icon in the pop-up window) you'll see more details, useful links, and/or downloadable material related to that contribution.
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The backbone of hands-on tutorials will be Jupyter Notebooks written in Python. If you are not familiar with Python and/or Jupyter, we strongly encourage you to search for some "getting started" documentation on Internet (see e.g. this link). For this Winter School, we assume everybody already knows the basics of Python programming (import modules; list, tuples, arrays; using numpy, scipy, matplotlib; etc.) and how a Notebook works (start a kernel; run a cell; markdown annotations; etc.).
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We asked tutors to make their Notebooks compatible with Binder: in that way, you wouldn't need to install any software or library on your local computer.
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Those who expressed interest in presenting a "virtual poster" will be contacted separately at the beginning of January.
Will the event be recorded?
Most of it will be recorded and can be watched later, with the exception of lectures/seminars by non-academic professionals (because of contract reasons) or cases experiencing technical problems. Please note that some limitation might apply, e.g.
- videos available in streaming but not for download
- videos available for limited time (like a 1-month window)
- videos of hands-on session may be difficult to follow, in case we opt for a combination of Zoom + Slack for the live interaction (with only the Zoom output being recorded)
Moreover, we can already anticipate that Liv Gish's seminar on Friday morning will not be recorded; this choice should create a more comfortable environment for the students to talk about their personal situation/thoughts during the session.
We will do our best to avoid any of these inconveniences. Every participant who subscribed to the basic registration fee (see above) will receive the credentials to access the recordings.
Astro and Career modules
Modular structure of the Winter School
The School is divided in two modules: scientific topics shall be addressed during the first three days, while Thursday and Friday shall be dedicated to the soft skills useful for career development. With the caveat that there might be last-minute amends to such a division if some speaker needs to re-schedule their talk.
The Career module is of general interest, and students coming from non-astrophysical disciplines can attend it at a discounted price (see above). On the other hand, it is not possible to register only for the Astro module.
Emphasis on distant galaxies
In the Astro module we will pay special attention to topics related to distant galaxies and their evolution during the early phases of the Universe's life. Nonetheless, many concepts presented during the lectures can be applied to other sub-fields of astrophysical research (and beyond).
Presenting a poster
Several institutes require students to present at least a poster in order to reimburse the travel. Since we cannot use a venue, the DAWN Winter School will display "virtual posters" on an online platform.
What is a virtual poster?
It is a pre-recorded presentation of 4 minutes or less. Unfortunately the tight schedule does not allow us to have a dedicated session in the programme, so the videos will not be broadcasted during the week. However they will be available on the website and we will invite participants to watch them individually at their earliest convenience.
To create a virtual poster, you can use e.g. QuickTime to record your screen & audio, or open a Zoom Meeting Room. Accepted file formats are .mp4, .avi, .wav, .mov, and suggested duration is <4 minutes. By sending your video, you implicitly grant us permission to store and reproduce it; you keep thee intellectual property of the video, including the right to have it removed from the internet.
