15 May 2016

Botswana International University Of Science and Technology (BIUST) will host a radio astronomy training.

A press release from BIUST states that the project will be hosted and managed by the Department of Physics and Astronomy and championed by Dr Mhlambululi Mafu. 

The main objective of the Newton Fund project is to build science and engineering capacity in radio astronomy in preparation for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project that would be implemented in Botswana in 2023.

The release also states that the SKA will be the world’s ‘next generation’ radio astronomy telescope and it will consist of multi-radio telescopes that would have a total collecting area of approximately one square kilometer expected to operate over a wide range of frequencies and its size will make it 50 times more sensitive and up to 10 000 faster than the best radio telescopes of today. 

It also states that SKA is powerful enough to detect radio waves from objects that are millions or even billions of light years away from Earth and it will require very high performance central computing engines and long-haul links with a capacity greater than the current global internet traffic adding that it will be able to survey the sky more than ten thousand times faster than ever before.

The SKA, it says, will focus on addressing questions that could only be answered using a radio telescope and scientists will use it to help understand how the universe evolved, how stars and galaxies form and change, and what “dark matter” really is. Scientists expect that the SKA would make new discoveries that we cannot even imagine now. 

Again, it says they may even find life elsewhere in the universe and the capabilities of the SKA will be designed to address a wide range of questions in astrophysics, fundamental physics, cosmology and practice astrophysics as well as extending the range of the observable universe.

It also states that some project benefits to Botswana are that the technologies and systems required for the SKA will require engineers to work at the cutting edge of design and innovation, such as better high-performance computing and new manufacturing, and construction techniques. 

Also, the most important spin-off would be the generation of new knowledge and knowledge workers, young scientists and engineers with cutting edge skills and expertise in a wide range of scarce and innovative fields. 

Further, it says the SKA aims to build institutional capacity in universities, research institutions and government departments that promote the development of radio-astronomy programmes and initiatives while develop a vibrant community of researchers and scientists to undertake radio-astronomy studies across Africa.

Other aims developing a pool of engineers, technicians and other associated skills to support the design, construction, operations and maintenance of radio astronomy telescopes and related platforms and mobilize the funding and technical resources needed to realize Africa’s vision for radio astronomy, facilitate strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts, both regionally and globally.

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