ewan douglas

We are hiring at the University of Arizona libraries for a Data Science Specialist/Librarian. Expertise/experience in Python is a must. Not on the search committee, will be your colleague. arizona.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...

NDAs Are Out of Control. Here’s What Needs to Change New data shows that over one-third of the U.S. workforce is bound by an NDA. These contracts have grown not only in number but also in breadth. They not only appear in settlements after a victim of se...

Time to repost this, hbr.org/2018/01/ndas...

Thanks for the posts!

The Habitable Worlds Observatory is early in its development as a large infrared/optical/ultraviolet space telescope. Many designs are under consideration, including this artist's concept animation. More about the planned observatory: go.nasa.gov/HWO #HWO2025 #HWO25 🔭 🧪 ☄️

In a new paper this month from Carlos Vargas and the Aspera team, readers get updates and context for the Steward Observatory-based mission. Learn more about this bold mission that aims to study galaxy evolution through UV light: bit.ly/3INfG93

I'm at the #HWO25 meeting this week and this morning's talks have been quite inspiring that we can actually get this thing done.

Fig. 2: Flowchart illustrates the implementation of aEFC for this work. For each control iteration, the first step is to estimate the focal plane electric field. Here, we assume that pairwise-probing (PWP) is used for this estimation. The next step is to compute the nominal model-based electric field ENOM, which is passed into the optimizer. Within the optimizer is a smaller loop where the forward model is evaluated to compute the cost-function value, then the adjoint model is evaluated to compute the gradient with respect to DM actuators so the optimizer can step the actuators in the direction that minimizes the cost-function. Once the optimizer’s tolerance value or iterations limit is reached, the actuator solution δA is applied to the instrument and the control iteration repeats.

new 🔭 paper day! Kian Milani and coauthors show how to save computing power and memory with an adjoint model to create high-contrast dark holes with a vortex coronagraph in simulation and reaching <1e-8 contrasts in the lab www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/Jou...

The first photos from the Vera Rubin Observatory are stunning — thanks in part to the University of Arizona, which helped build its mirror. Proud to see Arizona leading the way in space science.

Pioneering far UV emission mapping of the circumgalactic medium with Aspera—motivation, mission status, and lessons learned Aspera is a far ultraviolet (FUV) SmallSat mission in the NASA Astrophysics Pioneers Program with the science objectives surrounding detection and mapping of the warm-hot circumgalactic medium in emission for the first time in nearby galaxies. Aspera comprises a pair of identical long-slit FUV spectrographs optimized to detect faint extended source emission at ∼103 nm. The operations phase of the mission will include a commissioning phase, a primary science phase, and a closeout phase. Placed in a Sun-synchronous 500 to 600 km orbit, Aspera will operate in detection, mapping, and calibration modes during the primary science phase to achieve the mission’s science objectives. We note that minor damage outside of the clear aperture of the off-axis parabola mirrors was discovered during the application of high reflectance FUV coatings. It was determined that this damage was likely due to a cold welding effect when the Al optic holder came in contact with the contact point regions of the optic during the enhanced lithium fluoride coating process. These features do not affect the performance of the optic, nor do they pose any structural risk, and they can be avoided for future projects through material selection. The payload critical design is complete, and assembly of the payload began as of summer 2024.

New paper day from Carlos Vargas and the Aspera team! @stewardobservatory.bsky.social :
www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/Jou...

3D image shows ancient fluvial channels and higher-standing terrain within Jezero Crater. The scene is less than 5 km, or 3 miles, across. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona)

HiRISE 3D: Jezero Crater

An updated batch of anaglyphs for our July PDS release starts with this wonder 3D image of a part of Jezero Crater.

www.uahirise.org/anaglyph/ESP...
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
#Mars #NASA #science

This is extremely worrying. The work done at IPAC is critical to the field of astronomy in the US and worldwide.

Today I remembered the NASA Exoplanet Task Force charged in 2006 with developing a 15-year strategy to "detect and characterize exo-planets". Still waiting on that space based direct imaging. 15 years out would have been 2022-ish...

There is an economic multiplier to every science dollar spent. Just from the University of Arizona, the proposed cuts to NASA/NSF could pull hundreds of millions of dollars out of the southern Arizona economy. We are a place that has "Space is Wildcat country" banners on poles.

NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Aspera’s Galaxy Mission - NASA NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the agency’s Aspera mission, a SmallSat to study galaxy formation and evolution,

@stewardobservatory.bsky.social's Aspera Pioneer mission has a ride! www.nasa.gov/news-release...

Introducing Our University’s New, Totally Reasonable Criteria for Promotion and Tenure Since the founding of our august institution, we have awarded promotion and tenure based on how many pages of your research we could read before fa...

"These guidelines were written by almost-retired professors who never could have met these standards back in the 1980s, when all you needed for tenure was 1.5 publications and a bottle of scotch in your desk."
buff.ly/TOh3MUc

xwcl.science/magao-x/maga...

@stewardobservatory.bsky.social : news.arizona.edu/news/sharper...

We don’t make money running these labs. That isn’t the point. We are non-profits for a reason. When NSF and NASA want me to do a project in addition to paying for the project they basically pay to rent the space the project gets done in and all that that entails (utilities, custodian, maintenance)

YouTube video by Sarah Horst February 8, 2025

I didn’t know if it might help to actually see what we are talking about with indirect costs so I did a little lab tour.

youtube.com/shorts/ttia4...

news.arizona.edu/news/economi...

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The Lunar and Planetary Laboratory will be hosting its annual Art of Planetary Science exhibition from February 21-23, 2025, with the theme of 50 Years of Discovery and Mystery on Mars. At the Kuiper Space Sciences building on the mall at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

#PlanetSci

happy masks

Watch Duty - Wildfire Maps & Alerts Real-time information about wildfire and firefighting efforts nearby

If you are in LA, highly recommend the Watch Duty wildfire site/app for information. Stay safe, friends
app.watchduty.org

Gender and retention patterns among U.S. faculty Women faculty are more likely to leave their jobs than men, most often due to workplace climate, rather than work-life balance.

“Women leave or consider leaving [faculty positions] because of workplace climate more often than work-life balance.” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Welp, there's now a news item up, so I guess it's official.

www.itl.arizona.edu/news/changin...

The NYT Spends 36 Hours in Tucson - Including the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter

Exploring Tucson? The New York Times recommends heading to the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter, where scientists lead "staggering viewings through giant telescopes." Be sure to book your viewing! skycenter.arizona.edu/news/nyt-spe...

Kinds of 🔭 instrumentation papers

One place where Bluesky could help replace the utility of Twitter is live conference posting. Is anyone at Exoplanets in our Backyard 3 this week? I’d love to hear how it’s going!

The LPL Bluesky account will be spinning up as well. We are @uarizonalpl.bsky.social

Welcome to Steward Observatory’s official Bluesky account! We represent both the century-old astronomy research unit and the Department of Astronomy at the University of Arizona. Follow to hear about our world-leading research, our outreach efforts, and the people who make it all happen.