UK Involvement in LSST: Phase B (Oxford component)
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Oxford Physics
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
Support for UK involvement in LSST, through funding the LSST:UK Science Centre (LUSC), can generate societal and economic impact under the following five headings:
1. Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of enterprises working on "Big Data" issues being incubated within the Higgs Centre for Innovation.
The Phase B LUSC Data Access Centre workpackage is co-located on the Royal Observatory Edinburgh campus with the Higgs Centre for Innovation, which is being funded to improve interaction between academia and industry in Space and Big Data, and to enhance economic impact in those two domains. We shall exploit that co-location to ensure that Big Data innovations within the LSST project in the US filter through to UK SMEs and that the challenging requirements of LSST inspire the development of novel Big Data techniques and technologies within the UK, as has been the case in the US.
2. Increasing public engagement with research through Citizen Science initiatives.
The LSST:UK Consortium will develop a Citizen Science platform based on the pioneering Zooniverse project, which currently has more than one million users doing real science online. Computational advances between now and the start of LSST operations will enable Citizen Science activities that greatly exceed what is currently possible, and perhaps most exciting is the prospect of involving Citizen Scientists in the classification of the million or more transient alerts that LSST will generate per night, placing the public at the heart of LSST's pioneering exploration of time-domain astronomy.
3. Enhancing cultural enrichment and quality of life through education & outreach activities.
The LSST:UK Consortium institutions have a wealth of experience in education and public outreach (EPO) activities, from running Open Days and exhibitions to CPD courses for school teachers to Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs). During Phase B we will develop an EPO programme, in conjunction with the very active LSST EPO team in the US.
4. Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of organisations through the employment of researchers with high-level expertise derived from working on LSST.
Over the 18-year lifetime of the LUSC programme, many students (e.g. from the STFC data-intensive science CDTs) and postdocs who have developed high-level expertise from working on LSST will pass from astronomy to the commercial sector, taking their valuable knowledge and skills with them. Particularly valuable will be the computational and statistical skills that will be readily applicable to the Big Data challenges prevalent in the public and private sector, and the expertise in thick CCDs developed through UK involvement in the LSST camera team.
5. Wealth creation, through the placing of construction contracts with UK companies.
The detector characterisation work started during LUSC Phase A, and proposed for continuation during Phase B, has included liaison with a UK company that has now signed a large contract to supply roughly half of the LSST detectors.
1. Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of enterprises working on "Big Data" issues being incubated within the Higgs Centre for Innovation.
The Phase B LUSC Data Access Centre workpackage is co-located on the Royal Observatory Edinburgh campus with the Higgs Centre for Innovation, which is being funded to improve interaction between academia and industry in Space and Big Data, and to enhance economic impact in those two domains. We shall exploit that co-location to ensure that Big Data innovations within the LSST project in the US filter through to UK SMEs and that the challenging requirements of LSST inspire the development of novel Big Data techniques and technologies within the UK, as has been the case in the US.
2. Increasing public engagement with research through Citizen Science initiatives.
The LSST:UK Consortium will develop a Citizen Science platform based on the pioneering Zooniverse project, which currently has more than one million users doing real science online. Computational advances between now and the start of LSST operations will enable Citizen Science activities that greatly exceed what is currently possible, and perhaps most exciting is the prospect of involving Citizen Scientists in the classification of the million or more transient alerts that LSST will generate per night, placing the public at the heart of LSST's pioneering exploration of time-domain astronomy.
3. Enhancing cultural enrichment and quality of life through education & outreach activities.
The LSST:UK Consortium institutions have a wealth of experience in education and public outreach (EPO) activities, from running Open Days and exhibitions to CPD courses for school teachers to Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs). During Phase B we will develop an EPO programme, in conjunction with the very active LSST EPO team in the US.
4. Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of organisations through the employment of researchers with high-level expertise derived from working on LSST.
Over the 18-year lifetime of the LUSC programme, many students (e.g. from the STFC data-intensive science CDTs) and postdocs who have developed high-level expertise from working on LSST will pass from astronomy to the commercial sector, taking their valuable knowledge and skills with them. Particularly valuable will be the computational and statistical skills that will be readily applicable to the Big Data challenges prevalent in the public and private sector, and the expertise in thick CCDs developed through UK involvement in the LSST camera team.
5. Wealth creation, through the placing of construction contracts with UK companies.
The detector characterisation work started during LUSC Phase A, and proposed for continuation during Phase B, has included liaison with a UK company that has now signed a large contract to supply roughly half of the LSST detectors.
Organisations
Publications
Weatherill D
(2019)
Automatic selection of correlated double sampling timing parameters
in Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems
Holloway P
(2023)
On the detectability of strong lensing in near-infrared surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Holloway P
(2024)
A Bayesian approach to strong lens finding in the era of wide-area surveys
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Weatherill D
(2020)
Measuring the impact of CCD gate width on the brighter-fatter effect
Holloway P
(2023)
On the detectability of strong lensing in near-infrared surveys
Title | Galaxy Zoo DECALS |
Description | This is an algorithmic classification of 300000 galaxies. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | N/A |
URL | http://data.galaxyzoo.org |
Title | Zooniverse Panoptes Python Client |
Description | This python client allows users to interact with the Zooniverse Panoptes platform, which supports the citizen science projects on the platform |
Type Of Technology | Software |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
Impact | N/A |
Title | Zooniverse Panoptes platform: integration with LSST DAC |
Description | This is the backend application that supports the Zooniverse citizen science platform. we have made changes to enable it to integrate with the LSST DAC. |
Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Open Source License? | Yes |
Impact | N/A |
Description | Adler Kavli Talks: Zooniverse/LSST |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Developed, wrote and presented script for planetarium show, which was built by the Adler Planetarium to fit script, on Zooniverse and the promise of LSST. Live to audience of 500 in two showings in Chicago, broadcast live to 35 other planetaria. Visualizations produced available to be used in other planetaria. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Agile Rabbit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk and discussion on serendipity to art/tech group in Exeter |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Ashford Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on serendipity. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Cafe Scientifique Didcot |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to Didcot Cafe Scientifique online |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Chipping Norton Astronomical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to society |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Crowd and Cosmos Talk (Oxford Library) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk to library users about research; reached an audience who would normally not attend talks in Oxford |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Dark Skies Festival Marlborough |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on modern astrophysics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Dark Sky Wales |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on serendipity |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Lols in Space |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Stand up comedy |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Norwich Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Discussion at science festival, released as podcast. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Open House Leeds, hosted by tech/design company. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Talk to industry/design meet up. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Physics In Action |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Three talks to large audiences of six formers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021,2022 |
Description | Public Talk (Orpington) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk at Orpington Astronomical Society |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | STEM Wana Trust |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Presentation to schools in New Zealand. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | School Public Talk (Canterbury) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk hosted by school to pupils and their guests. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Talk (Manchester) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk at Astronomy on Tap in Groningen, broadcast live online. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Talk (Oxford: IF Festival) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Launch for the Crowd and Cosmos book. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Talk (Thomas Hardye School) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk for school community. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Talk at Google |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Talk at Google. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Universe of Music (Lewis) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Universe of Music with Steve Pretty at Hebridean Dark Skies Festival |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Universe of Music (Norwich Science Festival) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Performance of 'Universe of Music' with jazz musician Steve Pretty. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | World Space Week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Talk on modern astrophysics |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Zoom Talks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A total of 24 talks given online during the pandemic. Mean audience 72. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |