FAQs

About the conference

• What is the SMA Interferometry School?
  The main goals of the school are to provide graduate students, advanced undergraduates, post-docs and scientists outside the field with a broad knowledge of interferometry and data reduction techniques at (sub)millimeter wavelengths. The workshop will provide a series of lectures focusing on fundamentals of radio interferometry, with a special emphasis on the Submillimeter Array (SMA) interferometer and its new capabilities.


• How is it different from similar interferometry schools?
  The school will also extensively utilize the SMA, located on Maunakea. Unlike other interferometry schools, school participants will propose, observe, and perform data reduction on their own projects as part of the curriculum.

Logistics

• Where is the SMA Interferometry School being held?
  The 2023 Submillimeter Array Interferometry School will be held at the Center for Astrophysics, in Cambridge, MA. Virtual participation for a limited number of students will also be offered.


• When is the SMA Interferometry School being held?
  The school will be held from 15-19 May 2023.


• What are the registration costs?
  There are no registration costs for the workshop.

Application Process

• What is the application process for the SMA Interferometry School?
  Each prospective student is required to fill out an application form (which can be accessed through the registration page ). Along with some basic information, the application requires the submission of a limited, 1-page proposal for an observation, and a brief (1-2 paragraph) personal statement on why you are interested in attending the school.


• How will proposals/attendees be selected?
  Up to 18 participants will be selected based primarily on the contents of the personal statement and the observing proposal. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration without regard to race, color, creed, national origin or gender. We particularly encourage applications from individuals belonging to historically underrepresented groups.


• Why is an observing proposal required?
  As part of the school will involve students collecting data for their own purposes, we use the observing proposal to evaluate scientific proficiency of each applicant. Deep technical mastery of interferometry is not required -- that's part what we are hoping to teach you!


• I just put in an observing proposal, can I reuse that for my application?
  If you have (or will) put in an observing proposal for the 2022B or 2023A semesters, then you may reuse material that you were the primary author for (i.e., the different material should be seen in separate applications for the school). Please note that the page and technical limits for SMA standard proposals and for the school are different, so some degree of proposal editing may be required.


• When will applications close?
  Applications will close in mid-January, 2023. An exact date will be announced upon the opening of applications.

Observations

• Will I get the data I proposed for as part of the school?
  That will depend on what was proposed for. Each student will be awarded one hour of observing time (weather permitting), to be used at their discretion provided the proposed observations fall within certain guidelines, most notably that they can use the standard 230 GHz tuning. Students may join into groups of at least 3 to combine resources and request longer observations (e.g., a group of 4 can ask for a 4-hour observation) which may be at frequencies other than the standard tuning, subject to the approval of the SOC.


• When will my observations be run?
  Some observations may be conducted in advance of the school, starting in mid to late April 2023, to help limit the likelihood of unforeseeable events preventing us from executing your observations. In the (hopefully) unlikely event that severe weather or technical issues prevent us from conducting your observations, a backup data set will be made available to you and your group.