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News & Announcements from Gaia

2010-08-31 Science@ESA vodcast on Gaia available in Spanish and Catalonian
The ESA vodcast about astrometry titled "Charting the Galaxy - from Hipparcos to Gaia" is now available not only in English but also in Spanish and Catalonian thanks to the translation provided by the University of Barcelona. It can be downloaded from the "Image & movie gallery" section of the Gaia web site.

2010-08-30 Vacancy notice at engineer/postdoc level (2 positions) at the Observatory of Paris
Two positions are opened in Paris (Meudon) Observatory from beginning of October 2010 for the DPAC java development in, respectively, spectroscopy and handling of multiple stars. If you are interested, please send your cv and bibliography before the 27th September 2010.
More details can be found in the following website.

2010-08-25 Announcement for the 2011 ESA Fellowship in Space Science
The new ESA Fellowship Programme is open for applications till the 1st October 2010. Fellowships are to begin in September/October 2011. If you are interested in a Gaia related topic, please, contact us.

2010-07-23 Release of the new issue of the DPAC Newsletter
The DPAC Newsletter no. 9 is now available and there you will find information about the time metrology required to meet the Gaia promises in astrometry or the windowing scheme applied on board to keep the telemetry flow manageable. Also a team from the Observatory of Bordeaux describes what they are doing to exploit the imaging capabilities of Gaia to classify galaxies. For more information, visit the following link.

2010-07-22 10th anniversary of the publication of the Concept and Technology Study Report (CTSR)
The scientific success of Hipparcos demonstrated the feasibility of accurate global astrometry from space. It led to a proposed M3 mission, Roemer, but finally not accepted due to its modest accuracy gain over Hipparcos. Gaia was proposed in response to a call for ideas for a cornerstone mission. Approval of a 'Concept and Technology Study' for Gaia was given in 1996. The CTSR was published 4 years later, in July 2000, demonstrating that the goals to be achieved by Gaia were feasible and within the budget.

2010-07-05 ESA article about ELSA and GREAT
An article about the European Leadership in Space Astrometry (ELSA) and Gaia Research for European astronomy Training (GREAT) has been published in the Science & Technology web site. For more information, visit the following link.

2010-06-28 Vacancy notice: Java developer for Gaia at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh seeks a Java developer to work as a member of DPAC. You will work as part of a local team of four other scientists/developers on data processing software for the ground segment of the mission, implementing algorithms for the calibration and removal of instrumental signatures from the scientific data generated by the satellite. The post is available as soon as possible and the initial appointment will run until 30th June 2012, with extension dependent on availability of further funding. For more information, visit the following link. Deadline for application: 27th July 2010.

2010-05-28 Honorary doctorate at the Lund University for Dr. Michael Perryman
In recognition of more than 25 years of outstanding contributions to astronomy, Dr. Michael Perryman today received an honorary doctorate at the Lund University. Together with 18 other honorary doctors, 16 jubilee doctors (who received their original doctorates fifty years ago), and 256 new doctors, Perryman received his laurel wreath, golden ring and diploma during the solemn conferment ceremony in the Lund Cathedral. Michael Perryman was the Project Scientist for Hipparcos 1981-1997, and for Gaia 1996-2006. He is currently holding a Distinguished Visitor position at the University of Heidelberg, and Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg.
In addition, Michael Perryman has recently published the book The Making of History's Greatest Star Map, describing the efforts of the mankind from prehistoric times to the 20th century to build a map of the sky.

2010-05-11 Post-doc position on Gaia spectrometer pipeline development at the Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam (AIP)
Applications are invited for a post-doc position at the AIP to help develop elements of the spectroscopic pipeline of Gaia. The main task will be to continue the code development of the background model for the Gaia Radial Velocity Spectrometer (RVS), integration and testing of the code, and writing of documentation. The successful applicant will work in close collaboration with the Observatoire de Paris group that is leading the development of the RVS data reduction pipeline. The applicant should have experience with spectroscopic data and code development and preferably have a research profile related to Gaia science.
The initial appointment will be for one year, with extension to a second and a possible third year foreseen. Review of the applications will start immediately and continue until the position is filled. Salary is based on the German public service scale (TV-L; included are employer contributions to medical and dental insurance, maternity leave, and retirement benefits). The AIP is an equal opportunity employer and particularly encourages applications from women. It values diversity. For further questions please contact Dr. Roelof de Jong. More details can be found at the following web site.

2010-05-03 Postdoctoral position related to open clusters and Gaia in Bordeaux
The Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB) carries out observational, interpretative and theoretical research in various fields of astrophysics. In this context, applications are invited for a postdoctoral fellow to work on several research topics, including astrometry and spectroscopy of open clusters and young associations for probing the galactic disc in the perspective of Gaia. For more information, visit the following web page. Deadline for applications: June 1, 2010.

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