Python in Astronomy 2020
Due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Python in Astronomy Conference is cancelled.
We have been forced to cancel the meeting for the following reasons:
The Irish National Public Health Emergency Team cancelled mass gatherings involving more than 100 people if located indoors. While the number of participants at PyAstro conferences generally fall under this number, we allowed Trinity College Dublin locals to attend the portions of the conference which aren’t space limited or covered by the conference fee (e.g. talks and hack day). This follows the same practice we extended to STScI locals at PyAstro19. As a result, some portions of PyAstro20 would involve more than 100 people indoors.
Trinity College Dublin suspended all in-person classes indefinitely. Courses and exams will be administered virtually. Students have been told to go home and not come back until further notice. Staff have been told to work from home. Trinity strongly recommends cancelling “meetings, trips, outings and other events.”
We understand some of you may be upset by this action. Here is what we are planning to do to mitigate the problem:
We will refund 100% of registration fees for everyone.
Ballsbridge Hotel will issue a 100% refund for all of its guests.
We will organize a 24-hour global hack day for everyone, including remote and local attendees, to participate in together. Details regarding the hack day will be available in the coming weeks.
We welcome you to reach out to the SOC if you have any questions or concerns. This is a difficult time for all of us and we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.
20 - 24 April 2020
Trinity College Dublin
The sixth Python in Astronomy Conference will be held at Trinity College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland on 20 - 24 April 2020.
This conference series aims to bring together a wide variety of developers, educators and other contributors to Python packages in the context of all forms of astronomy. The conference will include unconference sessions, presentations, sprints and tutorials. As well as expanding the community around astronomical uses of Python, the conference aims to improve collaboration and interoperability between Python packages, and to share knowledge on Python packages and techniques.
All participants at the conference will be expected to follow the code of conduct.
More details will be made available on this page closer to the week of the conference.
Virtual Hack Day(s)
In lieu of this year's in-person meeting, which was unfortunately cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we will be hosting a 24-hour virtual hack day from 22-24 April. This event is open to anyone who is interested in participating and not limited to those who were planning to attend the in-person meeting. Note that all participants are expected to follow the code of conduct while participating in any hack day activities.
The hack day will consist of a few talks from some of our invited speakers from the in-person meeting as well as two wrap-up sessions, to accommodate multiple time zones, in which participants can present the results of their hack. Depending on the total number of participants, the SOC may select only a few participants to present their hack day projects. The schedule can be found here. More details will be posted in the Matrix and Slack rooms in the upcoming days.
Applying
Applications for the 2020 Python in Astronomy Conference are now closed. Successful applicants will either be invited to accept a place at the conference or placed on a waiting list. If you are put on the waiting list, you may receive an invitation when more places become available. Initial invitations were sent out in late January. Please contact the organizing committee if you have any questions about the application process.
Registration
An email with details regarding registration will be sent out to invited participants shortly. There will be a registration fee of €150.
Program
The conference schedule will be posted here around the middle of March.
Chat and Social Media
We will be using both Matrix and Slack for online chat throughout the week, with a bridge to sync messages from one to the other, so people can use whichever platform they prefer. You can go here to get an invitation for the Slack team, or here to join the Matrix community. We will be using this chat throughout the conference for discussions about talks, unconferences, etc. and to facilitate remote participation, so we encourage everyone to join the chat and to share the links with anyone else who is interested in following the conference.
The twitter hashtag for this workshop is #pyastro20, and the main twitter account will be @pythoninastro. Feel free to use the hashtag before, during, and after the workshop to connect with other participants and the wider community.
Remember, when interacting with people either in person or online, you are required to follow the code of conduct.
Organizing Committee
The scientific organizing committee (SOC) consists of:
Monica Bobra (co-chair)
Drew Leonard (co-chair)
Will Barnes
Clara Brasseur
Juan Luis Cano
Rebecca Lange
Sophie Murray
The local organizing committee (LOC) consists of:
Dúalta Ó Fionnagáin
Simon Purser
Ciara Maguire
Shane Maloney
David McKenna
Pearse Murphy
Sophie Murray (chair)
To contact the organizers, send an email to python.in.astronomy.soc@gmail.com.
Venue
The conference will be held in the Fitzgerald Building at the School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Maps and additional information can be found here.
Travel
TCD is located in Dublin City centre and is easily accessible from Dublin Airport (DUB), with flight connections to almost all major European and inter-continental cities. From the airport terminals, Dublin city centre can be reached either by bus or by taxi.
Taxi
Taxis are readily available outside both terminal buildings. A taxi will take about 20-30 minutes (depending on traffic). The usual fare for a journey to Dublin city centre is approximately €25.
Bus
TCD can be reached by the following bus services, with relevant drop-off locations indicated by red symbols in the map:
Aircoach 700 – €7 one way or €12 return. The Aircoach leaves from the airport every 15 min to the city centre (get off a the Grafton St stop - just beside the TCD front gate).
Airlink 757 – €7 one way or €12 return. This service runs every 30 minutes to the city centre (Pearse Street Station stop).
Dublin Bus 16 – A cheaper alternative is to take the regular bus from the airport that will take about an hour and will cost €3.30. The exact fare needs to be paid directly to the bus driver, alternatively tickets are available for sale at the small markets in the arrival section of the airport (both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2).
Train
The conference venue is also located close to train links at Pearse and Connolly stations. For public transportation, Leap cards can be used on the buses, trains, and trams (Luas) in the city centre.
Lodging Information
A limited number of rooms have been reserved at the Ballsbridge Hotel, Pembroke Road Ballsbridge, Dublin, D04 D687. To avail of the conference bed and breakfast rate, please book via this link before 9 March 2020.
This hotel is approximately 25 minutes walk from the conference venue in Trinity College (use the Lincoln Place entrance), or a short journey on public transport (nearest DART station is at Lansdowne Road and nearest bus stop is at the American Embassy). We recommend attendees get a Leap Card for the duration of their stay if they plan to use public transport.
Some other hotels closer to the venue include:
Trinity City Hotel on Pearse Street
The Davenport Hotel around Merrion Square
The Alex Hotel around Merrion Square
The Mont Hotel around Merrion Square.
Buswells Hotel on Molesworth Street.
There are also a variety of Airbnb options across the city. Feel free to ask the LOC about areas in Dublin on the PyAstro chat!
Sponsors
The Python in Astronomy conference series aims to be accessible to a broad and diverse range of participants. As part of that effort, we try to keep conference fees to a minimum and to provide funding to those applicants who need it. To be able to do that, we rely on generous support from external sponsors.
If you would like to support the growth of the Python in Astronomy software ecosystem, please consider contacting the SOC to discuss sponsoring PyAstro20.