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Lenses In VoicE (LIVE): Searching for strong gravitational lenses in the VOICE@VST survey using Convolutional Neural Networks

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We present a sample of 16 likely strong gravitational lenses identified in the VST Optical Imaging of the CDFS and ES1 fields (VOICE survey) using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). We train two different CNNs on composite images produced by superimposing simulated gravitational arcs on real Luminous Red Galaxies observed in VOICE. Specifically, the first CNN …

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NSTF “Science Oscars” Will Recognise SA’s Finest – And The UWC Nominees Are…

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The National Science and Technology Forum awards were established decades ago to recognise outstanding contributions to science. The University of the Western Cape (UWC) is once again playing its part, with three top UWC scientists being nominated for the 2020/2021 NSTF-South32 Awards. “We are living in interesting and unprecedented times,” said Professor Michael-Davies-Coleman, Dean of UWC’s Faculty …

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Multi-tasking the growth of cosmological structures

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A new preprint by Louis Perenon, Matteo Martinelli, Stéphane Ilić, Roy Maartens, Michelle Lochner and Chris Clarkson has been posted on the arXiv. Read the abstract below. Next-generation large-scale structure surveys will deliver a significant increase in the precision of growth data, allowing us to use `agnostic’ methods to study the evolution of perturbations without …

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New UWC paper

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Prof Mario Santos is part of a collaboration that published the following paper: Effects of model incompleteness on the drift-scan calibration of radio telescopes Precision calibration of the instruments poses challenges to experiments probing the redshifted 21-cm signal of neutral hydrogen from the Cosmic Dawn and the Epoch of Reionization (z~30-6). Both single antenna and …

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RAS – Astro4Dev grants

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The annual call for RAS Astro4Dev grants is now open. Due to travel restrictions, the grants will be awarded in two categories this year: astronomy-for-development technical projects virtual attendance at the 2021 National Astronomy Meeting of the UK (closing date for abstracts 30 April 2021) Deadline for applications: 10 May 2021 More information: http://www.astro4dev.org/partners-programs/rasexperts2/

2022 CRC MSc/PhD Bursaries

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UPDATE: FOR THE 2023 BURSARIES, PLEASE SEE THIS PAGE. The Centre for Radio Cosmology (CRC) at UWC is internationally recognised for its research in cosmology and galaxy evolution with MeerKAT, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and other telescopes. The CRC is heavily involved in the South African and international SKA Projects. In 2021, 25 PhD/ …

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