New “Data-driven Astronomy” MOOC developed by CAASTRO members

Science is undergoing a data explosion, and astronomy is leading the way. Modern telescopes produce terabytes of data per observation, and the simulations required to model our observable Universe push supercomputers to their limits. To analyse this data, scientists need to be able to think computationally to solve problems.

Enrolments have just started for the new 6-week “Data-driven Astronomy” course by University of Sydney that CAASTRO Chief Investigator and “Dynamic Universe” theme leader A/Prof Tara Murphy has developed, with assistance by CAASTRO members Dr Nic Scott, Dr Elizabeth Mahony, Andrew Zic and Dougal Dobie. Tara is teaching the course together with University of Sydney colleague Dr Simon Murphy.

The focus is on practical skills – all the activities will be done in Python 3, a modern programming language used throughout astronomy. Examples include CAASTRO research areas, such using data from the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA). The course is aimed at science students with an interest in computational approaches to problem solving, people with an interest in astronomy who would like to learn current research methods, or people who would like to improve their programming by applying it to astronomy examples.

For more information or to enrol, click HERE.