Suggested Sessions

Active Optics and Wavefront Estimation

Submitted by dthomas5 on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 09:57

The Active Optics System will correct system aberrations introduced by gravity and temperature gradients in near real-time. This session will focus on the wavefront estimation component, where the wavefront is estimated from donut images on the corner wavefront sensors. We will discuss recent progress developing the curvature wavefront sensing technique and hear about alternative approaches based on optimization and machine learning.

Advances on an Alert Followup System

Submitted by bryanwmiller on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 12:37

A significant amount of effort is being put into developing systems and software to allow more efficient followup of large transient surveys (e.g. Catalina, Pan-STARRS, ZTF, and especially LSST) and multi-messenger astronomy (MMA).  This session will provide an update on these efforts and provide a forum for feedback and discussion.  The components include event brokers, observation managers, automated observing systems, and data pipelines.

AIV+Commissioning Optimization I

Submitted by cclaver on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 14:59
This is a two session breakout.
We will use the first session to discuss the revised planning for more integrated AIV+Commissioning activities given the pressure on the Project schedule. We will examine at least the following topics:
  • Update/Optimization of revised AIV+Commissioning plan/schedule 
  • Early ComCam integration planning
  • On-site logistics
  • Establishment of the performance baselines for the environment
 
 

Bringing the Alert Stream to the Public

Submitted by lcorlies on Tue, 05/14/2019 - 09:45
A unique strength of LSST is its potential for reporting real-time discoveries to the public. The EPO team is currently considering needs and narrowing options for displaying and reporting these discoveries to the public.  In this session, we will lead a discussion on the most effective way to present the alert stream to the public to highlight both the efforts of the scientific community and the unique strengths of the telescope itself. 
 

CMMS - A Maintenance and Summit Resource Coordination System

Submitted by mrodriguez on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 14:30

CMMS (Computerized Maintenance Management System)

The CMMS is a Maintenance and Work Coordination Process, embodied in a set of project and Organizational level tools. The CMMS collects information from various tools and databases, and provides a consolidated view for assigning resources to tasks. Chiefly among these tasks are Maintenance activities, which must be coordinated with Construction, Science, Commissioning, and Engineering activities. Following are additional basic functions:

Creating a More Equitable and Inclusive Future in Astronomy

Submitted by ebechtol on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 14:26

In this breakout session, we will share recent and current diversity and inclusion initiatives happening at the LSST Project, affiliate institutions, and science collaborations. Highlighted efforts will include but are not limited to an LSST diversity and inclusion topical interest group, the NSF-funded Multimessenger Diversity Network, an update on the LSST Code of Conduct, and best practices for hosting inclusive meetings.

Dark Matter Science with LSST

Submitted by kbechtol on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 18:32

In this parallel session, we discuss ways that LSST can contribute to understanding the fundamental nature of dark matter (for a recent review, see https://arxiv.org/abs/1902.01055). The relevant techniques for probing dark matter (Milky Way substructure, strong gravitational lensing, galaxy clusters, low surface brightness galaxies, microlensing, etc.) cross multiple LSST science collaborations.

Data Crunch Sprint Planning

Submitted by cclaver on Tue, 05/14/2019 - 06:24

In this breakout we would explore scheduling early "data crunch" sprints.  A "data crunch" sprint is where we invite members of the community and the project to come together for a week and analyze result of data processing through the LSST science pipelines.  This would serve as a pattern for engaging the community in analyzing commissions and science validation data.  The "data crunch" series would start with the DM processing of HCS data to develop familiarity and tooling within the LSST Science Platform frame work along with comparisons from independent analysis and code bases.

Data Management All Hands

Submitted by swinbank on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 16:47

All DM staff are invited to attend an “all hands” session chaired by the DM Project Manager, Wil O'Mullane. As well as general DM news and updates, this will provide a kick-off for the PipelineTask Porting Session that DM will run throughout the workshop.

Data Rights & Pre-Operations Data Release Scenarios

Submitted by rblum on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 14:02

Following on from the plenary presentation on the new data framework this session will provide an opportunity for discussiom. Additionally, the LSST Operations team is tasked with serving data products suitable for community use during the commissioning and science validation phases of the project. The Ops team will present a brief overview of the current data release scenarios for commissioning and SV and then solicit input from the user community on what needs they foresee to use these data products effectively.  

Deblending with Scarlet

Submitted by fred3m on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 14:21

Overview of recent updates to the scarlet multi-band deblending package, diagnostics and results using the LSST stack, and presentations by other researchers to describe their experiences and suggestions for future scarlet upgrades.

DM PipelineTask Porting

Submitted by swinbank on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 16:52

Throughout the meeting, members of the DM team will collaborate to port Science Pipelines code to the new “PipelineTask” middleware system. This will be an interactive, hands-on “hack“ session, with everybody working together to get the code updated. Experts will be available to help with understanding the new middleware, but the expectation is that participants will be familiar with the DM codebase and development standards.

Engaging Students with LSST Data

Submitted by aherrold on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 10:53

Attention scientists and educators: we want your input! The EPO team has been hard at work developing interactive, online investigations for advanced middle school through college (Astro 101) students. These investigations address common topics taught in introductory astronomy classes while focusing on the LSST science pillars and capitalizing on the strengths of LSST data. Sample topics include variable stars, small Solar System objects, large scale structure, and mapping the Milky Way.

Evaluating the LSST Observing Strategy: Metrics

Submitted by ljones on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 15:08

Evaluating the various simulated survey strategies is complex and involves many metrics. We will demonstrate the metrics currently being calculated on the various survey strategies and how they vary between runs. Then we hope to involve the community in a discussion covering (a) how accurate or complete are the metrics relevant to your science? (b) how can we weight different metrics together (or if considering groups of metrics separately, how do we separate them)? and (c) what is reasonable to present to the SCOC (Survey Cadence Optimization Committee)?

Focal Plane Signatures & Removal

Submitted by rgill on Wed, 05/29/2019 - 05:59

This session will focus on some less well known & studied instrument signatures, with discussion between Camera and DM on the details of these effects. Useful outcomes include: update to plans for laboratory images, assessment of needed algorithms and calibration data to correct, wider dissemination of the existence of these effects.

Galaxies Science Collaboration Meeting

Submitted by sugata on Sun, 05/12/2019 - 14:33

The purpose of this session is for members of the Galaxies Science Collaboration to collectively discuss progress, share ideas, develop a strategy for the future scientific direction of the SC. With commissioning data becoming available around a year from now, this meeting will be crucial for successfully fulfilling the scientific goals that the SC has laid out in its roadmap.

How to Write Good Requirements

Submitted by aserio on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 14:00

It's never too soon to learn how to write good requirements! Let's meet and discuss the importance of writing good requirements, guidelines for writing good requirements, and then break into groups and take a stab at it ourselves. 

This will be an interactive session. 1/2 Presentation & 1/2 Workshop 

Part 1: Presentation 
- Why is it important to write a good requirement?
- Simple guidelines for writing good requirements 
- Examples of good and bad requirements, and discussion on what makes a requirement "good" vs "bad". 

IT Infrastructure-Aware TCS/OCS: Opportunities and Challenges

Submitted by lcorral on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 20:05

Informative and brainstorming session with the intent to showcase to the interested parties (mainly TS) the opportunities and challenges of implementing an infrastructure aware control system leveraging the automation capabilities from the IT infrastructure being implemented for LSST in Chile.

IT NetDevOps in Chile: Blending Networks, Servers, Containers and the Cloud

Submitted by lcorral on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 20:38

This session will present the current interconnection and orchestration approach in Chile for blending networks, physical servers, virtual machines, containers and the cloud together using tools such as APIs, Python, Puppet, Kubernetes, plus the challenges faced in the way to provide visibility, accountability and security. 

If you would like to contribute please contact Luis Corral at lcorral@lsst.org

IT Services in Chile - What to Expect when Visiting LSST

Submitted by lcorral on Tue, 05/07/2019 - 15:46

LSST provides IT services in Chile with a mix of IT north and IT south staff, including internet and intranet access, telephony, WiFi, network file systems, etc... for project staff (NCSA, SLAC, LSST or other collaborating institutions) it's important to understand these and be aware of the current policies and timing for some services to be provided, especially when your visit has some special requirements involving IT. 

IT Summit and Base Networking - Status and Upcoming Challenges

Submitted by lcorral on Tue, 05/07/2019 - 15:19

The summit and base networks in Chile are still in construction but also in a pre-operations phase as we're already supporting connections for the coating chamber, M2, M1M3, PFlow and AuxTel. This session will provide an overall status of the networks at both sites and future challenges for the upcoming year, with special focus in connections for the Pier, Dome and the TMA.

Please contact Luis Corral lcorral@lsst.org if you want to contribute.

Joint Communication Efforts

Submitted by gshifrin on Tue, 05/14/2019 - 06:50

This session will be an opportunity for the communication officers of the various partners (LSST Tucson, SLAC, NCSA, IN2P3 ...) to discuss the strategy to adopt in terms of communication on the project at a global level. It will also be the occasion to identify key events of the year, and share resources and good communication practices.

LSST DM Stack Club

Submitted by Greg Madejski on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 17:42

This session will provide a hands-on opportunity for scientists to learn more about the work of the LSST DM Stack Club. The Stack Club, an on-going bi-weekly zoom meeting, has been taking place for about a year now. The goal of Stack Club is to facilitate learning the LSST processing software (the "LSST Software Stack") by working through community-built tutorial Jupyter notebooks, and then by extending those to do the things of use to the participant. All tutorial notebooks are built using the LSST Science Platform.

LSST Observing Strategy: Status and Planning Session

Submitted by ljones on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 15:07

The project team has been busy flexing the scheduler to create new simulations based on guidelines from the SAC (and based on the Survey Strategy Whitepapers submitted last November). We will present some of the early results of this process, with several new simulations including rolling cadence simulations. We will talk about the plan for further survey strategy work up to the early 2020 deadline to pass these survey strategy evaluations over to the SCOC (the “Survey Cadence Optimization Committee”, a community-based committee set up by the LSST Operations Director).

LSST-LIGO Synergy

Submitted by tony on Thu, 05/09/2019 - 17:33

By the mid-2020s gravitational wave event detections will have increasing precision locations on the sky. The LIGO+VIRGO+KAGRA 90% error footprints are expected to be on the order of the LSST field of view, for black hole binaries, neutron star black hole binaries, and neutron star binaries -- and the unexpected. With an investment of hours per selected event, LSST will be able to find the electromagnetic counterpart and pass the information quickly on to spectroscopic facilities.

M1M3 Shipping & Logistics

Submitted by mlogue on Thu, 05/09/2019 - 16:22

Present a detailed overview of the M1M3 shipping & logistics program ex Tucson, AZ to Summit arrival at Cerro Pachon.

Includes critical item identification, process, procedure, loss control and risk mangement. Packaging, handling, securing and events in transit.

Machine Learning Applications to Blending Challenges

Submitted by pburchat on Wed, 05/15/2019 - 06:52

An overview of ongoing projects using machine learning to address blending challenges, followed by a discussion of approaches that could be explored further to tackle different aspects of detecting, identifying, deblending, or measuring blended objects. Please contact session organizer Pat Burchat [burchat AT stanford DOT edu] with questions or suggestions, or to contribute content to this session.

Make Friends and Get Your Work Done

Submitted by abauer on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 09:39

Whether it is across a collaboration, at a conference, to the media, or to your friend, making your work understandable to others is important in achieving your goals. Communicating complex ideas does not come naturally to everyone, but is a skill that can be developed with a few basic tips and a little practice. In this session, I share simple tips you can apply immediately to improve the effectiveness of your communication and give you the opportunity to practice your new skills. 

Open Poster Session

Submitted by mgraham on Mon, 05/20/2019 - 15:25

Poster submissions from any and all workshop participants are welcome for this session, which will take place on Wednesday from 5-6pm in the Turquoise Foyer. Posters can represent LSST-related work, research, travel, or any other associated projects. Poster titles should please be submitted to Melissa Graham via email at your earliest convenience (mlg3k at uw dot edu). There will be a cash bar open in the foyer during the poster session. 

Photometric Redshifts in Data Release Data Products

Submitted by mgraham on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 10:00

The goals of this session are: (1) to hear from a diverse cross-section of the science community, including LSST EPO, about their science use-cases for photo-z in the data release (DR) data products (DP); (2) to discuss the various options for photo-z generation and storage in the DR catalogs; and (3) for DM to describe their constraints on generating/storing photo-z, and/or any additional input needed from the science communities, and to present a timeline for making decisions about photo-z in the DR DP.

Preparing to do Transient and Variable Star Science with LSST

Submitted by rstreet on Tue, 05/14/2019 - 16:31

In this session we will discuss the status of ongoing efforts of the TVS Science Collaboration to prepare for science in the LSST era, such as the TVS Roadmap and TVS task forces. Topics to be covered include Metric Analysis Framework development, Stack Club participation, photometry in crowded fields, science during commissioning, light curve classification, etc. All interested individuals, regardless of SC membership, are encouraged to participate.

Progress on QA Tooling

Submitted by ebellm on Mon, 05/06/2019 - 15:46

The LSST Data Management QA Strategy Working Group produced a report, DMTN-085, that made a number of recommendations for developments to enhance Quality Assurance (QA).  This session will review the state of QA tools across LSST DM with a particular eye to demonstrating recent developments in SQuaSH, the lsst.metrics system, qa_explorer, and more.  The main goal of the session will be to familiarize DM developers with these tools and gather feedback for future development.  Connections to commissioning activities will be explored.

Safety at the LSST Summit and Base Facility Sites

Submitted by gcorvetto on Fri, 05/10/2019 - 13:14

Our presentation will address three main topics. These three topics are linked to Safety's work in the Base Facility and Summit Site sites.
• Who we are: A brief account of who the members of the safety team are, their environment and the motivations they have in their careers.
• LPM18 Safety Policy and LPM 114 LSST Safety Plan, An explanation of how we have integrated these documents into the daily activities of the LSST sites, these two documents are considered the basis of our safety management.

Solar System Science Pipeline Infrastructure and Cadence Optimization Needs

Submitted by hhsieh on Mon, 05/13/2019 - 11:36

This session will consist of updates from Project personnel about current development of the Moving Object Processing System (MOPS) for LSST, and discussion between Project personnel and interested scientists about upcoming development of MOPS and other survey-related activities.

System and Science Verification

Submitted by kbechtol on Sat, 05/11/2019 - 09:24

Session organized by the systems engineering and commissioning teams to discuss system-level verification and science validation activities. Potential topics include verification architecture, continued development and/or review of test specifications and test cases for the OSS and LSR, organization of verification activities into test plans, and discussion of the system-level verification document tree.

Teen Astronomy Cafés: Bringing Big Data to High School Students

Submitted by cwalker@noao.edu on Wed, 05/29/2019 - 14:11
With initial funding from LSSTC, NOAO EPO developed the Big Data Academy program, designed to excite the interest of talented youth in big data science by providing the opportunity for interaction with expert astronomers who work with large astronomical data sets. What is now called the Teen Astronomy Café Program has recently completed its third year (teenastronomycafé.org).
 

Transients and Variables 1: Difference Image Analysis (DIA)

Submitted by wmwood-vasey on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 18:26

How will Difference Image Analysis (DIA) work in LSST? This session will provide a brief overview of LSST DIA, technical pixel-level discussions of state-of-the-art image subtraction, selection of reference templates, and plans for testing and separation of real astrophysical events from artifacts. There will be a brief discussion of special challenges with resolved variables and transients. The Project will discuss current testing and validation plans. The Community will present lessons learns from previous and current surveys.

Transients and Variables 2: Alerts in Year One (and Beyond)

Submitted by wmwood-vasey on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 18:28

In the first year of operations, LSST will not have full deep templates across the sky, and image subtraction without an Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (differential chromatic refraction) means that we have to think carefully about constructing templates from images at different airmasses. The Project has already done leading investigations into understanding and modeling differential chromatic refraction.

Transients and Variables 3: DIA Object and Associated Data Products

Submitted by wmwood-vasey on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 18:30

How do DIA Sources become DIA Objects? What DIA information will be available on 60-second, 24-hour, and yearly timescales, and how is the community planning on using it? What are the driving science use cases of the Prompt Data Products? There will be a particular focus on lightcurves. Lightcurves are at the heart of time-domain analysis, but there is no currently defined nominal data model for a lightcurve. Are there common lightcurve data objects that serve wide audiences, or are there different needs for transients and variables?

Welcome to LSST: A Basic Introduction

Submitted by mgraham on Tue, 05/28/2019 - 18:37

This session is primarily targeted at graduate students, postdocs, and staff members who are new to the LSST, but everyone, including less scientifically-oriented staff perhaps looking for a refresher on LSST-associated science, are very welcome to attend. The core science goals of the LSST will be given a brief review, as will the main data products and analysis methods, along with a general outline of systems integration (i.e., how the science goals tie into the steps of commissioning, science verification, and the Science Platform).