The Institute of Physics (IOP) 2024 Technician Award has been given to Ken Smith and Dave Young. The pair, who are based at Queen's University Belfast and collaborate on the Lasair project, have been recognised for their internationally recognised technical expertise, exceptional software skills and dedication to astrophysics.

Reacting to the news, David said: “Winning any award is a delight, but it's even more special to be recognised via the nominations of colleagues, the people I work with every day. The award reflects not only Ken and my individual achievements but also underscores the remarkable teamwork of the groups we work with, the Lasair team being a prime example.”

The award acknowledges how, for the past 15 years, Ken and David’s behind-the-scenes work has contributed to some of the most significant discoveries in the field. These include the first detection of optical light from a gravitational wave source, the first link between extreme supernovae and massive hydrogen-poor stars, the first discovery of a star interacting with a fast-spinning supermassive black hole, and the discovery of the fastest and brightest supernova ever seen in a nearby galaxy.

Speaking about the role that software engineering plays in science, David said: “When Ken and I first started our roles developing software to help enable academics to do better science, we had difficulty explaining our amorphous responsibilities to others. Chasing citations has never been our primary aim, but nor would we describe ourselves as typical software developers. Unbeknownst to me, the same month I started my role, a group of similar academics-come-developers met at Queen's College Oxford to discuss their collective identity crisis. There, they coined the term 'Research Software Engineer' (RSE), both succinctly defining their roles and unwittingly birthing a global movement.

More than a decade after that fateful meeting, thanks in part to the tireless campaigning of the Software Sustainability Institute, many universities now host their own dedicated RSE groups. Presently, wonderfully creative initiatives like the HiddenREF are helping to raise the profile of many other under-recognised roles within academia under the 'Research Technical Professionals' (RTP) umbrella term. For early career researchers, the career path options on offer are becoming refreshingly diverse.”

How do I organise my presentation when there’s so much info to include? What’s the most efficient way to get people to understand my work? These questions and more will be addressed on 12 November 2024 in the Science communication for early career researchers online session.

This one-hour online session is designed for researchers who are new to communicating their work. In a relaxed session, you’ll get tips and advice for tailoring your messages to your audience and understand how to collaborate with press officers to maximise the impact of your work.

The session also look at areas in which attendees might wish to develop further skills, such as writing/collaborating on press releases, article writing (for outlets such as The Conversation), press/media interviews and social media. These specific areas will be covered in more detail in future sessions.  

Science communication for early career researchers

Tuesday 12 November  12.00-13.00 | Online (Zoom)

Sign up to the training session using https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sAafLmkWiUWHiRCgaTTcYS1f7CCXkopNp511BWKFKsJUMjVHSkRDMVRZME02VVQ2NFYzU1VVMUszUS4u

This session will be recorded.

We are planning series of easygoing interviews with people working in LSST:UK. Inspired by content such as the Dark Energy Survey’s https://www.darkenergysurvey.org/education/scientist-of-the-week/, we want to pull back the velvet curtain of LSST:UK.

By showing a range of people working in astronomy in an engaging way and highlighting your passions and pathways, we hope that more people will see astronomy as an accessible and valuable field. The interviews will be published in this newsletter and on the LSST:UK website when it relaunches for 2025. We will also use snippets/quotes on our social media channels.

By taking part, you’ll help to:

• build a picture of the talent within LSST:UK

• make science tangible for more people

• dispel myths around what a scientist looks / sounds like

• inspire budding astronomers and curious bystanders

How to participate

• Fill in the questions in this webform https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sAafLmkWiUWHiRCgaTTcYS1f7CCXkopNp511BWKFKsJUQ0E1QklVTDE2TjZKUjQ0QlJINUlJTUozVi4u . Your answers can be short and if you don't like the question, please skip it.

• I will come back to you to let you know when your interview will be live, to run the text past you for final approval and to request a headshot or other image relating to you and your work.

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.