Optics.org report on Industrial and Medical Applications of Adaptive Optics report here.

The "Sharp-Eye" EU Research Training Network recently announced an Advanced Summer School on visual optics, adaptive optics, high resolution retinal imaging, and related topics to be held in Murcia, Spain, September 16-17 2004. For more information see here.

The second of two RNAO proposal meetings will be at 9:30 am Mt. Stromlo Observatory, Canberra, on 20-JAN-04. Airfares and accommodation will be paid from the seed funding money. Please contact Peter McGregor if you can attend. Accommodation can be arranged at University House (ANU).

The first of two RNAO proposal meetings will be at 9:00 am Mt. Stromlo Observatory, Canberra, on 07-JAN-04. Airfares and accommodation will be paid from the seed funding money. Please contact Peter McGregor if you can attend. Accommodation can be arranged at University House (ANU).

The RNAO has been awarded $20K in Seed Funding by the ARC to assist in preparing the full Network proposal.

The 4th International Workshop on Adaptive Optics for Industry and Medicine will be held in Muenster, Germany, during 19-24 October 2003. Further information is available here.

The Center for Adaptive Optics at Santa Cruz is holding its annual Adaptive Optics Summer School on 9-15 August 2003. Peter McGregor and Matt Doolan from RSAA/ANU will be attending. Further information is available here.

An Industry Day is being arranged on 23-JUL-03 to coincide with the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Sydney. Companies that may be interested in future astronomy projects are being invited to attend and consider how the astronomical and industrial communities can work together for their mutual benefit. Please sent suggestions of potential companies to Aaron Chippendale at CSIRO.

Joint Discussion 8 on "Large Telescope and Virtual Observatory: Visions for the Future" will be held on 17-18 July 2003 at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Sydney.

A new Adaptive Optics Development Program was recently announced on the American Astronomical Society email exploder.

NOAO is administering a new NSF-funded program designed to advance the field of adaptive optics from its current mix of prototype projects towards more routine and widespread science operations. This program is intended as an initial step toward development of the adaptive optics capabilities needed for the Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (as identified by the Decadal Survey). Funding selections will be guided by the Adaptive Optics Roadmap, a strategic development plan created by community discussions.

The Adaptive Optics Development Program (AODP) will be structured into two components: development awards intended to aid AO technology development, and implementation awards to observatories currently operating large telescopes (although implementation proposals are not being solicited this year). It is anticipated that almost $3 million will be available for the AODP in FY 2003.

Deadlines:
Letters of Intent - 3 July 2003
Full Proposals - 3 October 2003
For more information, see the NOAO Ground-Based Optical/Infrared System Web page at www.noao.edu/system/.

Potential members of the Research Network for Adaptive Optics participated in a teleconference where the goals of the Network were discussed, and ways of realising those goals in the context of the Network were considered. A summary of the discussion can be found here.