Alberta space science pavilion; trade show exhibit opportunity
Published on April 1, 2011
SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY (SKA) FORUM, BANFF, July 4-8, 2011
ALBERTA SPACE SCIENCE PAVILION; TRADE SHOW EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITY
The 4th annual international Square Kilometer Array (SKA) event is being held this year at The Banff Centre, 04-08 July 2011. Attending will be representatives from large and small business and industry, and hundreds of scientists, engineers, politicians involved in making the SKA a reality. Local, regional, Provincial, Federal, and international participants will be involved for the five conference days.
We welcome inquiries from Alberta business and industry who would like to learn more about potential business opportunities associated with this project, and who wish to profile their companies and their capacities as part of the Alberta Space Science Pavilion.
The SKA will be the largest radiotelescope ever built. The location will be either the Australia outback or the South Africa desert. Both countries were short-listed because they are the most radio-quiet on Earth. The SKA is the largest science project ever undertaken by humankind. It will be the most powerful and far-reaching telescope ever constructed. Canada, mainly with the lead involvement of the University of Calgary, is a major player in this project.
The SKA budget at this time is approaching 2 billion Euros. The telescope has been in design and prototype phases for the past 11 years. The decision of where it will be located will be made in 2012. First phases of construction will begin in late 2014. The project is expected to be near completion in 2022, and the planned scientific design lifetime of the telescope extends to the year 2070.
With decades of massive scientific and engineering challenges, the SKA project has tremendous potential to drive economic development. This is particularly true in the realms of exascale computation, data handling and storage, advanced networking, and the engineering of power and cooling systems, composite radio receiver dishes, low noise amplifiers, control systems, and all aspects of highly complex construction, transportation, and new materials science. All of these things, and more, must succeed with high durability and low cost during decades of operation and upgrading in extremely hostile and isolated conditions.
The event web page provides basic information. It is under development at < http://www.ska2011.org/Home.html >. PLEASE NOTE that the registration page for this event will be available through this site by the end of March 2011.
For Trade Show exhibit inquiries, please contact;
Bob Este
Business Development Officer
Institute for Space Imaging Science
The University of Calgary
403-220-5898
Email: beste@ras.ucalgary.ca