In Chile, a video titled, “El observatorio Vera Rubin: Potente telescopio mapeará el cielo” aired on the Mega TV channel on September 24th. 

In the US, a story on the almost-complete LSST Camera was featured on NPR on September 23rd. 

One of the important concepts in fostering and supporting a culture of kindness is that of allyship.  Both the English word ally and the Spanish word aliada come from the Latin word "alligare" meaning "to bind to". In our context, an effective ally is someone who, while not necessarily a member of a marginalized community, makes a consistent effort to understand the struggles of those communities, and use their own efforts and privileges to stand alongside those communities. In effect, an ally takes on the struggle as if it were their own. 

Using our privilege in support of allyship often manifests with reactive action to problems ranging from overt discrimination to micro-aggressions. Micro-agressions are indirect, subtle, perhaps even unintentional, actions or statements of discrimination toward members of a marginalized group. Examples of common workplace micro-aggressions range from constantly mispronouncing names because it is 'too difficult to pronounce', to continuing to use words and phrases that others find offensive, or failure to recognize someone's preferred pronouns. 

A proactive way in which we can use kindness as an ally is to perform micro-affirmations.  Micro-affirmations are the subtle, small acts designed to uplift, encourage inclusion, and open doors of opportunity. Important components of the practice of micro-affirmations are engaged listening, and validation of the experiences and emotions of others. Some specific examples of micro-affirmations in the workplace: 

• Learn to pronounce a person's name and respect the language they use to express their identity; 
• Recognize and respect cultural events and personal milestones, avoid scheduling a meeting where participants are forced to choose between participation and a holiday; and 
• Acknowledge the contributions of others.

I challenge all of us to emphasize the practice of micro-affirmations in our interactions at work and within the community. More examples and a further discussion of micro-affirmations can be found in "How to be an ally in the workplace: 13 ways to do it". I also encourage everyone to share examples of micro-affirmations in the #rubin_be_kind Slack channel so that we can all be better allies through our practice of kindness.

The Kavli Foundation published Part 1 of its “Looking Ahead to Rubin” series, titled “Warped Light’s Powerful Insights,” on September 19th.

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

The Rubin Science Advisory Committee (SAC) held a meeting at the Project and Community Workshop, and has posted the minutes of the meeting, including a number of findings and recommendations for Rubin management. They include the SAC’s suggestions for the Rubin website and communications plan; discussion of the progress made by the Survey Cadence Optimization Committee and the work that lies ahead; clarifying the Observatory’s plans for Early Science operations; support for the Solar System science community before Rubin begins gathering data; and many other topics.

At SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, the LSST Camera team recently celebrated a significant achievement: the integration of the L1L2 lens assembly with the Camera structure on August 18th, 2022. The time lapse video was picked up by CNET—it shows a group of SLAC engineers and technicians performing the delicate installation procedure in the LSST Clean Room. These two lenses, combined with L3 (previously installed) and a set of optical filters make up the Camera’s portion of Rubin Observatory’s optical system. The larger lens in L1L2 assembly has been designated by Guinness World Records as the largest high-performance optical lens in the world.

The Rubin Observatory Commissioning Camera (ComCam) was successfully installed on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) on the summit of Cerro Pachón on August 24, 2022. This is the first of many optical components to be integrated with the telescope structure, and an important step towards getting real astronomical data flowing from the observatory. Read more about the achievement in this news item.

Staff highlights for September are now live on the Rubin project website. This month, read about your colleagues Wil O’Mullane, Ian Ordenes, Gregg Thayer, and Adam Thornton.

The US celebrates Hispanic American Heritage Month from September 15th-October 15th. The month is designated to recognize the achievements and influence of Hispanic Americans in US history and culture. Through its DEI initiatives (e.g., hiring at SACNAS, translating materials into Spanish, etc.) Rubin Observatory strives to continue to support its Hispanic American staff and community members, and to make a positive impact. As we are continuously looking to improve, we are always open to hear ideas.

Rubin Observatory swag items, including t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and more, are available for purchase in our not-for-profit online store. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES:

Agnès Ferté joined the pre-Operations Data Production team as Rubin Operations Scientist on August 1st. Agnès will be based at SLAC and will be working on detector characterization and calibration on the Algorithms and Pipelines team, as well as in-kind program coordination. 

Sierra Villareal joined the pre-Operations Data Production team as Software Developer on August 15th. Sierra will be based at SLAC and will be working on campaign management tooling and technical coordination of Independent Data Access Centers (IDACs).

Neven Caplar joined the Rubin Systems Engineering team as an AP Commissioning Postdoc on September 1st. Neven will be based at the University of Washington, and will be supporting the Rubin UW commissioning effort: understanding the first data from LSST and bringing the system into operations. Neven will be working on Rubin Construction at 50% time, and devoting 50% of his time to the LINCC Frameworks project.

Spread the word: applications are still being accepted for a Rubin Observatory Community Scientist for Documentation, to support the delivery of user-facing scientific documentation related to Rubin data products and software. More details about this and other positions with Rubin Observatory are available on the  Rubin jobs page.

INFO FOR PROJECT MEMBERS:  

If you’d like to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Victor or Zeljko, please fill out this form to indicate your preferred (and backup) date and time. 

There is also an anonymous “suggestion box” for anyone to offer feedback at this link. 

UPCOMING MEETINGS with RUBIN OBSERVATORY INVOLVEMENT

(those with an asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

2022

UPCOMING DEADLINES:

2022

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

El Comité Asesor Científico de Rubin (SAC por sus siglas en inglés) sostuvo una reunión en el Taller del Proyecto y Comunitario, y ha publicado las actas de la reunión, que incluyen una serie de hallazgos y recomendaciones para la gestión de Rubin. También incluyen las sugerencias del SAC para el sitio web y el plan de comunicaciones de Rubin; discusión del progreso realizado por el Comité de Optimización de la Cadencia de la Investigación y el trabajo que queda por delante; aclarar los planes del Observatorio para las operaciones de Ciencia Temprana; apoyo a la comunidad científica del Sistema Solar antes de que Rubin comience a recopilar datos; y muchos otros temas.

Recientemente, el equipo de la Cámara LSST celebró un logro significativo en el Laboratorio Nacional de Aceleradores SLAC: la integración del conjunto de lentes L1L2 con la estructura de la cámara el 18 de agosto de 2022. El video time-lapse que fue publicado por CNET— muestra a un grupo de ingenieros y técnicos de SLAC realizando el delicado procedimiento de instalación en la Sala Limpia de LSST. Estos dos lentes, combinados con el L3 (previamente instalado) y un conjunto de filtros ópticos conforman la parte de la Cámara del sistema óptico del Observatorio Rubin. El lente más grande del ensamblaje L1L2 ha sido nombrado el lente óptico de alto rendimiento más grande del mundo por los Records Mundiales Guinness.

La cámara de puesta en servicio del Observatorio Rubin (ComCam) se instaló con éxito en el Ensamblaje de la Montura del Telescopio (TMA) en Cerro Pachón el 24 de agosto de 2022. Este es el primero de varios componentes ópticos que se integrarán a la estructura del telescopio, y un importante paso hacia la obtención y flujo de datos astronómicos reales del observatorio. Lea más sobre este logro en esta noticia.

Los perfiles del personal destacado de septiembre ya se encuentran disponibles en el sitio web del proyecto Rubin. Este mes, lea sobre sus colegas Wil O'Mullane, Ian Ordenes, Gregg Thayer y Adam Thornton.

Del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, Estados Unidos celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispanoamericana. Este mes está designado para reconocer los logros y la influencia de los hispanoamericanos en la historia y cultura de los Estados Unidos. A través de sus iniciativas DEI (por ejemplo, contrataciones en SACNAS, traducción de materiales al español, etc.), el Observatorio Rubin hace esfuerzos para continuar apoyando a su personal y a los miembros de la comunidad hispanoamericana, y generar un impacto positivo. Buscamos maneras de mejorar continuamente y siempre estamos abiertos a escuchar ideas.

Los artículos promocionales del Observatorio Rubin, incluyendo poleras, tazones, bolsas de género y más, están disponibles para su compra en nuestra tienda en línea sin fines de lucro.

ANUNCIOS Y OPORTUNIDADES:

El 1 de agosto, Agnès Ferté se unió al equipo de Producción de Datos de las pre-Operaciones de Rubin como Científica de Operaciones. La sede de Agnès será en SLAC y trabajará en la caracterización y calibración de detectores en el equipo de Algoritmos y Dato ductos, así como en la coordinación del programa in-kind.

El 15 de agosto, Sierra Villareal se unió al equipo de Producción de Datos de las pre-Operaciones de Rubin como Desarrolladora de Software. La sede de Sierra será en SLAC y trabajará en las herramientas de gestión de campañas y en la coordinación técnica de los Centros Independientes de Acceso a Datos (IDAC por sus siglas en inglés).

El 1 de septiembre, Neven Caplar se unió al equipo de Ingeniería de Sistemas de Rubin como Postdoc de Puesta en Servicio de AP. La sede de Neven será en la Universidad de Washington y apoyará el esfuerzo de puesta en servicio de Rubin UW: comprendiendo los primeros datos de LSST y poniendo el sistema en funcionamiento. Neven trabajará en la Construcción de Rubin 50% de su tiempo y dedicará el otro 50% de su tiempo al proyecto LINCC Frameworks.

Corra la voz: aún se están aceptando postulaciones para Científico Comunitario para Documentación del Observatorio Rubin, para apoyar la entrega de documentación científica orientada al usuario relacionada a los productos de datos y software de Rubin. Más detalles sobre este y otros puestos en el Observatorio Rubin están disponibles en la página de empleos de Rubin.

INFORMACIÓN PARA MIEMBROS DEL PROYECTO:

Si le gustaría programar una reunión individual con Victor o Zeljko, por favor complete este formulario para indicar una fecha y hora preferida (y una alternativa).

También existe un "buzón de sugerencias" anónimo para quienes quieran hacer llegar sus comentarios en este enlace.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES con PARTICIPACIÓN DEL OBSERVATORIO RUBIN

(aquellas con asterisco* son financiadas por LSSTC):

2022

PRÓXIMOS PLAZOS:

2022

August 30, 2022 - The Rubin Observatory Commissioning Camera (ComCam) was successfully installed on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) on the summit of Cerro Pachón on August 24, 2022. This is the first of many optical components to be integrated with the telescope structure, and an important step towards getting real astronomical data flowing from the observatory.

ComCam is a smaller (144 megapixel), simpler version of the full 3200-megapixel LSST Camera. ComCam will be used for testing and commissioning activities prior to the installation of the full science camera, and it will produce the first astronomical data from the Simonyi Survey Telescope once the rest of the optical system is installed. This "commissioning data" will be used to demonstrate that the various subsystems of the telescope are working as designed, and the Rubin Operations team plans to release commissioning data as part of Data Preview 1, scheduled for mid-2024. 

The Rubin team on the summit has been rehearsing for this installation for many months using the camera surrogate mass, a steel structure that approximates the mass of the LSST Camera (and ComCam) Assembly. The practice lifts have allowed the team to fine-tune the lifting, installation, and removal procedures before using them to install real cameras with delicate electronics.

Last week, immediately following the final practice installation/removal run with the camera surrogate mass, the summit team moved it down to the staging area on the 3rd floor of the observatory facility using the vertical platform lift. There, the team exchanged the camera surrogate mass with the Camera Assembly (the structure containing the Commissioning Camera) which was then brought up to the 8th floor and put into position next to the telescope. The custom-built camera lifting fixture was mounted to the Camera Assembly, and then the team carefully balanced the entire structure to ensure a level and smooth insertion into the telescope. Over the course of a couple of hours, the Camera Assembly was lifted and slid into position on specially designed tracks, and then bolted into its final position in the center of the telescope.

Now that ComCam is in place, and fully integrated with the telescope mount, the summit team will repeat the tests that were previously done in the 3rd floor integration hall before ComCam was moved up to the telescope floor. These tests include making sure ComCam functions in coordination with the camera hexapod, rotator, the camera cable wrap, and the support systems for the two mirrors. After verifying that ComCam is behaving as expected, the team will perform additional tests using the full feature sets of the telescope mount and the dome. 

Like the camera surrogate mass before it, ComCam will be removed and reinstalled on the TMA at least one additional time after this initial integration—but in this case it's out of necessity, not for practice. When it's time to install the coated Secondary Mirror (M2) and its support system towards the end of 2022, ComCam will need to be removed for several weeks, and then re-installed. This is because the ComCam structure fits into the center of M2—once M2 is successfully integrated, ComCam can go back on the TMA. After that, the team will install the M1M3 mirror and support system—the last component necessary for ComCam to take its first on-sky observations, which are expected in mid-2023. 

More information about ComCam:

https://www.lsst.org/news/comcam-progress-la-serena

https://www.lsst.org/news/comcam-activities-tucson

https://www.lsst.org/news/coming-soon-first-comcam-image

• An article titled, “The time-lapse telescope that will transform our view of the universe” appeared in New Scientist on August 24th.

Be the change you want to see in the world" is a quote often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The actual wording of the quote is inaccurate [1], but the phrase is a good reminder that change often begins within ourselves, and to help us direct our energy to things we can control, rather than being frustrated by and complaining about things outside of our control.  It is through that lens, that you are invited to spend some time on the idea of self-kindness and how the practice can improve our lives.  At its core, self-kindness is treating ourselves with the same care, the same acceptance, and the same nature that we would use for our good friends. 

In the following short video, Kristin Neff, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at University of Texas at Austin, discusses self-kindness; the definition of, the benefits of, and how we can incorporate the practice in our own lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjvYhd34fgc

[1] What Gandhi actually said is "We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do."

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

The Rubin 2022 Project and Community Workshop, held August 8-12 at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain resort in Tucson, AZ, was a successful and productive meeting. The first in-person PCW since 2019 also offered an option for people to participate virtually in plenaries and select breakout sessions. More details about the event are available in this recent news item. 

On August 9th, Rubin Observatory recognized the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. We are privileged to be able to conduct research on Cerro Pachón in Chile, and we acknowledge the Indigenous communities in Chile as the natural protectors of that land. We further acknowledge that our headquarters in Tucson is on the ancestral and unceded lands of the O’odham and Yaqui people.

The LSST Camera Pumped Coolant Final Design Review took place at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory on August 2-5. The main recommendation of the review committee was for the camera team to proceed with the updated solution. This review was a necessary and helpful step to getting this system in place to support the Camera, and the camera team will be working on addressing the committee’s recommendations in the coming months.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently approved the data security supplemental funding request submitted by Rubin Construction, paving the way for the Data Management team to begin putting into place the data systems and security measures detailed in the request. 

Regular construction activities on the summit have resumed after a heavy snowstorm (reported in the July 26th issue of the Digest). Last week, the M2 surrogate (the metal structure standing in for the glass secondary mirror during testing) was lifted off of its handling cart and reinstalled on the top end of the telescope mount. The installation went well and was completed in just a few hours, serving as a necessary verification that the removal and reinstallation of the M2, which will be required for coating the mirror during operations, can be carried out without problems using the dome crane and special lifting fixtures, and within the dimensional constraints of the TMA and dome. Photos are available in the Gallery.

Rubin Observatory swag items, including t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and more, are available for purchase in our not-for-profit online store. 

LSST CORPORATION NEWS:

The LSSTC fully supported a group of 34 graduate and undergraduate students to attend the Rubin 2022 PCW. The students each gave a short presentation about their work during a plenary session (undergrad students on Monday, graduate students on Wednesday), and invited Rubin attendees to view their posters and discuss their research results. The LSSTC also arranged a student tour of the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab, and the instrumentation shop at Rubin headquarters in Tucson. 

OPERATIONS UPDATES:

Rubin Operations was the focus of the Tuesday morning plenary at the Rubin 2022 PCW. Bob Blum, Director of Rubin Operations, gave a presentation reviewing progress and status of the Operations Plan for Rubin Observatory and the Legacy Survey of Space and Time including schedule updates, data preview timing and recent success with Data Preview 0.2. Slides from the presentation are available on the PCW meeting page.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & OPPORTUNITIES:

Brianna Smart and Erin Howard joined the Data Management subsystem as Research Scientists on August 1st. Brianna and Erin will be working on development of the Alert Production pipelines at the University of Washington.

Christina Williams joined the pre-Operations System Performance group as a Community Scientist on August 1st. Christina will be a member of the Community Engagement Team, supporting scientists who engage with Rubin Observatory.

Kenneth Brown joined the Telescope and Site subsystem on August 15th as a Technical Associate. Kenneth will be working as an electronics technician supporting construction and operations for the Rubin Observatory and NOIRLab.

Open positions with Rubin Observatory are available, visit the Rubin hiring page for details.

INFO FOR PROJECT MEMBERS:  

If you’d like to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Victor or Zeljko, please fill out this form to indicate your preferred (and backup) date and time. 

There is also an anonymous “suggestion box” for anyone to offer feedback at this link. 

UPCOMING MEETINGS with RUBIN OBSERVATORY INVOLVEMENT

(those with an asterisk* are LSSTC funded): 

2022

UPCOMING DEADLINES:

2022

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

El Taller del Proyecto y Comunitario Rubin 2022, realizado del 8 al 12 de agosto en el resort Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain en Tucson, Arizona, fue exitoso y productivo. El primer taller en persona desde 2019, también ofreció la opción de participación virtual en sesiones plenarias y en algunas sesiones de trabajo. Los detalles del evento están disponibles en esta noticia reciente.

El 9 de agosto, el Observatorio Rubin brindó reconocimiento al Día Internacional de los Pueblos Indígenas. Tenemos el privilegio de poder realizar investigaciones en Cerro Pachón en Chile, y reconocemos a las comunidades indígenas de Chile como los protectores naturales de esa tierra. Reconocemos además que nuestra sede en Tucson se encuentra en las tierras ancestrales, que no han sido cedidas, de los pueblos O'odham y Yaqui.

La Revisión Final del Diseño del Refrigerante Bombeado de la Cámara LSST se llevó a cabo del 2 al 5 de agosto en el Laboratorio Nacional de Aceleradores SLAC. La principal recomendación del comité de revisión fue que el equipo de la cámara procediera con la solución actualizada. Esta revisión fue un paso útil y necesario para implementar este sistema para soportar la Cámara, y el equipo de la cámara trabajará para abordar las recomendaciones del comité en los próximos meses.

Recientemente, la Fundación Nacional de Ciencias (NSF, por sus siglas en inglés) aprobó la solicitud de fondos suplementarios para la seguridad de datos presentada por la Construcción de Rubin, preparando el camino para que el equipo de Gestión de Datos comience a implementar los sistemas de datos y las medidas de seguridad detalladas en la solicitud.

Se han reanudado las actividades de construcción en el cerro después de una fuerte tormenta de nieve (informada en la edición del 26 de julio del Digest). La semana pasada, el M2 sustituto (la estructura de metal que reemplaza al espejo secundario durante las pruebas) fue levantado de su carro y reinstalado en el extremo superior de la montura del telescopio. La instalación salió bien y se hizo en pocas horas, sirviendo como verificación de que la remoción y reinstalación del M2, que serán necesarias para recubrir el espejo durante las operaciones, se puede realizar sin problemas utilizando la grúa de la cúpula y el sistema de izaje, dentro de las limitaciones dimensionales del TMA y la cúpula. Las fotos están disponibles en la Galería.

Los artículos promocionales del Observatorio Rubin, incluyendo poleras, tazones, bolsas de género y más, están disponibles para su compra en nuestra tienda en línea sin fines de lucro.

NOTICIAS DE LA CORPORACIÓN LSST:

LSSTC financió la asistencia de un grupo de 34 estudiantes de posgrado y pregrado al Rubin 2022 PCW. Cada estudiante hizo una breve presentación sobre su trabajo durante una sesión plenaria (estudiantes de pregrado el lunes, estudiantes de posgrado el miércoles) e invitaron a los asistentes a ver sus posters y discutir los resultados de su investigación. LSSTC también organizó un recorrido estudiantil por el Laboratorio de Espejos Richard F. Caris y el taller de instrumentación en la sede de Rubin en Tucson.

ACTUALIZACIÓN DE OPERACIONES:

Las Operaciones de Rubin fue el tema central de la sesión plenaria del martes por la mañana en Rubin 2022 PCW. Bob Blum, Director de Operaciones de Rubin, hizo una presentación en la que revisó el progreso y el estado del Plan de Operaciones del Observatorio Rubin y la Investigación de Espacio-Tiempo para la Posteridad, incluyendo actualizaciones del cronograma, el plazo de la vista previa de datos y el reciente éxito de la Vista Previa de Datos 0.2. Las diapositivas de la presentación están disponibles en la página de la reunión PCW,.

ANUNCIOS Y OPORTUNIDADES:

Brianna Smart y Erin Howard se unieron al subsistema de Gestión de Datos como Científicas Investigadoras el 1 de agosto. Brianna y Erin trabajarán en el desarrollo de los datoductos de Producción de Alertas en la Universidad de Washington.

Christina Williams se unió al grupo de Rendimiento del Sistema de las pre-Operaciones como Community Scientist el 1 de agosto. Christina será miembro del Equipo de Participación Comunitaria, apoyando a los científicos que se vinculen con el Observatorio Rubin.

Kenneth Brown se unió al subsistema de Telescopio y Sitio el 15 de agosto como Técnico Asociado. Kenneth trabajará como técnico en electrónica apoyando la construcción y las operaciones del Observatorio Rubin y NOIRLab.

Hay puestos disponibles en el Observatorio Rubin, visite la página de contratación de Rubin para obtener más detalles.

INFORMACIÓN PARA MIEMBROS DEL PROYECTO:

Si le gustaría programar una reunión individual con Victor o Zeljko, por favor complete este formulario para indicar una fecha y hora preferida (y una alternativa).

También existe un "buzón de sugerencias" anónimo para quienes quieran hacer llegar sus comentarios en este enlace.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES con PARTICIPACIÓN DEL OBSERVATORIO RUBIN

(aquellas con asterisco* son financiadas por LSSTC):

2022

PRÓXIMOS PLAZOS:

2022

After two years of all-virtual meetings, the Rubin Project and Community Workshop (PCW) returned as a physical event in 2022! More than 300 people attended the meeting at the Ritz Carlton Dove Mountain resort in Tucson, Arizona, and an additional 241 people registered to participate virtually in plenaries and select breakout sessions. A robust COVID safety protocol was established in advance to make the meeting as safe as possible.

The location for this year’s PCW was significant. Way back in 2010, Rubin Observatory (then named LSST) was selected as the top priority for the next decade of ground-based astronomy in the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey. The annual meeting that year was held at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain (group photo here). In 2020, Rubin PCW organizers intended to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Decadal Survey announcement by returning to the same location, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the meeting—as well as the 2021 PCW—online. So Rubin 2022 was really a dual celebration: the 12-year anniversary of the Decadal Survey announcement, and the first time since August 2019 that the larger Rubin community was able to gather for in-person collaboration, discussion, and celebratory toasts. 

Rubin 2022 kicked off on Monday, August 8th with a morning meeting of the Science Advisory Committee, and a block of afternoon breakout sessions followed by the opening plenary session. In that session, Zeljko Ivezic, Director of Rubin Construction, welcomed conference attendees and offered inspiring opening remarks. Sandrine Thomas, Deputy Director for Rubin Construction, gave updates on Rubin Observatory’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Victor Krabbendam, Project Manager for Rubin Observatory Construction, gave an overview of recent achievements and discussed the ongoing commissioning effort.

In addition to Rubin staff and members of the science community, a group of 34 graduate and undergraduate students attended Rubin 2022, fully supported by the LSST Corporation. During Monday’s plenary session, the undergraduate students gave short summaries of their research projects and invited attendees to a poster session after the plenary.

Tuesday’s morning plenary session featured a presentation from Bob Blum, Director of Rubin Operations. His talk was followed by “Lightning Stories” from Rubin Project members Jeff Carlin, Alexandra Goff, Alysha Shugart, and Hernan Stockebrand, who each shared details about their positions at Rubin, their professional histories, and their interests outside of work. The plenary was followed by a full day of breakout sessions, and posters contributed by members of the Rubin science community were on display in the foyer. A spectacular afternoon thunderstorm caused a change in venue for Tuesday’s evening reception (it was moved indoors), but it cooled the August day down nicely. 

On Wednesday, Will Clarkson, Chair of the Rubin/LSST Science Collaborations, thanked Federica Bianco, the outgoing Science Collaborations Chair, for her years of outstanding service and contributions in that role. Will also gave an overview of the Science Collaborations, and introduced the individual representatives of each Science Collaboration to give a report on recent activities and upcoming plans. The plenary session concluded with short presentations from each of the graduate students attending the PCW with LSSTC sponsorship. After the plenary ended, the students hosted a poster session to discuss their areas of study with PCW attendees. More breakout sessions filled out the Wednesday agenda, and the day wrapped up with ten parallel “Unconference” sessions that participants had proposed and voted on throughout the day. 

Thursday morning began with the Keynote Plenary Session. Dr. Lauren Corlies, Head of Education and Public Outreach (EPO), introduced the suite of online, interactive products—including a game called Rubin Space Surveyors—that the EPO team is preparing to launch publicly when EPO moves into Operations in October 2022. For the second half of the plenary, Prof. Marcia Rieke gave a talk titled, “JWST & Rubin Observatory: Engineering, Commissioning, and Science,” about how Rubin and JSWT can complement each other to produce great science. Breakout sessions rounded out the last full day of the PCW, with another set of contributed posters displayed outside the breakout rooms. 

A final set of breakout sessions kicked off the last day of the conference on Friday, August 12, and Rubin 2022 concluded with a plenary session that featured short summary presentations on the dozens of parallel sessions that took place during the week. 

Things were noticeably different at this year’s meeting, compared to past PCWs. The ubiquitous face masks were the most obvious change, but there were other differences: many people were more cautious about being in crowded spaces, and social interactions just seemed to take a little more conscious effort than they used to. Providing a valuable experience for a much larger group of virtual participants than in the past  was also a challenge this year—the daily plenaries saw nearly 100 virtual participants—and session chairs made an effort  to provide virtual access to sessions, even in rooms that weren’t set up to support it. Overall, the Rubin community spirit of collaboration and camaraderie was especially evident throughout the week. 

Congratulations to the organizers of Rubin 2022—it was a truly historic meeting!