Communiqué de presse

"Portugal - ESO - VLT"

Scientific Workshop, Public Exhibition and Press Conference in Lisbon (April 17-18, 2000)

13 avril 2000

A special Workshop "Portugal - ESO - VLT" will be held at the Lisbon University Museum of Science on April 17-18, 2000. It is primarily directed towards young Portuguese scientists and will inform them about the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the many exciting research possibilities with this new facility. The Workshop is accompanied by a public exhibition about ESO and its telescopes , as well as a Press Conference on April 17 with participation of the Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology and the ESO Director General. A public lecture will be given about ESO and the VLT on April 18.

The background

On July 10, 1990, the Republic of Portugal and ESO signed a Co-operation Agreement aimed at full Portuguese membership of the ESO organisation within ten years. During the interim period, Portuguese astronomers had access to ESO facilities while the Portuguese government was providing support towards the development of astronomy and the associated infrastructure in this country.

The Portuguese astronomical community is the youngest in Europe with more than 90% of its PhD's awarded during the last 8 years. The access to ESO telescopes - especially the Very Large Telescope (VLT) with its suite of state-of-the-art instruments for observations at wavelengths ranging from the UV to the mid-infrared, as well as the planned Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) - constitutes an exceptional opportunity for the Portuguese astronomical community to conduct front-line science.

The scope of the Workshop is to bring together Portuguese and ESO researchers working in all areas of astrophysics to discuss the new opportunities for scientific discoveries offered by these powerful observing facilities.

Exhibition and Press Conference

An exhibition about ESO and the VLT ("A Astronomia do Novo Século O Universo visto pelo VLT") will be open for the public from April 18 to May 19 in the Hall of the Lisbon University Museum of Science (Rua da Escola Politécnica 56, Lisbon).

The official Opening will take place on Monday, April 17 at 18 hrs, and be followed by a Press Conference with the Director General of ESO, Catherine Cesarsky and the Portuguese Minister of Science and Technology, José Mariano Gago. Participation is by invitation only and representatives of the media are requested to register with the Museum in advance.

More information is available at the dedicated website and from the Museum (Telephone: +351 213921808).

Public lecture

A public lecture will be given by ESO astronomer Richard West on "Exciting Prospects at the European Southern Observatory - Latest News from the Very Large Telescope" in the Auditorium of the Museu de Ciéncia on Tuesday, April 18, beginning at 18 hrs local time.

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