This Training Activity includes the trips that students must make for one of the following three reasons:
a) Carrying out the observations necessary to obtain the data that will be analysed during the thesis. A fundamental aspect of the training of an astrophysicist is the obtaining of observations, their reduction and analysis. It is highly recommended that the student carry out his or her own observations, supported at all times by his or her thesis supervisor and by the working group that contributes to this line of research. The IAC has two observatories in the Canary Islands, one in Tenerife and the other in La Palma. Furthermore, due to Spain's membership of the ESO (European Southern Observatory), students in our doctoral programme have access to the observatories in Chile. The subsidy for these trips and stays is covered by the research project on which the doctoral student depends.
b) Attendance by the PhD student at national and international conferences. Attendance by the student at conferences is highly recommended for several reasons: on the one hand, it is at conferences where the most recent research is presented, including those that are just beginning; it is an appropriate forum for the student, in the final phase of his or her thesis, to present in public and submit to the judgement and criticism of other researchers the results and the tools used in his or her research; it is a magnificent opportunity for the student to meet other researchers and establish contacts and possible future collaborations; and finally, it is the main tool we have at our disposal to escape from localism and the natural tendency to assume that the research done at home is of lesser quality or depth than that done abroad. The subsidy for these trips and stays is covered by the research project on which the PhD student depends.
c) The stay of the doctoral student in a national or foreign institution. In specific cases, mainly when the thesis supervisor maintains close contact and/or collaboration with researchers working in foreign centres, it may be interesting to travel, for a short period, generally less than a month, to another research centre. As in the case of conferences, these trips can be an appropriate tool for the student to meet other researchers and establish contacts and possible future collaborations; to escape localism and the natural tendency to assume that the research done at home is of lower quality or depth than that done abroad; to learn about other ways of working or tackling problems. The subsidy for these trips and stays is covered by the research project on which the doctoral student depends.
Not all students have to make these trips, but in practice, most PhD students make one or two of the above trips during the preparation of their thesis.
Obviously, the number of hours spent on a mobility activity depends greatly on the type of movement and cannot be established in a general way; however, for the mobility activity to be counted, it will be required that at least one of the following requirements is met:
1. In the case of observations or data collection in large scientific facilities, the student must participate in data collection for at least 1 day/night of observation.
2. In the case of attending conferences: the student must present an oral communication or poster at said conference.
3. In the case of stays in other centres, a minimum duration of 1 week is established.
Since the implementation of these mobility activities is subject to the possibility of financing, these activities will always be optional.
The control procedures to estimate the degree of utilization of this activity are very varied, depending on the type of displacement.
a) Movement by observations. Obtaining the observational data itself provides the best control over the execution and use of this activity.
b) Travel to attend conferences. In general, students who attend a conference present the results of their research either in the form of a poster or orally. In this case, it is not necessary to establish additional control procedures. The student has had to defend their work in public and respond to criticism, questions and suggestions from other researchers, generally more experienced. Only in the very frequent case that the student does not present their work at the conference, will they be asked to present, upon their return to the IAC, in the form of a talk or public conference, a summary of the most relevant and impactful research that they have learned about through their attendance at the conference.
C) Travel due to stays at other research centres. Here again, it is unnecessary to establish mechanisms to control the use of the work.
Typically, students carry out work at a foreign centre, which usually results in the publication of a scientific article or in the completion of a more or less important part of the thesis research, depending on the length of the stay. The work carried out, which will be presented and discussed upon their return to the thesis supervisor, is sufficient evidence of the benefit taken from the stay.
The funding for the three types of stays planned is provided by the thesis director's research project. The organization and management of the trip, including accommodation, transportation and documentation, is carried out by the IAC Travel Section.