Training activities

• Number of hours: 60
• Description
  • The Teaching Area of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) organizes and coordinates all the IAC activities related to the training of researchers and collaborates with the Department of Astrophysics of the University of La Laguna (ULL) in Astrophysics studies (bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees). From this Area, an International Winter School is organized every year, the "Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics", lasting two weeks, aimed at doctoral students and recent PhDs in Astrophysics. Information can be found here here
  • Duration: two weeks.
  • During the development of schools, students have the opportunity to:
    • to achieve an in-depth update on a current topic of great astronomical interest.
    • share knowledge with the best specialists in Astrophysics.
    • visit the Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma) and Teide (Tenerife) Observatories.
    • Editions: The lessons from each Winter School are published in book form by the scientific publisher Cambridge University Press.
  • In the following link You can find a list of all the winter schools that have been organized (one annually) since 1989
• Competencies
  • All Basic Competencies
  • CA01: Operate in contexts where there is little specific information.
• Learning Outcomes: The winter school allows the student to take an in-depth look at a specific field of research in Astrophysics. These schools are held once a year, so the student has the opportunity to attend 3 or 4 lectures. All of them are of interest, although obviously those that are close to the PhD student's research topic are essential to attend. Given the great depth of the treatment carried out in each school, which is taught by internationally renowned professors in each field, the student acquires a complete, precise and detailed vision of the pending problems in each field as well as the procedures and techniques that are being used.
• Timing of activity in the formative stage
• The winter school takes place every year around the month of November and it is of great interest for the student to attend several of them, and in an essential way those that address fields related to the student's field of research, in terms of topics or tools.
• Part-time students: Given the short duration of the Winter School, it is perfectly affordable for part-time students.
• Monitoring Procedures: Daily attendance at the Winter School is monitored and students are encouraged to participate in the debates. To ensure that this activity is being used and that it contributes to the acquisition of the corresponding skills, a monitoring procedure will be implemented based on the student presenting a summary of the most relevant points studied at the Winter School.
• Mobility: The school is primarily intended for doctoral students and recent postdocs in any field of research in Astronomy. Those interested in attending the WinterSchool should register using the online form above. Once registered, please log in to your personal area and enter your Curriculum Vitae and (optional) contributed poster information. In addition, werequest a letter of reference from your thesis advisor (or Head of Department) by email to the Winter School Secretariat. These should reach the IAC before June 15th. Selected candidates will be informed by July 1st. The registration fee is 1500 euros, which covers the Conference Fee, half-board accommodation for thirteen days (from Sunday 10th to Saturday 23rd, on the basis of double shared rooms), all excursions and social activities including visits to the observatories on La Palma and Tenerife, and a copy of the books with the lectures. Special prices apply for IAC students who do not want to stay in the Nivaria hotel. Contact the organizers or the secretary. A limited number of grants may be provided by the organization to partially cover registration costs. Those applicants requiring partial support to attend the School may fill out the corresponding form in the personal area once registered.

• Number of hours: 50
• Description: Several talks and seminars are given weekly at the IAC. Attendance is not mandatory, but students are strongly encouraged to attend general lectures and seminars specific to their line of research.
• Competencies
  • CB11 Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the research skills and methods related to that field.
  • CB14 Ability to carry out a critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
  • CB15 Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their areas of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
  • CA02 Find the key questions that need to be answered to solve a complex problem.
  • CA06 Criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.
  • Personal abilities and skills: 6 records found, showing all records.
• Competencies
  • CB11 Systematic understanding of a field of study and mastery of the research skills and methods related to that field.
  • CB14 Ability to carry out a critical analysis and evaluation and synthesis of new and complex ideas.
  • CB15 Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their areas of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
  • CA02 Find the key questions that need to be answered to solve a complex problem.
  • CA06 Criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.
  • Personal abilities and skills: 6 records found, showing all records.
• Learning Outcomes: Attending lectures and seminars allows students to understand the research currently being carried out in the different fields of Astrophysics, both on pending problems and on the different techniques to address these problems. It also allows students to meet other researchers both in their own field and in others. We consider that the learning outcomes of these activities are of vital importance for Astrophysics researchers.
• Timing of the activity during the training stage: This activity must be carried out throughout the duration of the doctorate. The student is expected to attend at least one talk per week throughout the doctorate. It is also advisable that during the last year the student gives at least one talk explaining the problem he or she is studying as well as the procedures used and the results achieved.
• Part-time students: Given the short duration of the Talks and Seminars, this activity is perfectly feasible for part-time students.
• Control procedure: Attendance at talks and seminars is monitored: These talks and seminars are given weekly at the IAC (Click here) and are on a wide variety of topics and degrees of depth or specificity in different fields of astrophysics. For this reason, attendance is not mandatory, but students are strongly encouraged to attend general level talks and those specific to their line of research. It is the responsibility of the thesis director to indicate to the student which talks are essential for attendance and to ensure such attendance. To guarantee the benefit of this activity and its contribution to the acquisition of the corresponding competences, a control procedure will be implemented based on the presentation by the student of a summary of the most relevant points studied in the talks and seminars.

• Number of hours: 12
• Every year, the Faculty's own students organize a two-day conference, which, in addition to the participation of top-level international guest speakers, encourages PhD students to present their research progress to their peers. It serves primarily as training for giving talks and training in the organization of symposia and conferences, as well as fulfilling an obvious task of encouragement and dissemination.
• Competencies
  • CB15 Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their areas of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
  • CA02 Find the key questions that need to be answered to solve a complex problem.
  • CA06 Criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.
  • Personal abilities and skills: 6 records found, showing all records.
• Competencies
  • CB15 Ability to communicate with the academic and scientific community and with society in general about their areas of knowledge in the modes and languages commonly used in their international scientific community.
  • CA02 Find the key questions that need to be answered to solve a complex problem.
  • CA06 Criticism and intellectual defense of solutions.
  • Personal abilities and skills: 6 records found, showing all records.
• Learning Outcomes: Attending the COEFI allows students to learn about the research carried out by their peers and, very importantly, offers a forum to present their own research, training in the skills of presenting and communicating scientific results and the procedures and tools used in research in Astrophysics.
• Timing of the activity during the training stage: This activity is carried out once a year. It is very interesting to attend each year during the completion of the thesis. During the first year as an assistant to discover the research topics of your colleagues. In subsequent years to present your own research.
• Part-time students: Given the short duration of the COEFI, this activity is perfectly feasible for part-time students.
• Control procedure: Attendance at the COEFI is controlled, although attendance is not mandatory. Final year students are strongly encouraged to present partial results of their research at the conference. It is the responsibility of the thesis supervisor to advise his students to attend conferences, both for students, as is the case of the COEFI, and national and international conferences in their field of work. To ensure the benefit of this activity and its contribution to the acquisition of the corresponding skills, a control procedure will be implemented based on the presentation by the student of a summary of one of the topics that has been most relevant to him among those presented at the COEFI.
• Mobility: The Congress of Students of the Faculty of Physics (COEFI) takes place annually at the Faculty of Physics, so it is not necessary to establish any mobility action.

• Number of hours: 50
• Description: For those PhD students in Astrophysics who are completing their doctoral thesis in the line of research on Physics: Structure of Matter, which covers the most basic and fundamental aspects of the structure and behaviour of matter, the courses and seminars that were previously called the Physics Doctoral Student Seminars of the University of La Laguna (SEDFULL) will continue to be taught. The SEDFULLs are an initiative promoted and organised by students of the Structure of Matter research line, within the PhD in Astrophysics. These are weekly meetings in which any student who is carrying out introductory research work in Physics or related fields may present a brief oral communication to start an open debate among the audience, thus promoting quality scientific discussion and the exchange of knowledge and tools, and enabling the acquisition of the skills necessary for the presentation and defence of scientific results before a specialist audience. All the information can be found here here
• Competencies
  • All Basic Competencies
  • CA01 Operate in contexts where there is little specific information.
• Learning Outcomes: The Physics PhD Student Seminars allow PhD students in Astrophysics, and especially those who write their thesis in the Structure of Matter research line, an in-depth approach to the most basic and fundamental aspects of the structure and behavior of matter. Timing of the activity in the formative stage
• SEDFULLs take place weekly and are of interest throughout the training process: during the first years as an assistant to learn about the results and methods of attacking the different problems that are currently being investigated. During the last years as a forum in which to train in the delivery of in-depth seminars to a small group of researchers.
• Part-time students: Given the short duration of the SEDFULL, this activity is perfectly feasible for part-time students.
• Control Procedures: It is the responsibility of the thesis supervisor to advise, and even require, the attendance of the PhD student to these courses if the thesis topic is related to the problems addressed in these courses. In general, these Seminars are of special interest to all students who carry out their research in astrophysics within the research line of Structure of Matter. To ensure the benefit of this activity and its contribution to the acquisition of the corresponding competences, a control procedure will be implemented based on the presentation by the student of a summary of the most relevant points studied in these Seminars.

• 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 trip 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 at other centres, a minimum duration of 1 week is established. Since the completion of these mobility activities is subject to the possibility of funding, these activities will always be optional.

• Control procedures: 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.

• The student usually carries out work at the 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 work, depending on the length of the stay. The work carried out, which will be presented and discussed upon return to the thesis supervisor, is sufficient evidence of the successful completion of the stay. The financing of the three types of stay planned is covered by the thesis supervisor's research project. The organisation and management of the trip, including accommodation, travel and documentation, is carried out by the IAC Travel Section.