Original URL: https://www.rdworldonline.com/northwestern-university-joins-global-partnership-to-build-giant-magellan-telescope/
By Heather Hall (R&D World Online, December 18, 2024)
Northwestern University has joined the international consortium constructing the Giant Magellan Telescope, a $2.54 billion observatory poised to become one of the world’s most powerful astronomical instruments. The consortium now includes 15 leading research institutions from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan. Northwestern brings expertise in astrophysics and artificial intelligence (AI) to the project. Researchers at the university’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and its newly founded NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI) will develop and apply advanced AI tools to support the telescope’s mission. Once completed, the Giant Magellan Telescope will search for Earth-like planets throughout the Milky Way, study the universe’s most energetic explosions, and investigate how galaxies and black holes interact.
“Northwestern University’s strength in AI, astrophysics, and engineering innovation makes them an important addition to our consortium,” said Dr. Walter Massey, board chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope and former director of the National Science Foundation. To read more, see https://www.rdworldonline.com/northwestern-university-joins-global-partnership-to-build-giant-magellan-telescope/
The SkAI Institute is one of the National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Simons Foundation.
Information on National AI Institutes is available at aiinstitutes.org.
