1st End of Year Network Workshop

Group photo of the members that attended the first RoPACS annual network workshop.The 1st end of year workshop was held at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias in La Laguna, Tenerife, between the 17th and 19th November 2009. RoPACS network members and visiting scientists gathered to discuss the scientific developments that have occurred during the first year of the network.

The aim of the meeting was to cover the following points:

  • Review the scientific progress being made within the RoPACS network
  • Discuss research being carried out by new network members
  • Discuss the status of future facilities that will benefit the RoPACS network

Materials in support of the end of year network workshop

Presentations given at the end of year network workshop

Each of the presentations listed below can be downloaded by clicking the relevant link

Day 1

Day 2

Photographs taken at the 1st end of year network workshop

Click on the following link to view photographs taken at the RoPACS 1st end of year workshop. Photographs are courtesy of Florian Roddler, Dennis Shulyak, David Pinfield and Brigitta Sipocz. 

Further information

The information provided to attendees prior to the conference is listed below

Venue

The network meeting will take place in the lecture hall (Aula) in the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), which is located in the Calle Via Láctea, just behind the Science Museum (Museo de la Sciencia) with its big dish on the roof. Walking down from the hotel to the IAC will take you approximately 20-25 minutes. Alternatively, you can take the tram, which runs from the terminal stop "La Trinidad" to "Museo de la Sciencia" (3 stops). A single ticket costs 1.30 EUR, which you have to buy in the tram stop at the vendor machines. You cannot buy tickets inside the tram. In order to validate the tickets, you have to use the ticket stamper inside the tram.

Social events

In the evening on Tuesday (17th November 2009) - dinner in a typical Canarian restaurant in the old part of La Laguna.

On Wednesday afternoon (18th November 2009) - excursion to the Teide observatory.

Coming to Tenerife and La Laguna

Note that Tenerife has two airports! The airport Tenerife Norte Los Rodeos (TFN) is only 3 km away from La Laguna. We recommend to take a taxi from this airport to the Hotel Nivaria (in La Laguna), which should not cost more than 9 EUR.

The southern airport (Reina Sofia, TFS) is approximately 70 km away from La Laguna. If you arrive there, take the bus 111 (green buses operated by TITSA) to Santa Cruz Bus Terminal / Intercambiador (about 8 EUR - buy the ticket inside the bus; this bus runs every 30 min and the trip takes 50 min) and from Santa Cruz either by tramway (buy the ticket at the tram stop! 1.30 EUR, runs every 5 min, takes 35 min) to the terminal stop "La Trinidad" (from that tram stop it will take you about 5 min to get to the hotel - see map!) or by taxi to the Hotel Nivaria in La Laguna (about 15 EUR). A taxi from the southern airport to La Laguna will cost some 70 EUR, which is approximately the price for a 2-3 days car rental.

If you intend to rent a car, we recommend to reserve a car via internet under www.autoreisen.es or www.cicar.com. These companies have offices in both airports (as well as AVIS, HERTZ, ...). Renting a car in Tenerife is very cheap (about 20-30 EUR / day). If you are cititzen of a non-Schengen country, please read the immigration information to Spain.

Tenerife

La Laguna (pop 140,000; 550 m above sea level) is the second largest city in Tenerife and hosts a large university (25,000 students). La Laguna historical centre was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1999. The capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a coastal city with 230,000 inhabitants, is some 6 km away from La Laguna. Both cities are linked by a tramway line. The major tourist resorts on the island are Puerto de la Cruz in the north (some 25 km from La Laguna) and Playa de las Americas / Los Cristianos, about 80 km away in the south of the island. There is good public transportation linking all those cities and resorts (TITSA buses).

The Canarian archipelago (Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro) is made up of seven volcanic islands located in a privileged part of the Atlantic. Just over 300 km from the coast of Africa, Tenerife is the largest island in the Archipelago.

The climate in the coast is quite mild in November, with temperatures in the range 18-22 C during the day. Temperatures may be somewhat lower in La Laguna and rain is not infrequent there.

The island's landscape (Mount Teide, the highest point in Spain, soars up to 3718 metres) and the north-easterly trade winds provide Tenerife with a variety of microclimates which are among its attractions. On a November day you may enjoy bright weather and warm temperatures in the coast, temperate rainy weather at mid altitudes in the north, spectacular sun in the National Park of Las Cañadas del Teide (at 2300 m altitude, in the center of the island).