Canada’s Long-Range Plan 2021-2030

Dr. James Di Francesco

Canada’s Long Range Plan 2021-2030

Brief : Every ten years, astronomers across Canada organize a nationwide discussion about the near-term future of astronomy in Canada.  This grassroots process, known as the Long Range Plan, significantly defines priorities for current and future astronomy investments with broad consensus across the country.  In 2021, the latest version of the Long Range Plan, produced by a panel co-chaired by Bryan Gaensler (Toronto) and Pauline Barmby (Western), was released.  In my short presentation, I will summarize briefly the main recommendations made by the 2020 Long Range Plan, and provide updates on its recommended highest priorities, namely the ground-based optical Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the ground-based radio Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and the space-based Cosmological Advanced Survey Telescope for Optical/uv Research (CASTOR).  In addition, I will highlight some of the other recommendations made about the astronomy community in general.  If adequately funded, Canada’s ambitious plans will enable it to retain its forefront reputation in astronomy and astrophysics on the world stage for decades to come.

Bio : Dr. James Di Francesco is the Director of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and Optical Astronomy at the National Research Council of Canada’s Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (HAA).  Located currently in Victoria, BC, he is originally from Trenton, ON.  He received his PhD in Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997, and afterwards had two successive postdoctoral appointments at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA in 1997-1999 and the University of California, Berkeley in 1999-2002.  He has been part of the HAA research staff for the past 21 years and has been a Director since 2018. He also holds an adjunct professorial appointment at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria.

*The presentation will begin shortly after 7pm. Please try to arrive and seat early.

*Free for members. Non-members may attend once for free and then we encourage them to join.

Volunteers to set-up chairs and tables at 6:15pm are always welcome.