The First Chinese Thirty Meter Telescope Meeting

December 20-21, Beijing, China.

Jointly organized by NAOC and KIAA－PKU

Astronomy is now entering the extremely large telescope era with apertures of 25-42m. Leading the race is the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project led by Caltech, University of California and Canada. Several other countries (Japan and India) are also considering joining the project. A Chinese delegation led by Prof. Jiansheng Chen recently participated in a TMT board meeting. China is now officially an observer in the TMT project. To secure the necessary funding, we must put forward the strongest science, engineering and management cases to the Chinese government.

In this context, the first Chinese Thirty Meter Telescope (CTMT) meeting will be held in Beijing. It will focus on the current status of TMT, scientific instruments and potential science cases. We will discuss in detail the science case to be put forward to the Chinese government, and establish science working groups for the future development of CTMT. We will also crystalise the CTMT synergies with other Chinese large astronomy projects such as LAMOST, FAST, SVOM, HXMT and DOME-A. We will also try to identify potential areas in which China can lead in TMT. There will also be discussions about practical ways of training future young astronomers that can utilise this state-of-the-art telescope to maximize its impact on Chinese astronomy for decades to come.

If you wish to attend this meeting please register here (tmt.bao.ac.cn/meeting.php). Registration closes on Dec. 15, 2009.