Educado Network

Advancing expertise through specialised training and scientific exchange

As part of the EDUCADO Network dissemination and training activities, DC01, Minh Ngoc Le from IAC - Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, participated in the workshop "Surface Brightness Fluctuations: Methods and Applications", hosted by INAF from 20–23 July 2026.

The workshop provided an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the Surface Brightness Fluctuation (SBF) technique, a powerful method for measuring distances to galaxies. During the event, DC01 learned to use the distance-measurement pipeline developed by researchers at INAF Teramo, acquiring valuable expertise that will contribute to her PhD research on low surface brightness galaxies.

In addition to the training sessions, DC01 presented her latest research on an almost-dark galaxy discovered with the Two-meter Twin Telescope (TTT) at the Teide Observatory. The work, which has recently been submitted for publication, generated engaging discussions with researchers attending the workshop and highlighted the scientific potential of combining deep imaging with accurate distance measurements.

By participating in specialised workshops such as this, the EDUCADO Network continues to support its doctoral candidates in acquiring new skills, fostering international collaborations, and expanding their scientific expertise through interactions with leading researchers across Europe.

📍 Dissemination Activity: Surface Brightness Fluctuations Workshop
📅 Date: 20–23 July 2026
🏛️ Host Institution: INAF
🔗 https://lnkd.in/d_ztnQDd

Fostering collaboration in preparation for the Rubin LSST era

As part of the EDUCADO Network dissemination activities, DC01, Minh Ngoc Le from IAC - Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, visited the University of Arizona's Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory on May 11–12, 2026, to present her research and strengthen collaborations within the international astronomical community.

During the visit, Minh Ngoc delivered a seminar entitled "Low Surface Brightness Hunting: Pathfinder to the Rubin LSST Era" to members of the LIGHTS Collaboration and researchers at the Steward Observatory. Her presentation focused on the development of methodologies for detecting low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies using the LIGHTS Survey, and how these approaches pave the way for future discoveries with the Rubin LSST survey.

The visit was an opportunity to meet in person with her long-term collaborator, Prof. Dennis Zaritsky, and other members of the LIGHTS Collaboration. Hosted at the Steward Observatory—home to operations supporting the Large Binocular Telescope, which has been used to observe LIGHTS galaxies—the discussions focused on ongoing collaboration, scientific results, and future research directions.

In addition, DC01 met with students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty members interested in low surface brightness science and her detection methods. She also visited NSF NOIRLab, where she engaged with researchers working on complementary areas of astronomical surveys and observational astrophysics.

These dissemination activities exemplify the EDUCADO Network's commitment to promoting international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the professional development of its doctoral candidates as they contribute to the next generation of astronomical research.

📍 Dissemination Activity: Visit LIGHTS Collaborators at the University of Arizona
📅 Date: May 11–12, 2026
🏛️ Host Institution: University of Arizona – Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory
🔗 https://astro.arizona.edu/

🌟 EDUCADO Network Dissemination Activity | Visiting SLAC, Stanford 🌟

From May 13–15, our DC01, Minh Ngoc Le, visited the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Stanford) as part of the EDUCADO Network dissemination activities.

During the visit, DC01 delivered a research seminar to SLAC researchers and members of the Rubin LSST Science Collaboration, presenting work on searching for low surface brightness (LSB) objects using the LIGHTS Survey. The talk highlighted how the developed methodology can be applied to the upcoming Rubin LSST large and deep sky survey, whose 10-year co-added observations share similar characteristics with the LIGHTS data, opening exciting opportunities for discovering faint and diffuse galaxies.

The visit also provided valuable opportunities for scientific discussions and collaboration. DC01 met with Prof. Phil Marshall, Deputy Director of Operations of the Rubin Observatory, as well as other researchers working with Rubin data and those interested in the low surface brightness universe. These exchanges fostered new ideas and strengthened connections within the Rubin community ahead of the survey's scientific era.

We thank SLAC for the warm welcome and the engaging scientific discussions. We look forward to continued collaboration in advancing low surface brightness science with Rubin LSST.

📍 Dissemination Activity: Visiting SLAC, Stanford
📅 Date: May 13–15
🏛️ Institution: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory – Science and User Support Building
🔗 More about the visit: https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/media/30830387536a94c98216bkjpg

Exploring world-class astronomy together! 🌌

As part of the EDUCADO and EXGAL-Twin Projects, we had the opportunity to visit the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) with Dr. Yerlan Aimuratov (Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute, Almaty, Kazachstan), alongside Prof. Johan Knapen (Principal Investigator of EDUCADO and EXGAL-Twin), Valentina Fontirroig (doctoral candidate), and Dahimar Sánchez (Project Manager of EDUCADO) from the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).

The visit was an inspiring experience, providing valuable insights into some of the world's leading astronomical facilities and strengthening collaboration within our international partnership.

A special thank you to the teams at Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), NOT (Nordic Optical Telescope), and the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) for their warm welcome and for giving us the opportunity to learn more about their outstanding scientific and technological work.

Thanks to Patricia Iglesias Navarro from IAC - Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and part of the ExGal-Twin: Excellence in Galaxies - Twinning the IAC team, who took the stage at EAS 2026 in Lausanne, Switzerland (2 July) to share the story of AstroTragos - AoT Canarias – Astronomy on Tap Canarias 🌌🇮🇨

AstroTragos is developed in collaboration with Marina Dunn and Minh Ngoc Le from and is part of ExGal-Twin's outreach activities, with one clear mission: bringing astronomy closer to everyone.

✨ Want to know more or join an event near you?
👉 Link in bio or visit: https://astronomyontap.org/locations/canary-islands-spain/

🎓✨ Inspiring the next generation of scientists and innovators!

From EDUCADO NETWORK DC11, Dario Barone from the University of Birmingham, recently delivered an engaging lecture to 70 high school students titled "How do machines actually learn?" 🤖💡

The session introduced students to the fundamental concepts of how algorithms "learn" and encouraged them to think critically about the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and its growing impact on our everyday lives.

At EDUCADO, we are proud to support outreach activities that make cutting-edge research accessible to young minds and inspire curiosity about science and technology.

👏 Well done, Dario, for sharing your knowledge and encouraging the next generation to explore the exciting world of AI!

🌟 EDUCADO NETWORK is proud to celebrate another successful secondment!

Congratulations to DC10 Catarina Corte Real (HITS) on completing her secondment at the University of Groningen ( )!

During her stay, Catarina explored advanced techniques for the physical analysis of galactic spectra and image segmentation, expanding her expertise while collaborating with leading researchers in the field.

A special thank you to Professor Reynier Peletier and Professor Michael Wilkinson for their mentorship and support throughout this valuable research experience.

These international collaborations are at the heart of EDUCADO NETWORK's mission, fostering scientific excellence, knowledge exchange, and the development of the next generation of researchers.

👏 Well done, Catarina—we look forward to seeing how this experience contributes to your research journey!

During her secondment at the DiRAC Institute, one of our Doctoral Candidates from the presented her latest research and explored opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

DC03 Marina Dunn (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)) delivered a presentation titled 'Inferring the 3D Geometries of Euclid Star-forming Galaxies' at the Hyrax Tech & Science Meeting.

This presentation showcased her work using machine learning techniques to infer the three-dimensional shapes of star-forming galaxies observed by the Euclid mission. The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss collaborative ideas with the Hyrax development team, with the aim of further extending this research through the use of advanced machine learning (ML) tools in astronomy.

This exchange highlights the importance of secondments in the EDUCADO network, promoting collaboration between researchers and facilitating the development of innovative, data-driven approaches in modern astrophysics.

Last week, Prof. Johan Knapen, PI and coordinator of the ExGal-Twin and EDUCADO projects, represented us at the 14th Silk Road Meeting, held at New Uzbekistan University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (May 18–22, 2026).

A packed programme:

🎤 Monday – Opening panel: Prof Knapen joined the opening session to discuss the role of astronomy and international collaboration in the region.

🌌 Public talk: "Astronomy with AI from the Canary Islands" — bringing our work at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias to a global audience.

🔭 Science talk: "Studying Galaxy Properties with AI Tools" — presenting the latest results from ExGal-Twin and EDUCADO on how machine learning is transforming our understanding of galaxy evolution.

Great to connect with researchers from across Central Asia, Europe and beyond, and to showcase the science being done from the Canary Islands on an international stage.

🔗 More info: www.astro-silkroad.uz

🌌✨🍻 ¡AstroTragos Canarias se pasa al lado estelar en su edición especial Star Wars! 🚀⭐

Con motivo del 4 de mayo (May the 4th), seguimos explorando el universo juntos con una noche muy especial inspirada en una galaxia muy, muy lejana…

Te esperamos en el Club El Búho de La Laguna, Tenerife, para disfrutar de ciencia, cerveza y ambiente intergaláctico en una nueva noche de AstroTragos 🍺🌠

En esta ocasión contaremos con dos ponentes del :

🌟🧲 Diego Godoy Rivera (IAC)
“El reloj magnético de las estrellas.” (charla en español)

💧🪐 Tania Le Pivert (IAC)
“Where to Look for Water in the Solar System?” (charla en inglés)

Prepárate para una velada llena de astronomía, cerveza y espíritu galáctico 🔭🍻🌌

🕖 Cuándo: jueves, 7 de mayo de 2026 — 19h (puertas abiertas 18h) ⏰
📍 Dónde: Club El Búho, La Laguna, Tenerife 📌
💫 Entrada libre y gratuita ✨

Aunque no se requieren entradas, te pedimos que confirmes tu asistencia en Eventbrite para ayudarnos con la organización 👉 enlace en la biografía 🔗🎟️
⚠️ El aforo es limitado — ¡llega pronto para asegurar tu sitio! ⏳🔥

🌠🚀 ¡Que la ciencia te acompañe en esta edición de AstroTragos! 🍻✨