Now that Hallowe’en is out of the way, and we’re into November, the next scheduled break is in seven weeks time, for Christmas. The mid-term break fell in such a way that the 12 weeks of teaching split 5-7 instead of the tidier 6-6, which means that we have quite a long run-in. Lectures finish on Friday 18th December 2026. I don’t have any lectures on that day, actually, nor on the day before. I do have a tutorial on Friday 18th but I don’t imagine many students will turn up. I think I’ll try to get through the material before the end of term and then postpone the tutorial until the week before the examinations, which start on 8th January. That way I can spend a bit of time with a certain person before he goes to spend Christmas with his family.
Talking of examinations, I was a bit late getting my Semester 1 papers written but when I finally uploaded them I discovered that at least I wasn’t the last member of staff to complete this task. Every year the deadline for examination papers is pushed earlier and earlier. I don’t know why. Perhaps the people in charge just enjoy bossing the academic staff around.
I’ll be back to the office tomorrow to resume teaching, etc. but it is looking increasingly likely that we will be having more industrial action, as the negotiations between Unions and Government seem to have broken down. I know from talking to colleagues that there was considerable scepticism that the Government side were going to negotiate in good faith. The Minister’s comments to the media certainly don’t suggest that is the case. Anyway, we’re ready to go on strike again if necessary. I think November 11th is the likely date for another 24-hour stoppage. I have a medical appointment booked for that day, which will be cancelled if the strike goes ahead but it is routine and can be rescheduled. And if a one-day strike doesn’t work, who knows?
Among the highlights of the next seven weeks will be Euclid DR1 day on which will be published raw data, calibrated images, catalogues, and spectra covering approximately 1,900 square degrees. There won’t be any cosmology results – for those you will have to wait until mid-2027 – but the data set will be a feast in itself and is sure to attract considerable media attention.
I’m also thinking about preparing the Open Journal of Astrophysics for 2027. That will not only mean starting a new volume – Volume 10 – but also bringing in some changes to improve the workflow and improve the visual appearance of our published papers. We’re also going to publish a new policy on the use of AI in our papers. I suspect all journals are experiencing a deluge of AI-generated articles and OJAp is no exception. It’s very tiresome having to deal with all the slop, but it’s not going to go away anytime soon so we’ll just have to deal with it.
P.S. Today is Dia de Todos los Santos in Spain, a day on which people remember deceased family members and friends. The date takes on an especially sad significance this year after the terrible loss of life in a train crash last week.
