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The official launch of the Zadko Telescope earlier this year was a stellar event.

Budding young scientists rubbed shoulders with some of Australia’s brightest academic minds, politicians, and distinguished alumni at the official launch of the telescope at the UWA Centre for Learning Technology on April 1.

Shenton College students Rebecca Turner, Devid Ferri and Oliver Rawle – who are involved in UWA’s Science in Schools program – demonstrated the project’s remote access capabilities via live links to the telescope site at Gingin and to Michel Boer at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP).

Michel manages TAROT, a network of robotic telescopes located in France and Chile, which is linked directly to NASA satellites scanning space for cosmic explosions originating from the death of massive stars. In 2010, collaborators from France will work with UWA researchers to incorporate the Zadko Telescope into this network.

Australia’s Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett, and acclaimed ABC science broadcaster Robyn Williams spoke at the launch.

In a hectic 48 hour visit, Robyn managed to pack in a visit to the Zadko Telescope at the Gravitational Discovery Centre at Gingin, host a tutorial with science communication students, conduct interviews for his show, and meet a number of key executive and academic staff.

“I find that if you don’t sleep, you get an awful lot done,” says Robyn with a wry smile.