JIVE VLBI School 2025
September 2025
Combined Group Picture Jive, Online and Pretoria
From September 15th to 19th, 2025, I had the privilege of attending the JIVE VLBI School in Dwingeloo, Netherlands. Dwingeloo is a small town adjacent to a large national park, and the school took place in the ASTRON facility, home to the famous Dwingeloo 25-meter radio telescope.
The summer school brought together a highly international group, ranging from undergraduate students to postdoctoral researchers, with participants from Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. Despite coming from diverse backgrounds, the program was structured in such a way that everyone could actively follow the content.
The first days focused on the theoretical foundations of radio interferometry, including the principles of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), scientific applications, and the history of the European VLBI Network (EVN). A major highlight was the practical visit to the Dwingeloo 25-meter telescope and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope. We participated in a real EVN observation targeting the active galaxy 3C395, gaining first-hand experience with scheduling, calibration, and data acquisition.
Dwingeloo 25-meter telescope
Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope
From the third day onwards, we worked with the previously correlated data. This included calibration, modeling, and reconstructing images from the sparse measurements. VLBI data proved challenging: no ready-made images exist, and small changes in assumptions can lead to significantly different results. It was fascinating to see how much intuition and experience play a role in high-precision data analysis, a rare chance to “feel” the physics in action.
Alongside the intensive workshops, there was ample opportunity for networking and cultural exchange. I met many inspiring colleagues, including participants from Chiang Mai, whom I hope to meet again during the upcoming summer school in Thailand. The week ended with final group presentations of our reconstructed images, showcasing the progress each team had made.
Overall, the JIVE VLBI School was a rich, well-organized, and highly educational experience. It combined deep scientific content with practical exercises and offered a glimpse into the collaborative and international nature of modern radio astronomy.
