Event Recap with the SKAO: What do K-Pop and Radio Astronomy have in common?

Last week we gathered in Lausanne at EPFL to hear about one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built.

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory will use a million square metres of radio telescope aperture across South Africa and Australia to look back at the first billion years of the universe.

Prof. Jessica Dempsey, the new Director General of SKAO, explained the science through an unexpected lens: K-pop. Melody, harmony, synchronicity, scope and scale. It turns out coordinating thousands of radio dishes across two continents has more in common with a perfectly choreographed performance than you might expect. She also shared that the most important breakthrough facilitated by the SKAO platform is unknown and yet to come.

Dr. Bob Bishop, who was aware of the original working group that conceived the SKA in the late 1980s and installed the computer infrastructure at the Parkes observatory famous from The Dish.

Carolyn Crichton from SKA Switzerland (SKACH) joined to talk about the need for dark and quiet skies. This was a timely reminder that the proliferation of satellites in low Earth orbit isn't just an aesthetic problem — it's a scientific one, and it needs a collaborative solution.

Ambassador Elizabeth Day closed the evening on behalf of Australia. A fitting note: Australian women are leading SKAO at the highest levels, and that's not an accident. A broad scientific basis makes our contribution to global projects more than just space and kangaroos.

Thanks to the ICES Foundation for making this evening possible, and to everyone who attended. Events like this are exactly why ASAIN exists!