Abstract The Parkes radio telescope, known affectionately as “The Dish”, is located ∼ 380 km west of Sydney, Australia, and has been in operation since 1961. The Dish is an iconic 64-metre parabolic antenna, with receiver systems capable of observing from 700 MHz to 26 GHz, with bandwidths up to several GHz, and it is part of the CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility. The Dish has been the inspiration for generations of astronomers, continued to be at the forefront of radio astronomy and technology research, and, for more than 10 years, provided educational experiences through the PULSE @ Parkes programme. The high impact science conducted by Parkes has included: Surveys of atomic hydrogen, molecular lines and masers; the first detections of fast radio bursts; and the searches and determinations of long-term timing of pulsars (for which PULSE @ Parkes contributes to). We present the current and future plans for STEM-oriented education and outreach engagement with the telescope, making radio astronomy inclusive to a diverse audience, particularly for people who would not otherwise have access to facilities, such as students in remote communities.
Green et al. (Fri,) studied this question.