© M. Brendel, ASTRON 

The 7th LOFAR Data School successfully took place in the week of 15-19 April, 2024 at ASTRON, The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy in Dwingeloo, Netherlands. 44 participants from 17 countries of affiliation and a diverse range of backgrounds, from MSc students to staff astronomers, took part to learn about LOFAR.

Before the start of the school, the participants were provided with an e-learning resource offering a concise introduction to radio astronomy, LOFAR telescope and the various science cases of LOFAR.

The students were expected to complete the modules within this e-learning platform prior to the beginning of the school. The school then began with a set of lectures and hands-on tutorials covering both interferometric and high time resolution beamformed LOFAR data analysis techniques.

The topics covered were removal of systematic effects, imaging techniques, polarimetry, pulsars, solar observations, observing extended sources, transients, and VLBI, among others.

On the last two days of the school, the students put their learnings to test through a set of six science analysis challenges chosen based on their interests. They worked in teams to analyse LOFAR data and presented their findings in 10-minute presentations on the last day of the school.

Among the extra activities, the students were taken on an excursion to visit the site of the LOFAR array, got a tour of the Dwingeloo telescope, and enjoyed typical Dutch food (and weather).

Overall, another very enjoyable and successful school organized by the Science Data Centre Operations group at ASTRON!