The Thuringian State Observatory has been cooperating with universities in Uganda for many years. In May, two astrophysicists from the African country visited again. One of them knows the Tautenburg Observatory very well because he did his Ph.D. work there.
Dr. Benard Nsamba and Dr. Cosmos Dumba, both from Uganda, came to visit the Thuringian State Observatory (TLS) in May 2024. Dr. Nsamba is a lecturer and Branco Weiss Fellow at the Department of Physics at Kyambogo University in Uganda's capital Kampala. Dr. Dumba is a lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology in the city of Mbarara, Uganda.
Cosmos Dumba, Mbarara University, and Johannes Winkler, head of the mechanics workshop at Thuringian State Observatory (Foto: TLS)
Dr. Dumba came to the Thuringian State Observatory in 2014 to do his doctoral thesis in the field of radio astronomy. His research work was supervised by Professor Dr. Matthias Hoeft, Deputy Director of the Thuringian State Observatory. After he received his doctorate from Friedrich Schiller University Jena in 2019, Dr. Dumba went back to Uganda and initiated the cooperation with TLS.
Dr. Nsamba's research focus is asteroseismology. He received his doctorate from the University of Porto in Portugal. At Kyambogo University in Uganda, he heads a group that is a partner of the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics in Garching.
The cooperation between the universities in Uganda and the Thuringian State Observatory is very active. Dr. Eike Günther, a scientist at the Thuringian State Observatory, is a guest lecturer there. He also was the Ph.D. advisor for Priscilla Muheki, wo was the first student to receive a Ph.D. in Astronomy from a Ugandan university. In addition, several TLS scientists gave lectures at the first “Sub-Saharan Africa Advanced Astronomy Summer School” in 2022, organized by Dr. Dumba and Dr. Nsamba.
Aiming to expand cooperation
During this year's visit, Dr. Nsamba and Dr. Dumba talked with researchers at TLS how they could intensify their scientific collaboration. Kyambogo and Mbarara Universities are in the process of expanding their previously small astronomy departments. The scientists discussed which joint research projects can be tackled and whether a scientific exchange between students and scientists is possible.
Dr. Cosmos Dumba gave an online presentation for students at Mbarara University of Science & Technology during his visit to Tautenburg. As part of his lecture „Observational Techniques in Astronomy“, he explained how the different operating modes of the 2-meter universal telescope at the Thuringian State Observatory work. The telescope can operate in both Coudé and Schmidt mode.
„It's very motivating for the students when I can show them the various observation techniques using the 2-meter telescope in Tautenburg as an example“, comments Dr. Cosmos Dumba. He plans to offer such virtual lectures on a regular basis - with the support of scientists at TLS.