The observing with adaptive optics school: training the next generation of AO scientists and engineers

Le résumé fourni par la source

Adaptive optics (AO) has become an indispensable technology for modern ground-based astronomy and optical engineering. However, the combination of theoretical depth, practical instrumentation skills, and system-level understanding required to master AO is rarely accessible within standard academic curricula. To address this gap, we established the “Observing with Adaptive Optics” School, an international training program for early-career researchers. The school provides a unique immersive experience that integrates lectures by international experts, hands-on laboratory sessions on a dedicated AO bench (PAPYRUS), and real on-sky observations at a professional observatory. Over its first two editions held in 2024 and 2025 at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (OHP), the school has trained nearly 80 students from Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia, coming from diverse backgrounds including astronomy, optics and photonics, engineering, and computer science. In this paper, we describe the motivations, pedagogical design, organizational structure, and outcomes of the school. We also discuss the lessons learned from the first two editions and our plans for future development, including the relocation of the school to the Asiago Observatory where the PAPYRUS bench will become EKARUS and be permanently installed, enabling a more sustainable framework for long-term AO training aligned with the needs of current and future ELT-class instrumentation.

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