CIAO in Lowell: X-rays, Data, and Lots of Learning and Fun!

Antonella Fruscione, for the CIAO Workshop Team

In May 2025, the Chandra/CIAO workshop came to UMass Lowell, bringing an incredible week of science, learning, and community for students and instructors alike. Over five packed days, thirty students from across the USA, India, and Argentina came together to explore the universe through X-rays, using real Chandra data and the CIAO software suite.

A Black flyer for the Chandra/CIAO Workshop at UMass Lowell. It provides a brief summary of the event, details of the registration, accommodations, and travel, and some highlights to expect. Funding statements at the bottom of the flyer include that the workshop is made possible by a generous donation from the Heising-Simons Foundation.


Figure 1: The flyer for the Chandra/CIAO Workshop at UMass Lowell.

This workshop was all about access. With support from the Heising-Simons Foundation, the Center for Astrophysics (CfA), and the Chandra X-ray Center, every student got a fully-funded experience: registration, travel, housing, meals, and some cool Chandra and UMass swag.

The idea behind the workshop was simple: bring professional astronomical tools and training to students who might not have them otherwise and help build a more diverse and inclusive astrophysics community. And it worked!

"I knew I would enjoy it and learn, but this far, far, far exceeded my expectations in every way."

"Thanks to the workshop, I got inspired to use Chandra data more in my future research. And, most importantly, now I know how to interpret the data!"

A classroom full of people sitting at long tables, looking toward a presenter and a projected screen. On the screen is a four-answer quiz question.


Fig 2: All hands were on phones for the fun and competitive daily Kahoot! session about subjects learned during the talks.

Each day featured a mix of talks, hands-on sessions, fast-paced quizzes (yes, Kahoot! every day!), and plenty of one-on-one help from CIAO experts. For the lovers of stats, the week consisted of: 25 Talks, 17 separate speakers, 875+ Slides, 975+ minutes of instruction, 79 Kahoot! questions, 2 live demos, and 10+ hours of hands-on sessions!

From learning the basics of Chandra data to trying out advanced spectral modeling, students got down to work and dug into real astrophysical research tools and data. It was also a learning opportunity for the instructors, as we discovered little-known corners of CIAO capabilities ourselves and learnt to master new technologies such as SciServer.

View from the podium looking out into a classroom. People are gathered around each other at various points, looking at computer screens and discussing.


Figure 3: In addition to structured sessions, the workshop included hours for hands-on work, with the Chandra, CIAO, and Sherpa experts helping answer questions and talking to students about their challenges.

Some students even brought their own data and shared their progress with the group during a "share-out" session at the end of the week. It was serious science in a collaborative, welcoming environment.

"The workshop has been immensely beneficial for my research career. I learnt many new things."

"I thank the organizers… the staff was super supportive and knowledgeable."

Beyond the science, the group connected over meals (including a workshop dinner in downtown Lowell), snack breaks, and even a (very rainy!) field trip to the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. The dorms and classrooms at UMass Lowell provided an affordable, easy-to-access, friendly setting—minus a few chilly rooms and the classic forgotten hand soap.

"Thank you so much for offering this amazing workshop and for working so hard to make it accessible! This kind of effort doesn’t go unnoticed."

The Lowell workshop is part of a bigger project first outlined in the white paper Bringing the CHANDRA/CIAO Workshop to Underrepresented Communities and Under-resourced Institutes in the USA submitted to the CfA Decadal Survey in 2023. After years of running workshops at the CfA and internationally, the CIAO team wants to bring this experience to underrepresented and under-resourced communities in the USA. And UMass Lowell, with its diverse student body and strong local connections, was the perfect place to start.

We have seen firsthand how access, support, and some encouragement can make a huge difference. Whether in Pune, India, online for Egypt in 2020, or now in Lowell, MA, CIAO workshops continue to empower students with the skills and confidence to do real science and to imagine themselves as part of the future of astrophysics.

So where is the CIAO workshop going next? Stay tuned or suggest a place to cxchelp@cfa.harvard.edu!

Eight people standing in front of a whiteboard and a blank projector screen. The eight are all holding bouquets of flowers and smiling at the camera.


Figure 4: Some of the organizers of the conference: Doug Burke (CXC), Katie Cranmer (CXC), Nicholas Lee (CXC), Kenny Glotfelty (CXC), Silas Laycock (UMass Lowell), Antonella Fruscione (CXC), Aneta Siemiginowska (CXC), and Rodolfo Montez Jr. (CXC).