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Modern radio astronomy relies not only on advanced technologies and international research infrastructure, but also on knowledge exchange and training the next generation of researchers. One of the most prominent examples of this collaboration is LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray). This Europe-wide radio astronomy network enables scientists to explore the Universe at low radio frequencies and opens up new opportunities in various fields of astronomy. To introduce early-career researchers from different countries to this unique infrastructure, its latest technological developments, and the research opportunities it offers, ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, regularly organises LOFAR schools. Jesus Alberto Cazares Montes, a visiting leading researcher at the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC), Engineering Research Institute “Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre” (ERI VIRAC), Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, also took part in one of these training programmes. The Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON), founded in 1949, plays an important role in developing radio astronomy infrastructure and research. One of its major initiatives is LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray), a European network of radio telescope stations designed to explore the Universe at low radio frequencies. The network is currently upgrading to LOFAR 2.0, which will improve its observational capabilities and the quality of astronomical images. To support the next generation of radio astronomers, ASTRON organises a LOFAR school every two years. The latest edition, held this autumn, brought together participants to learn about the technical and scientific aspects of radio astronomy using LOFAR. The programme covered collecting and processing observational data, reconstructing images, and the technical challenges of operating the array. Researchers also presented LOFAR applications across diverse fields, including pulsars and transient energetic phenomena, solar physics, cosmic rays, lightning, stars, and exoplanets. The school also offered participants practical research experience. During the final three days, they worked in teams on challenges proposed by ASTRON researchers, addressing questions related to the researchers’ ongoing scientific work. On the final day, each team presented its results, giving participants an opportunity to apply their knowledge to research problems resembling those encountered in professional radio astronomy. An important topic throughout the school was the ongoing transition from LOFAR 1.0 to LOFAR 2.0. The upgrade involves improvements to the software and data-processing systems, as well as advances in the calibration and operation of the array. LOFAR 2.0's improved data-processing capabilities can produce significantly more detailed, higher-quality astronomical images. The LOFAR network comprises stations distributed across several European countries. Latvia hosts one of these stations, the northernmost and second-easternmost in Europe (after Bulgaria). Other countries are upgrading or expanding their participation in the network, including Sweden, which has already upgraded its station, and Czechia, which plans to establish a station. During the LOFAR school, participants also observed a symbolic tradition marking the network’s transition to LOFAR 2.0. Whenever a station completes its upgrade, ASTRON places a soft toy bearing the station’s name in a transparent tube representing the upgraded stations. A European Union flag is also added to a map of Europe when a station begins the upgrade process. During the school, the participants witnessed two additions to the tube, representing a Polish station and the newly completed Bulgarian station. Latvia’s station has not yet been upgraded to LOFAR 2.0. Its modernisation would expand the country’s ability to contribute to international radio astronomy, allowing researchers to take advantage of the network’s improved capabilities. The station has the potential to support research at Latvian academic institutions and strengthen scientific collaboration across the Baltic region. The transition to LOFAR 2.0 would therefore represent more than a technical improvement. It would be an important step in maintaining and developing Latvia’s role in European radio astronomy, ensuring Latvian researchers can fully participate in the scientific opportunities offered by this evolving international infrastructure. Achieving this goal will require continued institutional support and investment in research infrastructure. This information has been prepared within the framework of the project “Ventspils University of Applied Sciences` International Cooperation and Innovation for the Development of Latvia’s Smart Specialisation” (Project No. 1.1.1.5/3/25/I/012).

Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are not magic wands that make discoveries on their own. They build on existing knowledge and cannot independently comprehend entirely new scientific findings. However, as diligent assistants, they can significantly ease researchers’ day-to-day work by processing data, writing code, preparing repetitive data-processing workflows, rapidly summarising large volumes of information on scientific topics, and helping researchers understand how existing software works. Unlike conventional interactions with a chatbot, an AI agent can also take action: it selects tools autonomously, executes code, and carries out multi-step tasks systematically. Nevertheless, it must operate under careful researcher supervision. The large language models underlying these systems are fundamentally designed to predict the next word, rather than to guarantee factual accuracy. Every result must therefore be verified. Verification can also be delegated to another instance of an AI agent, although this does not necessarily save time or effort. To make these capabilities accessible and understandable to a wider audience, the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC) launched a series of seminars on the use of AI agents in science in autumn 2026. Particular emphasis is placed on astrophysics and radio astronomy, including radio interferometric observations conducted using the JIV and LOFAR networks. The first seminar introduced participants to the world of AI and large language models (LLMs), which are familiar to the public through chat interfaces, search engines, and programming environments. At the second seminar, held on 15 October, VIRAC Research Assistant Jānis Šteinbergs shared his experience and practical examples from his work in computer science and astrophysics. This information has been prepared within the framework of the project “Ventspils University of Applied Sciences` International Cooperation and Innovation for the Development of Latvia’s Smart Specialisation” (Project No. 1.1.1.5/3/25/I/012).

From 7 to 9 October, the international Zabbix Summit 2026 conference took place in Riga, bringing together representatives from various countries to share experience on the capabilities of the Zabbix monitoring platform and its use across different industries. Kristaps Blumbergs, a Research Assistant at the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC), also attended the conference. 

A total solar eclipse is one of the rarest and most spectacular astronomical phenomena observable from Earth. Although a total solar eclipse occurs somewhere on the planet approximately once every 18 months, it may not be seen again at a particular location for several generations. The last total solar eclipse visible in Latvia occurred on 30 June 1954, while the next is not expected until 25 May 2142. Weather conditions in the Baltic region are also often unfavourable for astronomical observations, as cloudy skies frequently prevent even significant celestial events from being observed. For this reason, astronomy enthusiasts and researchers often organise expeditions to locations where the path of totality coincides with a greater likelihood of clear skies. 

On 16 October, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences hosted a Career Day for Early-Career Researchers, during which doctoral students and early-career researchers explored various professional development opportunities both within and beyond academia. The event highlighted the importance of international cooperation in research, featured personal experiences of scientific career development, and fostered collaboration among representatives of different scientific disciplines. The Career Day was organised as part of the international NextTechTalents project, introducing participants to opportunities to advance their research careers, develop professional skills, and engage in international initiatives. Special attention was also given to the opportunities offered to doctoral students and early-career researchers by the COLOURS European University Alliance. Gvido Grīnbergs from Ventspils High Technology Park shared his professional experience, describing his journey from research to entrepreneurship. He emphasised that the knowledge and skills acquired through research can be successfully applied beyond academia, including in entrepreneurship and technology development. Drawing on his personal experience, Gvido Grīnbergs highlighted the need to strengthen collaboration between researchers, entrepreneurs, and technology developers to transform scientific expertise into practical and innovative solutions. Oskars Teikmanis, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Association of Young Researchers (LJZA), presented the diverse career paths and opportunities available to early-career researchers. He emphasised that a career in science is not limited to conducting research but can also develop in areas such as scientific publishing, research integrity, science policy, research funding, administration, innovation, and science communication. A doctoral degree demonstrates not only scientific qualifications but also a broad range of competencies that can be applied across various professional fields. The Career Day also featured a networking session, providing participants with an opportunity to engage in discussions, exchange ideas, and establish collaborations with fellow early-career researchers, doctoral students, doctoral supervisors, project representatives, and industry professionals.  In addition to presentations and discussions, participants explored the research infrastructure of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences by visiting the laboratories of the Faculty of Information Technologies. The event concluded with a visit to Irbene, where participants took a guided tour of the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre, learning about its research infrastructure and how it is used in scientific research.

The Engineering Research Institute “Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre” (VIRAC) of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences is organising the seminar “Artificial Intelligence Tools and Agents: Their Use in Software Development and Radio Astronomy Data Processing” to introduce the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) agents and their practical applications in the development of smart technologies and scientific research. The seminar will take place on 15 October at 10:30 and will be led by Jānis Šteinbergs, Scientific Assistant at VIRAC.

Magnetic disturbance of 23–24 September 2026: Vernadsky (Ukrainian Antarctic station on Galindez Island, Argentine Islands archipelago, near the Antarctic Peninsula) and Nurmijärvi (Finland). Today, the trend towards “network” science in space weather research reflects a fundamental shift from isolated local measurements to global, large-scale monitoring. Synchronously combining standardized datasets from many distributed stations makes it possible to build accurate dynamic models of the magnetosphere and ionosphere and to capture the integrated response of the Earth, composed of many local and regional responses to solar disturbances. One such “geomagnetic network” is INTERMAGNET, a global network of magnetic observatories that collects high-precision, standardized data on the Earth’s magnetic field. The network operates as a voluntary international consortium of scientific institutes and works closely with the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA); all INTERMAGNET observatories are affiliated with IAGA. Thanks to the considerable efforts of the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine and the S. I. Subbotin Institute of Geophysics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the geomagnetic observatory at the Antarctic station Akademik Vernadsky has been a member of INTERMAGNET since 2004 (code AIA), and anyone, including Latvian scientists, can take part in studying disturbances of the Earth’s magnetic field in the Antarctic region using its freely available data. As an example, let us consider an interesting event, the geomagnetic disturbance of 23–24 September 2026, by comparing the regional geomagnetic response recorded by the vector magnetometers at Akademik Vernadsky (Antarctica) and Nurmijärvi (Finland). The event A fast solar wind stream reached the Earth from a coronal hole on the Sun, a region where the magnetic field is open to interplanetary space. It was preceded by a compression region: the fast plasma caught up with the slower wind ahead of it and compressed it together with its magnetic field. The disturbance turned out to be weak: the Kp index reached 4.33 out of 9, whereas a storm on the NOAA scale starts at Kp 5. 

Andris Vaivads, Rector of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, has been elected as a new foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' Class for Astronomy and Space Science. Andris Vaivads studies what is commonly known as the magnetosphere around the Earth, other planets and the SunClass for astronomy and space science. He performs his research as a professor in Experimental Space Physics at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Earlier, he spent 20 years as a researcher at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala. He studies the magnetosphere around Earth, other planets, and the Sun. Much of space is filled with plasma, a gas consisting of electrically charged particles that are influenced, among other things, by magnetic fields. When magnetic fields pointing in different directions reconnect – a process known as magnetic reconnection – large amounts of magnetic energy can rapidly be converted into other forms of energy, including kinetic energy. Andris Vaivads’s research focuses on these processes, where large amounts of energy are converted within small regions of space. Plasma processes can, among other things, produce the Northern lights (Auroras), affect satellites, and heat plasma to tens and hundreds of millions of degrees. The research group at KTH, in which Andris Vaivads spends 20 per cent of his working time, develops instruments to measure electric fields on satellites. The group also designs small measurement probes that can be launched from Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna on rockets. More recently, Andris Vaivads has also studied processes in the solar wind, a kind of plasma wind that plays a major role in space weather. This research uses observations from spacecraft launched by ESA (Solar Orbiter) in Europe and NASA (Parker Solar Probe) in the US. Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences serve on committees and participate in classes that initiate investigations, respond to consultations, and organise conferences and seminars. Based on the information published on the official website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

A major upgrade is transforming one of Europe’s most powerful astronomical instruments, promising sharper views of the Universe, faster discoveries, and new opportunities for scientific research. Known as LOFAR 2.0, the radio astronomy network modernizes the European Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), a giant radio telescope made up of antenna stations spread across eight countries, including Latvia's station in Irbene. Unlike traditional telescopes, LOFAR works by combining signals from thousands of antennas across Europe into a single virtual instrument. The network can observe some of the lowest radio frequencies reaching Earth, helping scientists study distant galaxies, black holes, cosmic rays, and even processes in the Earth's ionosphere. With the new upgrade, LOFAR stations will be able to observe a much wider range of frequencies simultaneously, increasing both efficiency and scientific capability.