How to Monitor a 32-Metre Radio Telescope – VIRAC Experience at the International Zabbix Summit 2026
October 22, 2026
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.
At the conference, Kristaps Blumbergs, scientific assistant and doctoral student at the Engineering Research Institute “Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre” (VIRAC) of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, presented how radio astronomy infrastructure can be monitored using Zabbix. The presentation “Monitoring of Radio Astronomy Systems” examined the use of Zabbix for monitoring the operation of servers, radio telescope systems and other critical equipment, in order to detect problems and ensure the reliability of the infrastructure on which scientific research depends.
Kristaps’s presentation shows how modern IT solutions help maintain the radio astronomy infrastructure that scientific observations rely on. This experience can be shared with the wider international radio astronomy community, including JIVE-ERIC, promoting knowledge exchange and the search for new technical solutions for managing research infrastructure.
Participation in the conference provided an opportunity to introduce VIRAC to an international audience, exchange experience with representatives of other radio astronomy facilities, and build new contacts. Particularly important was the meeting with a representative of the Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique (IRAM), where they discussed the use of Zabbix and explored new possibilities for applying it in radio astronomy. Another important outcome was the interest shown by the Zabbix team and their readiness to support new ideas.
Participation in such international events promotes knowledge exchange, the formation of new collaborations, and the international visibility of Latvian science.
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).
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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.
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.
On 24 September, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences will host the international scientific seminar “Massive Star Formation – Latest Research and Developments”, organised by the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC). The seminar will bring together researchers and those interested in research with visiting scientists from the United States. The seminar will feature scientist Dr Todd R. Hunter and Lead Astronomer Dr Crystal L. Brogan from the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). The guests will present current research in radio astronomy, state-of-the-art observational infrastructure, and the opportunities it provides for studying the Universe and the processes of star formation. Dr Todd R. Hunter will give a presentation entitled “Exploring the Universe at Centimeter Wavelengths: The Next Generation Very Large Array”, while Dr Crystal L. Brogan will present “Searching for Our Cosmic Origins Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array”. The seminar will provide researchers with an opportunity to discuss the latest research findings and methods with internationally recognised experts in radio astronomy, as well as to explore opportunities for future scientific collaboration. Such international knowledge-exchange activities strengthen the research capacity of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and promote the involvement of Latvian researchers in the international radio astronomy research community. 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).
On Friday, 25 September, at 16:15, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences invites everyone interested to attend the popular science open lecture “From Cosmic Cloud to Star: How Massive Stars Are Born”. The lecture will offer an engaging and accessible introduction to how massive stars are born, how astronomers are able to observe their formation, and what these studies can reveal about the origins and evolution of our Universe. The lecture will be delivered by guests from the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) – scientist Dr Todd R. Hunter and Lead Astronomer Dr Crystal L. Brogan. Both researchers use modern radio astronomy techniques to study star formation and processes taking place throughout the Universe. The lecture is particularly suitable for astronomy enthusiasts as well as anyone interested in space and the methods scientists use to explore the Universe. No prior knowledge of astronomy is required. The lecture will be held in English, and participation is free of charge. The open lecture will complement the European Researchers’ Night programme in Ventspils. After the lecture, participants will have the opportunity to continue exploring science at the VIZIUM Science Centre, where European Researchers’ Night activities will take place. The lecture is organized with the financial support of the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (BAFF), in cooperation with the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC).
As the availability of artificial intelligence (AI) tools continues to grow, so do their capabilities and the range of tasks they can perform, including increasingly complex and sophisticated ones. Consequently, AI is finding applications in ever narrower and more specialised fields. Scientific research in astronomy is no exception, including radio astronomy and related theoretical fields, which are among the areas of research pursued by scientists at the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VSRC) of the Institute of Engineering at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences. AI is based on existing knowledge and cannot independently interpret newly generated scientific results. Nevertheless, AI-assisted data processing, generation of program code, partially repetitive data rows and other types of information, as well as the initial compilation and review of large volumes of information on a scientific topic or, for example, the operation of an existing program, can facilitate certain tasks when carried out under careful supervision and verification by a researcher. The results can, in turn, be checked using another version of an AI agent. However, these approaches do not necessarily reduce the overall amount of work or the time required to complete it. To make the most effective use of the opportunities offered by AI and to communicate this knowledge in an accessible way so that it can subsequently be learned and adopted by everyone involved in research, including members of the older generation of scientists, VSRC launched a series of seminars on the use of AI in science in autumn 2026. The series places particular emphasis on astrophysics and radio astronomy, including radio interferometric observations using the Irbene Radio Telescope (IRT) and the LOFAR network. The first seminar was led by VSRC scientific assistant Gints Jasmonts, who shared his knowledge and experience on 3 September. He provided an introduction to the world of AI and presented examples from his own work in computer science and astrophysics. The discussion focused primarily on large language models available through chat interfaces, search engines and programming environments. At their core, these AI systems operate by predicting the next word or token based on the preceding context. The seminar concluded with a discussion, which revealed that participants are already using AI in their everyday work. At the same time, it became clear that learning how to apply the diverse capabilities of AI specifically to research will require further learning. The next seminar will therefore have a more practical focus. 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).
