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Conducting research and teaching others about the complexities of the high-energy universe is what Prof Pieter Meintjes and Dr Brian van Soelen are doing. They are from the Department of Physics at the University of the Free State (UFS).

The UFS Astrophysics Research group is actively involved in the two major international gamma-ray astronomy collaborations, namely the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S) gamma-ray collaboration, which is operating telescopes in Namibia, as well as the newly created Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) collaboration, which is operating two major telescope facilities – one in Chile and one at La Palma in the Canary Islands. 

They are part of internal review panels to evaluate research publications produced in the H.E.S.S. collaboration before it is submitted for wider publication. Dr Van Soelen is also involved in a panel that coordinates multi-wavelength follow-up observations for the H.E.S.S. collaboration. Prof Meintjes represents the South African gamma-ray astronomers involved in CTA on a review panel that evaluates and reviews in-kind contributions for the collaboration by the various partner institutions.  

A night at the H.E.S.S. from Sabine Gloaguen on Vimeo.