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CANBERRA, Australia, February 20,2019 (ENS) – Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has lit up its Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope as a rainbow for Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2019.
Six of the 12-metre wide antennas located in remote Western Australia each reflects a color of the rainbow against the backdrop of the Milky Way.
It was created to mark CSIRO’s inaugural participation in the Mardi Gras Parade. Fifty CSIRO staff will march in the parade on March 2 holding a giant double helix to represent DNA, celebrating the organization’s commitment to diversity.
The idea of a rainbow originated from the rainbow flag, known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride and LGBT social movements. Rainbows also symbolize peace.
The colors depict the diversity of the LGBT community, as the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride during human rights marches. While this use of the rainbow originated in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, the rainbow flag is now used worldwide, but the rainbow has never before been used on telescopic antennas.
According to Diversity Council Australia, people who work in an inclusive team are nine times more likely to innovate, and 10 times more likely to be highly effective than workers in non-inclusive teams.
CSIRO Chief Executive Dr. Larry Marshall said CSIRO is highlighting the importance of diversity not just at the agency but also the critical role diversity has played in science and innovation generally.
