The Murchison Widefield Array Enters Adolescence: A Personal Review of the Early Years of Operations

Abstract: The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a low frequency radio interferometer designed and developed by an international consortium, operated on behalf of the consortium by Curtin University. The MWA is a Precursor for the low frequency Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and is located at the SKA site in Western Australia, Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, the CSIRO Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory. Commencing science operations in 2013 after an extended development period, the MWA has performed observations over a wide set of science objectives, has been upgraded multiple times, and has played a fundamental role in the development of the low frequency SKA. As MWA Program Manager from 2008 to 2011, as Director from 2011 until 2015, and then again from 2021 to the present, I describe some personal reflections on the MWA's activities and successes in these different dimensions, as well as my view of some of the approaches that have enabled these successes. I offer some of the lessons I've perceived over the last 17+ years in the project.