Controversy? What Controversy? New TMT Director Monday, May 02, 2022
Despite all the controversy surrounding the proposed Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) for Mauna Kea, Hawaii in which UC has an interest, elements of the project keep moving along, at least organizationally, the politics in Hawaii notwithstanding.* See below: Thirty Meter Telescope Project Has Named New Executive Director April 27, 2022, Hawaii News
Robert P., chief program officer for science at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Kirshner and Claus Professor of Science Emeritus at Harvard University have been named TIO [TMT International Observatory] Executive Directors with effect from May 15, 2022. Dr. Kirshner is a respected scientist known for his discipline-defining work in the field of supernova explosions and their application to the measurement of the history of the universe. A graduate of Harvard College, Kirshner earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy from Caltech. He worked as a postdoctoral scholar at Kitt Peak National Observatory and then for 9 years on the faculty at the University of Michigan before moving on to Harvard, where he served 31 years on the faculty. “We are excited and fortunate that Robert Kirshner has joined this effort at a crucial time,” said TIO Board Chairman Henry Yang. “At Michigan, at Harvard, and at the Moore Foundation, he has demonstrated vision, commitment, and success in enabling the advancement of science to advance human understanding. He will be a wonderful ally and a thinking force for good, who respect the culture and people of Hawaii.” “I am not taking this job because it is easy. I am taking this job because it demands everything I can bring into it,” said Robert P. Kirshner. “In the community of faith near TIO There is an opportunity to build a world-leading telescope. We have a tough road ahead and I’m looking forward to getting started.” Dr. Kirshner is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and other scholarly societies. He has served as president of the American Astronomical Society and received the National Academy’s James Craig Watson Medal for Outstanding Contribution to 94
UCLA Faculty Association Blog: 2nd Quarter 2022
