A K LEO T H E
V O I C E
Ser v i ng t he st udents of t he Un iversit y of Hawa i ‘ i at M ā noa si nce 1922
“Guns of August” Smokin’ Performances Page 2
Continuing Cautiously Prop 8 Overturned Page 4
W EDNESDAY to TUESDAY, AUGUST 10 to 17, 2010
w w w. k a leo.org
Volu me 105 Issue 12
Search under way for next astronomy director
COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I
Gunther Hasinger, Robert McLaren, and Andrew Lawrence are the candidates for director of the University of Hawai‘i’s Institute for Astronomy (IFA). Information on each candidate is available at http://www.hawaii.edu/executivesearch/ifa/. JANE CALLAHAN Associate News Editor The search is under way to fi nd a new director at the University of Hawai‘i’s Institute for Astronomy (IFA). The three candidates vying for the position are from the international scientifi c and academic communities. This month they will take part in separate four-day visits to learn about the IFA facilities on O‘ahu, Maui and the Big Island, and will meet with various faculty, students, and community members.
T H E S E A RC H
The candidates are Dr. Gunther Hasinger, Dr. Robert McLaren, and Dr. Andrew Lawrence. “The position of the IFA Director is one of the most attractive positions in worldwide astronomy,” said Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, the current IFA director who is scheduled to resign on Dec. 31 after a decade in the position. The university created a search committee for the candidates, headed by Ian Taylor, Dean of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. Each candidate will hold a presentation which is open to the general public, students, and
faculty, and will take place in the IFA Auditorium. The presentations began Aug. 2 and are scheduled through Aug. 16. “(The purpose of the presentations is) to give some background on themselves, discuss their current research, the positions they’ve held, how they view the scientifi c landscape in the field of astronomy, as well as their vision for the future of the institute,” said Taylor. Taylor stated that the candidates will meet with many members of the UH community, including students, staff, administration and people from Maui and the Big Island. They will also meet with people from the community and representatives of the Mauna Kea management board. The complex and rigorous aspects of the audition “reflect the reality of the position and the responsibilities of the job,” said Taylor. While the number of total applicants remains confidential, four finalists were in contention for the position last week. The pool narrowed down to three after one candidate withdrew, for reasons on which the department wished not to comment.
T H E C A N D I DAT E S The candidates come from various academic and cultural backgrounds. Dr. Gunther Hasinger, whose open presenta-
tion took place on Aug. 2, is the scientifi c director at the Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics in Germany. Dr. Robert McLaren is from the University of Hawai‘i, and is the Associate Director for IFA. His presentation is scheduled for Aug. 12. The third candidate, Dr. Andrew Lawrence, is the Regius Professor of Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh Institute for Astronomy for the Royal Observatory in Scotland. His presentation will take place on Aug. 16. UHM faculty referred to distinguished individuals in the scientific and academic community to recommend candidates. The position requires management of 200 staff and over 45 faculty members, educates over 800 students a year, has a $20 million annual budget and works with the government. In addition, the UH observatories will get two new, highly powerful telescopes. The search committee will receive feedback from people who meet with the candidates. Ultimately, the search committee makes a recommendation to the Vice Chancellor for Research in graduate education. “It’s not a vote; it’s a discussion between vice chancellor and the search committee, which looks at the strength and weaknesses
of the candidates,” said Taylor. The decision is based upon the scope of the analysis. Sarah Jaeggli, a graduate student in astronomy, talked about what she expects of the new director. “I would like to see the new director continue the work that (Dr. Kudritzki) has started, addressing the concerns of the community and getting local talent involved in the projects as much as possible.” Jaeggli continued, “When they are up and running, these (new) telescopes will make discoveries about the sun and the universe that we cannot even imagine, and everyone should be proud of that.”
L E GAC Y
Kudritzki’s tenure as director left behind several notable contributions to UH and the scientifi c community. “The institute has doubled in the number of employees and in extramural funding, has strongly improved the graduate program, the undergraduate teaching and the public education and outreach activities and we have succeeded to bring the largest and most important telescope projects to Hawai‘i,” commented Kudritzki, of the past decade’s developments. “IFA is in excellent shape,” he noted, “and has a fantastic future ahead.”