BoV Chair Randolph M. Henry

BoV Chair's Message: Proud that Every Member of the Board of Visitors Plays an Important Role

02/2013

As BoV Chair, I am proud of all the ways that the Board of Visitors helps The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy. Some of those ways involve individual effort, and others are collective, like the financial support that the BoV provides. more..

Artist's conception of the James Webb Space Telescope

Board of Visitors members are invited to JWST events in Austin, March 8-10

02/2013

Board of Visitors members are invited to an extraordinary weekend of free astronomy events in Austin, March 8-10. The companies and federal agencies building the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are bringing a full-scale model of the telescope to Austin as part of the South by Southwest Interactive festival, from Friday, March 8, through Sunday, March 10. more..

Ivey, Wright, and Lambert in Abilene

Board of Visitors Members Host Outreach Visit in Abilene

02/2013

BoV members Charles Ivey and Bill Wright, Jr., of Abilene, along with the West Texas Science Center and the Abilene Chapter of the Texas Exes, hosted McDonald Observatory Director David L. Lambert and Dr. Karl Gebhardt for a whirlwind day of high-school and university talks and media interviews in Abilene on January 25, 2013. more..

Preparing an 8.4-meter mirror for firing

Board of Visitors Members Invited to Firing of Third GMT Mirror

02/2013

Board of Visitors Members are invited to a special weekend of events highlighting the casting of the third 8.4-meter (27.6 ft.) diameter mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope. The events will be held at the University of Arizona's famed Steward Observatory Mirror Lab in Tucson, AZ, the weekend of August 24, 3013. more..

Marfa Public Radio Starts Series Focusing on West Texas Astronomy

02/2013

In January 2013, Marfa Public Radio (KRTS) and its sister station, West Texas Public Radio (KXWT, in Odessa) started broadcasting an original monthly series highlighting astronomy in West Texas, focusing on interviews with astronomers from McDonald Observatory. Broadcasts can be heard the last Monday of each month. more..

HET

News from around the Board of Visitors and Texas Astronomy Program

02/2013

Astronomers and supporters of the Texas Astronomy Program are making a difference for education, winning awards, and even making it hot for characters on "The Big Bang Theory" — click here to find out more. more..

James Lattimore

BoV Bylaws Amendment Enacted for Couples Memberships

02/2013

The Board of Visitors Executive Committee recommended an amendment to the Bylaws that would formalize acceptance of couples who belong to the organization jointly. The amendment passed by voice vote at the February 9, 2013, BoV meeting. more..

Joe Orr in Big Bend

Joe Orr: A Profile in Service

02/2013

In late 2012, Orion Circle member Joe Orr has made a significant gift to McDonald Observatory that will have benefits for years to come, affecting dark skies, outreach at national and state parks, education programs, and much more — extending his years of involvement with astronomy in Texas. more..

Pegasus

Pegasus Society Gathering in Austin on April 26

02/2013

All BoV members are invited to the fourth annual gathering of the Pegasus Society, the Texas Astronomy Program’s recognition group for planned-giving donors, at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, April 26, at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on the UT Austin campus (upstairs, above the Carillon restaurant). more..