3 November 2008
The workshop Galaxy Evolution: Emerging Insights and Future Challenges will be held at the University of Texas at
Austin Union Building (UNB)
[map] Tues., Nov. 11 through Fri., Nov. 14.
Many leading international researchers in the field of galaxy evolution will join an eclectic mix of 130 participants from 11 countries and 32 universities,
experts with long experience, new researchers, and graduate students entering a field of expanding frontiers. Deep survey results from
space and ground based observatories, and new predictive models of galaxy assembly will be among the topics discussed.
The meeting is sponsored by the McDonald
Observatory and Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors Excellence Fund.
Star Parties Far From Hollywood
Wall Street Journal feature by Willard Spiegelman
14 October 2008
Fort Davis, TX-- Everyone of a certain age or sensibility remembers
the closing line of Warner Brothers' classic 1942 tearjerker "Now, Voyager." Standing by a large open window, Bette Davis
says to Paul Henreid through a haze of cigarette smoke, "Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon; we already have the stars."
Max Steiner's score swells; the camera pans to the heavens; the stars twinkle. The end. It couldn't happen that way now.
Stoic and noble, Davis and Henreid have their parting rendezvous on Boston's Beacon Hill. Few, if any, stars would be available.
Ninety percent of Americans, clustered in urban areas, mostly hugging the two coasts, cannot see the stars. We live in a world
of light, or lights, 24 hours a day.
2008 Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Medal and Prize Awarded to Dr. Christopher McKee
1 October 2008
Distinguished American Physicist and Astronomer Dr. Christopher McKee, of the University of California,
Berkeley, has been awarded the thirteenth Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Medal and Prize. The award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding
dedication to astronomy. Dr. McKee's research has focused on the theory of the physical processes in the interstellar medium,
the diffuse gas between stars, including its structure and dynamics. Currently, his work concentrates on the theory of star
formation, including the first stars.
Astronomy Student Wins First Michael H. Granof Outstanding Graduate Student Award
15 May 2008
Astronomy graduate student Josh Adams is the first winner of the Michael H. Granof Outstanding Graduate Student
Award. The new award, introduced by the University Co-op and the Graduate School, recognizes a graduate student of exceptional
distinction for contribution to knowledge through research, teaching, and service, along with involvement in professional organizations
and campus or community activities, and commitment to diversity.
Astronomy Undergraduate Award Winners Among Top UT Science Talent
13 May 2008
Undergraduates Kyle Penner and Sarah Miller have been selected as two of 18 Dean's Honored Graduates across the
College of Natural Sciences for 2007-2008. Dean's Honored Graduates are selected from the top 1% of the graduating class, for academic
excellence and outstanding contributions outside the classroom. Sarah Miller was also selected in 2008 as one of 32 Rhodes Scholars from
the United States from a field of 764 applicants.
3CAS: Third Coast Astronomical Society-Second Meeting
30 April 2008
The Second Meeting of the Third Coast Astronomical Society will be held on the UT Austin campus May 8-10, in ACES 2.402
(map).
The conference highlights astronomical research of the Gulf Coast region. Speakers from
Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida will hold five sessions: Active Galactic Nuclei,
Gamma Ray Bursts, Observations of Compact Objects, Supernovae, and Accretion, Jets, & White Dwarfs.
Public Lecture--The Warped side of the Universe: From the Big Bang to Black Holes
29 April 2008
Popular, prolific physicist Kip Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech, will deliver the lecture, "The
Warped Side of the Universe: From the Big Bang to Black Holes," Friday, May 2 at 3:00 PM in WEL 2.224
(map).
Known for accessible and
entertaining explanations of the exotic implications of relativistic astrophysics, Thorne's accomplishments have also been woven
into popular culture in ways that audiences often find familiar. The lecture is sponsored by the Dean's Scholars Honors Program.
Sarah Miller, Alexander Fry and Krista Smith Win 2008 Awards for Excellence
21 April 2008
The 2008 Outstanding Senior award, for overall performance (grades, research and service) to a graduating senior, has been awarded to Sarah Miller.
For excellent overall performance to a current senior, Alexander Fry has won the Board of Visitors scholarship. The Karl G. Henize endowed
scholarship, for excellent academic performance in the second year or beyond, has been awarded to Krista Smith. Prize winners are
selected each year by the Undergraduate Studies Executive Committee, following a call for nominations.
HET Measures SWIFT Satellite's Record Breaking Naked-Eye Object at Redshift of 0.94
NASA Press Release
20 March 2008
Washington, DC-- A powerful stellar explosion detected March 19 by NASA's Swift satellite has shattered the record for the most distant object that
could be seen with the naked eye. The explosion was a gamma ray burst. Most gamma ray bursts occur when massive stars run
out of nuclear fuel. Their cores collapse to form black holes or neutron stars, releasing an intense burst of high-energy gamma
rays and ejecting particle jets that rip through space at nearly the speed of light like turbocharged cosmic blowtorches.
Public Lecture: Heaven's Kitchens - Primordial Soup, Stellar Entrées, and Galactic Dessert
1 February 2008
Dr. David Lambert, Director of the McDonald Observatory, will deliver the 16th
annual Great Lecture in Astronomy, "Heaven's
Kitchens - Primordial Soup, Stellar Entrées, and Galactic Dessert," Saturday, February 9, at 1:00PM at the Avaya Auditorium,
2.302 ACES.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Dr. Lambert recently won the highest award of the American Astronomical Society, the Henry Norris Russell Lectureship.
He currently studies how
the chemical elements are synthesized in stars and evolve in the Milky Way.
The Great Lecture in Astronomy series is sponsored by the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy
Board of Visitors.
Stars of Texas Will Shine as Astronomers Meet in Austin
StreetInsider.com
3 January 2008
More than 2500 astronomers will attend the annual winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society at the Austin Convention Center next week.
The largest annual meeting of professional astronomers in the world, the event is often called the "Superbowl of Astronomy." It's the Society's 211th
national meeting. Texas astronomers and research facilities are featured on the program and in media events at the meeting, which is attended by a
traveling corps of science journalists.
2007
Skies Over McDonald Observatory Brightening, Slowly
Austin-American Statesman
19 December 2007
The McDonald Observatory, perched atop the Davis mountains,
is the darkest spot in North America suitable for astronomical research. But despite staff efforts to dim the lights in nearby
towns, the night skies over McDonald Observatory, which is owned and operated by the University of Texas, are developing
a form of pollution more familiar to city-dwellers: Man-made light outshines the stars.
Jeong, Salviander, Strong, Johnson, and Ramirez Win Board of Visitors Graduate Student Awards
17 December 2007
For outstanding research defense, the 2nd Year Defense Award for 2007 has been given to Donghui Jeong. For exemplary service as graduate students,
the Fred T. Goetting, Jr. Scholarship has been awarded to Sarah Salviander and Shay Strong. For scientific accomplishment in the field of early stars and
galaxies, and their impact on the subsequent history of the universe, Jarrett Johnson has received the Frank N. Edmonds, Jr. Fellowship. Recently recognized
for work contributing to new ways of thinking about the sun, Ivan Ramirez has won the David Allen Benfield Scholarship for most accomplished senior
graduate student.
Going the distance in space
Los Angeles Times
In the vastness of space, how far is far? That question has simmered in G. Fritz Benedict's mind since he was 8,
when a family friend took him into the backyard of his home and pointed to the constellation Orion. "Something in my brain went 'snap,'"
said Benedict, an astronomer at the University of Texas at Austin. The experience set him on a lifelong quest to answer one of the most
arcane questions in astronomy: How exactly do you measure the universe?
Astronomy Undergraduate Selected as Rhodes Scholar
20 November 2007
Astronomy undergraduate Sarah Miller has been selected as one of 32 Rhodes Scholars from the United States for 2008.
The winners were chosen from 764 applicants. The scholarship selects outstanding students,
on the basis of character, academic achievement and leadership potential, to study at Oxford University for up to three years.
Previous Rhodes Scholars include Edwin Hubble and U.S. Supreme Court Justice
David Souter. Sarah is a Dean's
Scholar pursuing Honors degrees in Astronomy and Physics.
Public Lecture: From the Farm to the Nobel Prize - Deciphering the Big Bang
3 October 2007
John C. Mather, co-winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics, will present the public lecture "From the Farm to the Nobel Prize: Deciphering
the Big Bang," Thursday, October 11, at 4 p.m. in the Avaya Auditorium, ACES 2.302
(map).
Dr. Mather is the twelfth recipient of the Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Memorial Lectureship and Medal, for his contributions in advancing our
understanding of the early Universe. In addition to his role as Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, Dr.
Mather is also Head of the Office of the Chief Scientist at NASA. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Frank N. Bash Symposium 2007 - New Horizons in Astronomy
1 October 2007
The second biennial symposium in honor of Dr. Frank Bash, New Horizons in Astronomy, will be held on the University of Texas at Austin
campus, October 14-16, in ACES
(map).
The symposium brings together excellent young researchers to exchange ideas, experiences and visions for the future. Scheduled talks
include Instrumentation in the Extremely Large Telescope Era, Exoplanets and Young Stars, High Redshift Galaxies, Supernovae, Gamma-ray Bursts and
Astrobiology.
UT Astronomers Find Exceedingly Powerful Supernova to Defy Explanation
New York Times (registration)
7 May 2007
Kaboom, indeed. In a cascade of superlatives that belies the traditional cerebral reserve of their profession, astronomers reported
today that they had seen the brightest and most powerful stellar explosion ever recorded. The cataclysm -- a monster more than
a hundred times as energetic as the typical supernova in which the more massive stars end their lives -- might be an example of
a completely new type of explosion, astronomers said.
Astronomy Undergraduates Win Awards Across the University
4 May 2007
The Department of Astronomy has awarded Alexander Fry, Sarah Miller and Ross Falcon
the Karl G. Henize endowed scholarship for academic excellence, the Board of Visitors scholarship for overall performance and
the Outstanding Senior award for overall performance, respectively. Sarah Miller and Kyle Penner were awarded best oral presentation at the
College of Natural Sciences research forum, by a panel of non-astronomy faculty and industry scientists. Kyle Penner has also won
the R.W. and Kathleen Lindsey Unrestricted Endowed Presidential Scholarship from the University of Texas.
Public Lecture: The Origin of the Universe
27 March 2007
Dr. Steven Weinberg will deliver the 2007 Harry Middleton Lecture, "The Origin of the Universe," Tuesday, March
27 at 6:00 PM in the Lone Star Room of the Frank Erwin Center
(map).
Free tickets for limited seating can be found at the LBJ Library and the Texas Union (UNB) room 4.300
(map).
Dr. Weinberg is considered by many to be the world's preeminent theoretical physicist. The Middleton Lecture is hosted by the LBJ Foundation and the LBJ Presidential Library
and Museum. Past speakers include former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
Public Lecture: A Tale of Two Telescopes or Dancing with the Stars
29 January 2007
Dr. Fritz Benedict, head of the Space Astrometry group at the University of Texas, will present the public lecture "A Tale of Two
Telescopes or Dancing with the Stars," Saturday, February 3, 2007, from 1:00-2:00 PM in ACES 2.302
(map).
Using the world's largest and highest telescopes, Dr. Benedict calculates the mass of extrasolar planets
by detecting the tiny wiggle of stars. How tiny? The width of a quarter at 800 miles. The talk is part of the Great Lectures in Astronomy series,
sponsored by the Department of Astronomy and McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors.
Public Lecture: The View from the Center of the Universe
21 January 2007
Prof. Joel Primack, Univ. of California Santa Cruz, a cosmologist and specialist in the theory of cold Dark Matter,
and Nancy Abrams, author of the history and philosophy of science, will present the public lecture, "The View from the Center of
the Universe," Friday, January 26 at 7:30 P.M. in RLM 4.102
(map).
The couple's co-authored book of the same title has enjoyed recommendations by many respected publications, and was included in
National Public Radio's list of ten summer reading selections for 2006, a rare science addition.
2006
Texas Cosmology Network Meeting: September 14-15
27 July 2006
The first Texas Cosmology Network Meeting will be held September 14-15, in the Eastwoods Room (2.102) at the Texas
Union. (map) The meeting will bring
together first-rank active cosmologists from the universities within Texas to discuss important topics and future
directions in Cosmology, such as the Dark Energy problem. To stimulate frequent interaction between
Texan cosmologists, the event will also establish the Texas Cosmology Network. The meeting is organized by the departments of
Astronomy and Physics.
Dark Energy, String Theory Featured as
Faculty Grows at Texas A&M
The Houston Chronicle
2 July 2006
College Station, TX --For years, the Becker sisters shared their physics research in string theory, but
not an address. Melanie worked at the University of Maryland while Katrin toiled at the University of
Utah. They expected to spend their careers separated by states. And then Texas A&M University offered
the up-and-coming scholars something no other place had: each other. The school wanted the Beckers
for an emerging institute specializing in their branch of physics.
Remarkable Flow of Data from CTI-II at McDonald Will Serve
a Broad Community
University of New Mexico Press Release
21 May 2006
Albuquerque, NM --Astronomers at the University of New Mexico are developing an exciting new telescope
with capabilities that are unrivaled in astronomy circles. The CCD/Transit Instrument with Innovative
Instrumentation, or CTI-II, is a special-purpose telescope where accuracy and precision are the key components
allowing for unprecedented research opportunities. The ground-based telescope does not move to survey
the sky, a feature that allows for more precise measurements of brightness and position.
Beth Fernandez, Robert Quimby and Lucas Cieza Awarded
Fellowships for 2006-2007
30 May 2006
Graduate Astronomy students Beth Fernandez and Robert Quimby have won, respectively, a Continuing University
Fellowship and a University Tuition Fellowship for 2006-2007. Having been previously awarded the William S. Livingston Graduate
Fellowship, Lucas Cieza will instead receive the Donald D. Harrington Fellowship, among the most prestigious
fellowships available to graduate students at the University of Texas. Lucas is also the recipient of the 2006 William S. Livingston
Outstanding Graduate Student Academic Employee Award.
Extrasolar Planet Discovery by Diverse Group of Professional and
Amateur Astronomers Confirmed with HET
Boston University Press Release
18 May 2006
Boston, MA --An international team of professional and amateur astronomers, using simple off-the-shelf equipment
to trawl the skies for planets outside our solar system, has hauled in its first "catch." The astronomers discovered a
Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star 600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Corona Borealis.
VLBA/HET Confirm Tightest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes
National Radio Astronomy Observatory Press Release
2 May 2006
Socorro, NM --Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope have found the
closest pair of supermassive black holes ever discovered in the Universe -- a duo of monsters that together are more than
150 million times more massive than the Sun and closer together than the Earth and the bright star Vega. "These two giant
black holes are only about 24 light-years apart, and that's more than 100 times closer than any pair found before," said
Cristina Rodriguez, of the University of New Mexico (UNM) and Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela.
Department of Astronomy Award Winners: Kyle Penner,
Chad Gardner, Justin Lowrey and Douglas Steimle
2 May 2006
The Undergraduate Studies Executive Committee has announced the winners of four Department of Astronomy
Awards. The Karl G. Henize endowed scholarship, for excellent academic performance, goes to Kyle Penner. For excellent
overall performance, the Board of Visitors (BoV) scholarship is awarded to Chad Gardner. The Outstanding Senior Award,
recognizing outstanding overall performance, is awarded to Justin Lowrey. The Astronomy Freshman Prize for Excellence is awarded
to Douglas Steimle.
Public Lecture in Physics: "Emergence of Order in Physical, Chemical, and
Biological Systems"
26 April 2006
The Department of Physics holds the second lecture in the Modern Development of Physics Lecture Series
Friday, April 28 at 7:30 PM at the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center, Room 1.110
(map).
Professor Harry Swinney, Sid W. Richardson Foundation Regents Chair in Physics, will deliver the talk,
"Emergence of Order in Physical, Chemical, and Biological Systems". Professor Sweeney will discuss how recognizable patterns in nature,
though formed in vastly different systems, can sometimes be understood from a common approach. The lecture is free and
open to the public.
Astronomy Undergrads Use Research Opportunities;
Additional Funding Still Available
13 April 2006
Four Astronomy Undergraduates recently presented research at the
College of Natural Sciences Undergraduate Research Forum 2006. Liz Hill-Aiello, Ashley Davis, Ross Falcon
and Kyle Penner found opportunities with Astronomy Department researchers studying black holes, galaxy
mergers and the local interstellar medium. Undergraduate students are encouraged to explore the
opportunites and funding still available.
UT Physics Launches Lecture Series to Celebrate 1905,
Einstein's Miracle Year
8 February 2006
Prof. Steven Weinberg will deliver the first public talk of the Modern Development of Physics Lecture Series,
"Much Ado About Nothing--How the Energy of Empty Space
Became a Central Concern of Today's Physics and Cosmology," Wednesday, February 15, at 7:30 PM, in Room 1.110 of the
Joe C. Thompson Conference Center
(map). Albert
Einstein wrote five articles in 1905 that are the cornerstone of modern physics. To recognize the centennial
of Einstein's productive year, the United Nations designated 2005 "The World Year of Physics".
Public Lecture: The Unraveling of Powerful Cosmic Explosions
30 January 2006
Prof. Pawan Kumar will present the public lecture "The Unraveling of Powerful Cosmic Explosions," Saturday, February 4, 2006, at 1:00 PM,
in ACES 2.302. Prof. Kumar will discuss
recent observations of Gamma-ray Bursts, astoundingly powerful, and until just recently, mysterious explosions that are detected on
a daily basis, randomly throughout the sky. The public talk is part of the Great Lectures in Astronomy series, sponsored by the Department of
Astronomy and McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors.
Innovative Search Technique Suggests New Era for Planet Detection
Penn State Press Release
26 January 2006
A team of scientists, including two Penn State astronomers, have used
an innovative new technique to discover a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a nearby star. The planet initially was
detected using an instrument called the Exoplanet Tracker (ET) and may herald an era where the searches for
such planets will become much more efficient. The discovery was announced at the recent meeting of the
American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C.
2005
College of Natural Sciences Recognizes Three Astronomy Undergraduates
with Research Awards
2 December 2005
Three Department of Astronomy Undergraduates have applied and won awards from the College of Natural Sciences
Undergraduate Research Program. Liz Hill-Aiello, Ashley Davis and Allen Kyle Lake each have received funding to support
projects on different aspects of the evolution of galaxies and black holes. They will work under the direction of Professors
Shardha Jogee and
Greg Shields. Their projects involve radio, optical, and X-ray data from ground-base telescopes and the space-based Hubble
Space Telescope.
Public Lecture: The Spitzer Space Telescope and Young Jupiter-Mass Objects
28 November 2005
In the public imagination, Hubble Space Telescope often overshadows NASA's other space based
observatories. The Spitzer Space Telescope has opened a window on star forming regions previously
unavailable to astronomers. Among the tantalizing prizes: discovering exactly how stars are born.
Katelyn Allers will deliver a public talk based on her PhD Thesis, "The Spitzer Space Telescope and
Young Jupiter-Mass Objects," Friday, December 2, at 5:15 PM, in RLM 15.216B.
New Awards Available to Undergraduate Astronomy Students
1 November 2005
Four new categories of awards have been established for undergraduate majors in Astronomy. The new funds will offset
travel expenses for undergraduates conducting research, reward the most outstanding High School applicant to the program,
and recognize undergraduate excellence in research. The new opportunities supplement existing awards available to 3rd, 4th
and final year students. Students are encouraged to apply online, or by contacting Stephanie Crouch in RLM 15.202AA.
First Giant Magellan Telescope Mirror Casting is 'Perfect'
University of Arizona Press Release
27 October 2005
The University of Arizona Steward Observatory Mirror Lab's casting of the first mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope
(GMT) "appears to be essentially perfect," UA Steward Observatory director Peter Strittmatter said after astronomers got
their first look at the glass last Friday. "We're very happy to see this one come out looking so gorgeous," Mirror Lab
Technical Director J. Roger Angel said. "We'll see more once the mold is removed, but so far, looking through the front
surface, it looks great."
Frank N. Bash Symposium 2005: New Horizons in Astronomy
18 October 2005
The Astronomy Program at the University of Texas hosts the first biennial
symposium in honor of former McDonald Observatory Director, Professor Frank Bash, on the topic New Horizons in Astronomy.
The symposium features excellent young researchers working on frontier topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Topics
include cosmology, black holes, galactic evolution, chemical evolution and abundances, star formation and the formation of
planetary systems.
Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) to be Inaugurated November 10
15 August 2005
The southern 'twin' of the HET, The Southern African Large Telescope, has a completed primary mirror, and is scheduled
for inauguration November 10, 2005. SALT and the HET share a unique and exceptionally frugal design. Stationary in elevation
angle, their enormous primary mirrors (11m) channel light not to an eyepiece, but to instruments, and light fiber for spectroscopy, high above
the expanse of glass where 91
mirrors come to a focus. Construction of SALT began in 2000. Installation of the mirror segments began in December 2003.
SALT will feature improvements in optical design over the HET as well as technical advances in instrumentation.
Falcon, Irwin, Vicenek, Ramirez Win
Astronomy Department Awards for '04-'05
3 June 2005
Three undergraduates and one graduate student have won awards from the Department of Astronomy for 2004-2005. Ross Falcon
was awarded the Karl G. Henize Memorial Scholarship, Sierra Irwin the Board of Visitors Undergraduate Scholarship,
and Chad Vicenek the Outstanding Senior Award. This year, all three awards carried a $500 prize. In a strong
field, Ivan Ramirez won the Board of Visitors Outstanding Second Year Research Defense, for "Oxygen Abundances in Nearby
Disk Stars." Advisors to Ramirez are Carlos Allende Prieto and David Lambert.
Astronomy Ceremony Honors Five Undergraduate Degree Recipients
16 May 2005
Five undergraduates were honored Friday, May 5 at a Department of Astronomy graduation ceremony. Two will receive the Bachelor of Arts, and three the
Bachelor of Science in Astronomy. The graduates are Christian Iverson Johnson, Karen Leigh Menezes, Diana Elizabeth Smith, Chad Joseph
Vicenik and Jocelly Marie Guie Wong. Astronomy faculty and students comprised a string quartet for the program, which included a recitation in Latin, and
remarks from Chair Don Winget, Undergraduate Advisor Karl Gebhardt, Undergraduate Studies Chair Greg Shields and Observatory
Director David Lambert.
Knez, Sterling, Alvarez Win Astronomy Department Awards for '05-'06
7 May 2005
Claudia Knez, Nick Sterling and Marcelo Alvarez have won graduate awards from the Astronomy Department for 2005-2006. Knez's Goetting
Scholarship, which recognizes outstanding service, is awarded for minority and outreach efforts. Sterling receives the Benfield Scholarship, in
recognition of quality research by a senior student. Alvarez is awarded the Edmonds Fellowship, for excellence in research.
Lunar Laser Ranging Confirms Galileo,
Newton, Einstein
JPL/NASA Press Release
7 March 2005
Thirty-five years after Moon-walking astronauts placed special reflectors on the lunar surface, scientists have used these devices to
test Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity to unprecedented accuracy. The findings, which also confirm theories from Galileo
Galilei and Isaac Newton, may help to explain physical laws of the universe and benefit future space missions.
Ninth Tex-Mex Conference on Astrophysics to be held in San Antonio,
April 13-16
7 March 2005
The Ninth Texas-Mexico Conference on Astrophysics will be held at Trinity University in San Antonio, April 13-16. The meeting
will bring together professional astronomers, astrophysicists and interested students from institutions in the Texas-Mexico
region to discuss forefront topics of astrophysics. Trinity hosts Tex-Mex in conjunction with The Instituto de Astronomia at
the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, The University of Texas at Austin and Rice University.
Public Lecture: A New Century of Astronomy
26 January 2005
Dr. Wendy Freedman, Director of the Carnegie Observatories, will present the
public lecture "A New Century of Astronomy," Saturday, February 5, 2005, at 1:00 PM, in ACES 2.302. Prof. Freedman will describe
plans to build the Giant Magellan Telescope, a project in which the University of Texas will participate. The Great Lectures in Astronomy
series is sponsored by the Department of Astronomy and McDonald Observatory Board of Visitors.
2004
Tamura Symposium on Particle and Astrophysical Cosmology
1 November 2004
Austin, TX --The 8th international symposium in honor of Dr. Taro Tamura, entitled "Tamura Symposium on Particle and Astrophysical
Cosmology," will be held November 18-20, in ACES 6.304 and RLM 5.104. The symposium is organized jointly by the departments of Physics and
Astronomy. Speakers will include Paul Shapiro, Kei-ichi Maeda and Steven Weinberg. A Physics/Astronomy
joint colloquium, to be held Thursday, November 18 in ACES 2.302, will feature Rocky Kolb and Motohiko Yoshimura.
Symposium: Priors, Quaternions, and Residuals, Oh My!
20 September 2004
The one-day symposium entitled "Priors, Quaternions, and Residuals, Oh My!" will be held Friday, September 24, in honor
of Professor Bill Jefferys, the retiring Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor in Astronomy. The meeting will celebrate areas of astronomy
to which Professor Jefferys has contributed, including Bayesian statistics applied to astronomy, astronomical dynamics and astrometry with
the Hubble Space Telescope.
Symposium: Cosmic Abundances as Records of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis
17-19 June 2004
An international symposium in honor of McDonald Observatory Director Professor David Lambert's 65th birthday, entitled Cosmic
Abundances as Records of Stellar Evolution and Nucleosynthesis, will be held June 17-19, at the Austin Hyatt Regency on Town Lake.
Ceremony Honors First Undergraduates to Receive Bachelor of Science in Astronomy
7 May 2004
Austin, TX --Graduates honored May 6, at a Department of Astronomy graduation ceremony, included the first undergraduates to receive the new
Bachelor of Science in Astronomy. Chairman Don Winget, Advisor Karl Gebhardt, Undergraduate Studies Chairman
Greg Shields and Student Coordinator Stephanie Crouch praised an exceptional class, and thanked Rebecca Christian, whose efforts helped
establish the program..
Public Lecture: Eyewitness the Golden Age of Cosmology
7 February 2004
Professor Paul Shapiro presents lecture for the Great Lectures in Astronomy series, sponsored by the McDonald Observatory and
Department of Astronomy Board of Visitors.
Professor Ken Freeman to Deliver 2004 Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Memorial
Lecture
21 January 2004
Austin, TX --The eleventh award of the Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Memorial Lectureship and Medal, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding
dedication to astronomy, honors the distinguished Australian astrophysicist Professor Ken Freeman of The Australian National University
in Canberra...
2003
Public Lecture: Einstein's Greatest Blunder? The Case for Cosmic "Antigravity"
17 October 2003
Professor Alex Filipenko, UC Berkeley, delivers lecture for the American Astronomical Society Second Century
Lectures, as part of the two-day event honoring the retirement of McDonald Observatory Director Frank Bash.
Symposium: Facing the Future, A Festival for Frank - October 17-18, 2003
8 October 2003
Symposium honoring the retirement of Frank Bash as Director of the McDonald Observatory.
New Method Discovered for Estimating Distances to
Dwarf Novae
27 May 2003
Nashville, TN --Astronomers using the Fine Guidance Sensors of the Hubble Space Telescope to study dwarf novae
unexpectedly discovered a new method of estimating the distances to these strange double-star systems...
Prediction and Confirmation of 'Magnetars' Wins UT
Scientist and Colleagues Rossi Prize
17 February 2003
Austin, TX --The 2003 Rossi Prize of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical
Society is awarded to Robert Duncan and Christopher Thompson for their prediction, and to Chryssa
Kouveliotou for her observational confirmation, of the existence of magnetars...
Gamma Ray Burst Astronomy Opens New Chapter at McDonald
3 February 2003
Austin, TX --The second of four planned telescopes for the Robotic Optical Transient Search
Experiment (ROTSE IIIb) has seen first light at McDonald Observatory. The equipment is dedicated to
the detection and observation of optical transients...
Professor Frank Shu to Deliver Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Memorial Lecture
24 January 2003
Austin, TX --The tenth award of the Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Memorial Lectureship and Medal honors the
distinguished theoretical astrophysicist, Professor Frank Shu, whose accomplishments include the
theoretical work on protostars often referred to as "the standard model" of star formation...
2002
Chrome Dome Near Completion
16 December 2002
Austin, TX --The HET Enclosure Thermal Control Project, designed to control the flow of heat through the thin skin
of the dome, is near completion. As heat escapes through the dome, cold air falls through the light path, degrading
the seeing...
back to front..
25 September 2009
11 February 2009
7 January 2009
2 December 2008
3 November 2008
