I am pleased to announce another crucial milestone for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). Harold C. Simmons of Dallas, who made a pledge of $5 million for HETDEX in 2006, has pledged an additional gift of $2.5 million for the project. We are honored and delighted to have this additional support, which is particularly significant now. Mr. Simmons’s new commitment comes on top of the generous contributions of BoV members and others, added to significant federal and state support, along with funding from our partner institutions. 20101210-01 hetdex_mockup_pickle_th.jpg The Board of Visitors held another well-attended and successful meeting at McDonald Observatory in July 2010. "The executive committee has been working with the McDonald Observatory staff to increase the ‘wow factor’ at our meetings while paying attention to our budget," says Board of Visitors Chair David Chappell. “The response to the changes we made this July, including the small science discussion groups and the new arrangements for the Saturday night supper, has been very positive.” 20101210-02 wheeler_group_th.jpg Wayne Alexander and the members of the BoV Communications Committee extend their thanks to 63 BoV members and others who provided their evaluations of the July 2010 BoV Meeting. Respondents were asked to provide numerical ratings for 40 aspects or parts of the meeting weekend, on a scale from Four (excellent) to One (Poor). Comments on the various parts of the meeting were also solicited. Most of the responses received by McDonald Observatory staff came via the Board of Visitors web page form, but some were returned on the printed forms distributed with the BoV meeting packets onsite. 20101210-03 summary_th.jpg All of us are grateful for the generosity of the many persons who gave to the Beverage Fund for the July 2010 Board of Visitors Meeting. Any alcohol remaining after the recent BOV meeting will be stored at McDonald Observatory for use in the future. Also, there is over $1,700 remaining in the Beverage Fund as a start for next year. Have a good winter. 20101210-04 bartender_th.jpg Because of the very positive reaction to the new Science Discussion Groups in July 2010 and of a recent poll of BoV members, the BoV Executive Committee and the leadership of McDonald Observatory and the Department of Astronomy are planning two such groups for the afternoon of Friday, February 11, 2011. Below are the results of a poll of BoV members asking if they would like to take part. Out of 73 total responses, 45 (or 61 percent) said they would be interested in attending one or both Science Discussion Groups. 20101210-05 discussion_th.jpg Astronomers from The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University gathered for the Building Astronomy in Texas Conference in Austin over the October 30-31 weekend. Board of Visitors Budget Funds covered conference expenses. The goals of the conference, according to UT Astronomy Chair Neal Evans, were... 20101210-06 utam_th.jpg Nine potential BoV members are nominated for consideration at the February 12, 2011, meeting. 20101210-07 At the request of the Board of Visitors Communications Committee (Wayne Alexander, Chair; Toby Calvert, Carol Whitcraft Fredericks, John Heasley, Karen Skelton, and Eric Stumberg, members; David Chappell, ex officio), McDonald Observatory staff members sent out two surveys to the Board of Visitors membership in August 2010. The “Affinity” survey asked about the interests of BoV members and how the Texas Astronomy program fit into those interests. The “Satisfaction” survey asked BoV members to rate how satisfied they are with the composition and size of the BoV, the information they receive, how well meetings are structured and run, and the overall value of participating in the group. 20101210-08 Komatsu wins award for contributions in theoretical physics: Astronomer Eiichiro Komatsu of The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded the 25th annual Nishinomiya-Yukawa Memorial Prize for physics. Komatsu, director of the Texas Cosmology Center at the university, is being honored for his studies of the early universe as a member of NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) science team. 20101210-09 insight_plesko_th.jpg In October 2009, a group of Board of Visitors members took part in a memorable trip to Chile to tour numerous spectacular astronomical sites and scenic attractions. Dr. Tom Barnes of McDonald Observatory was part of the group, as a science commentator. In addition to personnel from the travel agency that had made arrangements, the trip was hosted in Chile by Hernán E. Julio Illanes, a public-affairs specialist with the University of Chile. BoV members of the group were delighted with Mr. Julio’s knowledgeable hospitality, and several members got together to host him for a visit to McDonald Observatory during the July 2010 BoV meeting. 20101210-10 julio_th.jpg The City of Alpine and the Town of Van Horn both enacted final passage of lighting-control ordinances in September. “We are delighted that both of these neighboring cities are acting to preserve the unique resource of dark skies,” says Bill Wren of McDonald Observatory. 20101210-11 wren_th.jpg The first-ever “Thanks Day” event, organized by the campus group Students Hooked on Texas, was held on the UT Austin Campus on November 10. More than 2,300 students gathered on the plaza in front of Gregory Gym to give thanks to alumni, faculty, donors, and the state of Texas for supporting their education. 20101210-12 Engaging young students today so that they will go on to choose careers in science and technology is key to the future of Texas and the U.S. That’s why McDonald Observatory’s Education and Outreach Office (EOO) has been pioneering programs for K-12 teachers and students based on Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and National Science Education Standards (NSES). 20101210-13 teachers_ascan_th.jpg The members of the BoV Planned Giving Committee (Frank Bash, Ann Boyd, Bob England, Scott Parazynski, Sallie Tarride, and Francis Wright) and I would be happy to discuss how a planned gift that anyone can make could transform Texas Astronomy. 20101210-14 We are excited about the upcoming enhanced BoV Annual Meeting, July 16-17, 2010, at McDonald Observatory. As you can tell from your invitation materials, we have made several changes to the format and programming of the meeting that we hope will make your experience more engaging and enjoyable. 20100629-01 signth.jpg Since the State of Texas cannot purchase alcoholic beverages for our BoV functions, it is necessary for us to take up a collection each year to do so. The time is on us again. 20100629-04 domesth.jpg http://www.as.utexas.edu Department of Astronomy Two graduates of The University of Texas at Austin Department of Astronomy are included in the 125 Extraordinary Exes, a list compiled to celebrate 125 years of the Texas Exes. Dr. Beatrice M. Tinsley, Ph.D. '67, was a leading expert on the evolution of galaxies and served as the first female astronomy professor at Yale University. Every year, McDonald Observatory and the Department of Astronomy honor her memory by inviting several outstanding astronomers to present their research, as the Beatrice M. Tinsley Visiting Professor and the Tinsley Scholars, younger scientists of exceptional promise. 20100629-05 tinsleyth.jpg Advertising students from The University of Texas at Austin competed for a prize award for the best design for a McDonald Observatory logo in 2009-2010. Winners included members of the Supernova Group (Anita Demia, Mary Feng, Kendra Gunn, Chris Kim, and Wes Muniz) and the Hexagon Faction (Sally Bage, Jessica Chiu, Natalie Gover, Hua Liu, Adele Pitzer, and Monica Vasquez). Thanks to these and all the students who competed, with oversight from BoV member and UT Dept. of Advertising and Public Relations Chair, Dr. Isabella Cunningham. 20100629-06 farawayth.jpg Thanks to the generous support of Ruthie and Paul Premack of San Antonio, McDonald Observatory will be actively working to raise public awareness of dark skies and lighting control issues. 20100629-07 darkskiesth.jpg BoV Life Member Donna Pierce was recognized by the Highland Park Independent School District for her 30 years of service as the Director of the Highland Park Planetarium. She has also worked for 15 years as the planetarium docent and educator at the Dallas Health and Science Museum (now known as Museum of Nature and History). 20100629-08 pierceth.jpg 17 new members are up for nomination at the July 17, 2010 Board of Visitors Meeting. 20100629-09 hjth.jpg Following the February BoV meeting, a focus group representing all constituencies in the Observatory and Department recommended that an outside professional firm be engaged to design a new logo. 20100629-10 logoth.jpg Earlier this year, members of the Board of Visitors were asked to consider the possibility of creating a nonprofit foundation to benefit McDonald Observatory. Several BoV members submitted comments on this possibility. 20100629-13 hetth.jpg The Board of Visitors Executive Committee has created a BoV committee, charged with reaching out to the membership about planned giving. We welcome as members: Frank Bash, of Austin; Anne Boyd, of Dallas; Bob England, of Flower Mound; Joe and Sallie Tarride, of Fort Worth; and Francis Wright, of San Antonio. 20100629-11 wjmth.jpg Meeting minutes, audio, video and presentation slides from the Mid-Winter meeting are now available on the Meetings page of the Board of Visitors website. 20100629-12 febmeetingth The upcoming Annual Board of Visitors Meeting will be held in Fort Davis, Friday - Saturday, July 16 - 17, 2010. Click here a list of lodging options for the July meeting. SAVE THE DATE! The Mid-Winter 2011 BoV Meeting will be held in Austin, Friday - Saturday, February 11 - 12, 2011. 20100331-00 backyardadw.jpg HET More than 180 Board of Visitors members and special guests attended the February 2010 Board of Visitors Meeting in Austin, Texas. Audio, video and presentation slides from the Mid-Winter meeting can be found on the Board of Visitors website. 20100331-01 febmeeting.jpg BoV Members Richard King and Alice Ball Strunk http://www.as.utexas.edu Department of Astronomy The BoV Excellence awards are given to honor exceptional accomplishment by Astronomy faculty, staff, and students and by McDonald Observatory staff. This year eight winners were recognized at the February 2010 Board of Visitors meeting. 20100331-02 We welcomed seven new members to the Board of Visitors during the February meeting. For those of you who were unable to attend, we hope that you will be able to meet them and welcome them into our ranks at the summer 2010 meeting, July 16 - 17, 2010. 20100331-04 McDonald Observatory is honored to announce the dedication of the Wren-Marcario Telescope. This wheelchair accessible telescope is named after George B. Wren II (1917-1993) and Mike Marcario (1954-1998). 20100331-05 wmatsitew.jpg WMAT Site at the Visitors Center On the Saturday afternoon, a series of informal discussions with an astronomer will be arranged for small groups of Board of Visitors members and guests. 20100331-06 domesw.jpg Telescope Domes of McDonald This is a very exciting time for the HETDEX team. Great progress is being made on the HET upgrade and the VIRUS spectrographs. 20100331-07 hetw.jpg Hobby-Eberly Telescope McDonald Observatory is offering new sponsorship opportunities for our nationally recognized StarDate and Universo radio program. 20100331-08 Thank you to those members of the Board of Visitors who sent in their thoughts and suggestions on the creation of a foundation to support the goals of the McDonald Observatory and Department of Astronomy. 20100331-09 We sincerely hope that you will be able to attend the February 5-6, 2010 Board of Visitors meeting in Austin. The presentations of several of our distinguished astronomers and students promise to be both engaging and thought provoking. 20100127-01 moontowerth.jpg Joel Barna Over the past two years, under the leadership of Dr. Isabella Cunningham, a working group of Executive Committee members and BoV members, McDonald Observatory staff, and faculty and students from the UT Austin Department of Advertising has been evaluating the logo and brand shared by McDonald and the Department of Astronomy. 20100127-02 croppedProjth.jpg UT Austin Advertising Students http://www.as.utexas.edu Department of Astronomy The Executive Committee met in October 2009 for a work session with San Antonio-based planning consultant Bob Ashcroft, to assess the areas in which the Board of Visitors and its Executive Committee should focus their efforts over the next two years. 20100127-03 McDonald Observatory Director David Lambert was invited to give the opening “historical perspective” talk at the International Astronomical Union’s Symposium 268, “Light elements in the Universe,” in Geneva, Switzerland, in November 2009. 20100127-04 Graduate Student Guillermo Blanc, Harlan J. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow Colette Salyk, and Senior Research Scientist Bill Cochran will speak at the February meeting, discussing nearby galaxies, the search for water in proto-planetary discs, and results from Kepler, the extra-solar planet search mission. Professor Karl Gebhardt will deliver the 18th Annual Great Lecture, "Walk Softly When Exploring the Dark Side of the Universe: Black Holes, Dark Matter and Dark Energy". 20100127-05