NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre

Last updated

NRC Herzberg
NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre
Named after Gerhard Herzberg
Founded at Ottawa, Canada
Location
Owner Government of Canada
Director-General
Luc Simard
Website astroherzberg.org
Formerly called
NRC Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (NRC-HIA)

The NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (NRC Herzberg, HAA) [1] is the leading Canadian centre for astronomy and astrophysics. It is based in Victoria, British Columbia. The current director-general, as of 2021, is Luc Simard. [2]

Contents

History

Named for the Nobel laureate Gerhard Herzberg, it was formed in 1975 as part of the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. The NRC-HIA headquarters were moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1995 to the site of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory. In 2012, the organization was restructured and renamed NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics. [1]

Facilities

NRC-HAA also operates the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory outside of Penticton, British Columbia and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre as well as managing Canadian involvement in the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, Gemini Observatory, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Square Kilometre Array, and the Thirty Meter Telescope, as well as Canada's national astronomy data centre. [3]

Plaskett Fellowship

The Plaskett Fellowship is named after John Stanley Plaskett and is awarded to an outstanding, recent doctoral graduate in astrophysics or a closely related discipline. [4] Fellows conduct independent research in a stimulating, collegial environment at the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Expertise in observational astrophysics is the norm, but some theoreticians were also among this distinguished group of astronomers.

Past Plaskett Fellows
NameDatesCurrent Position
Marshall, Madeline2021 - presentPlaskett Fellow, HAA
Woods, Tyrone2019 - 2023Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
Hénault-Brunet, Vincent2017 - 2019Assistant Professor, Saint Mary's University
Ngo, Henry2017 - 2019Data and Analytics Lead, Office of the Provincial Health Officer, BC Ministry of Health
Lawler, Samantha2014 - 2019Assistant Professor, University of Regina
McConnell, Nick2014 - 2016STEM Workforce Development and Education Manager, ISEE
Roediger, Joel2013 - 2016Astronomer, NRC-HAA
Kirk, Helen2012 - 2015Astronomer, NRC-HAA
Fraser, Wesley2011 – 2014University Fellow, Queen's University Belfast
Mann, Rita2010 – 2015Astronomer, Victoria
Schnee, Scott2009 – 2010System Director, The Aerospace Corporation
McConnachie, Alan2008 – 2011Instrumentation Astronomer, NRC-HAA
Peng, Chien-Yi2007 – 2010Scientific Programmer, Giant Magellan Telescope
Geha, Marla 2006 – 2007Professor, Astronomy, Yale University
Puzia, Thomas H.2006 – 2010Associate Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Onken, Chris2005 – 2008Research Fellow, Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, The Australian National University
Peng, Eric2004 – 2007Faculty Research Fellow, Department of Astronomy, Peking University
Matthews, Brenda2004 – 2008Astronomer, Millimetre Astronomy Group, NRC-HAA
Fiege, Jason2002 – 2004Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba
Willott, Christopher2002 – 2006Astronomer, Canadian Astronomy Data Centre, NRC-HAA
Johnson, Jennifer2002 – 2005Professor, Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University
Sawicki, Marcin2001 – 2004Chair of Astronomy & Physics, Astronomy and Physics, St Mary's University
Barton, Elizabeth1999 – 2001Founder & CEO at Infiniscape Incorporated
van Zee, Liese1999 – 2001Professor, Astronomy, University of Indiana
Fulbright, Jon1999 – 2002GOES-R Product Readiness and Operations (PRO) Deputy and Product Quality Lead, Artic Slope Technical Services
Côté, Stéphanie1997 – 1999Group Leader, Canadian Gemini Office NRC-HAA
Lavezzi, Tracey Ellen1997 – 1999Los Alamos National Laboratory
Courteau, Stéphane1996 – 1999Professor, Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University
Côté, Patrick1994 – 1997Principal Research Officer, NRC-HAA
Marzke, Ronald1994 – 1997Associate Dean of College of Science & Engineering, San Francisco State University
Smecker-Hane, Tammy1992 – 1995Associate Professor, Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine
Garnavich, Peter1991 – 1994Professor, Astrophysics / Cosmology Physics, Notre Dame University
Riegler, Michael1991 – 1993Program Manager, Word Business Unit, Microsoft Corporation
Abraham, Roberto1991 - 1994Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toronto
Ellingson, Erica1989 – 1992Associate Professor, Astronomy and Planetary Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder
Friel, Eileen 1988 – 1990Professor Emerita, University of Indiana
Pierce, Michael1988 – 1991Professor, University of Wyoming
Bolte, Michael1987 – 1990Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Lick Observatory
Welch, Douglas1986 – 1988Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, McMaster University
Ratnatunga, Kavan1986 – 1988Senior Research Scientist, Carnegie-Mellon University
Westpfahl, David1986 – 1988Professor, Department of Physics, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Crabtree, Dennis1986 – 1988Astronomer, NRC-HAA
Durand, Daniel1986 – 1989Retired, former Research Council Officer, NRC-HAA
Smith, Graeme1984 – 1986Professor, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Lick Observatory
Stauffer, John1984 – 1986Research Scientist, Spitzer Science Centre
Stetson, Peter1983 – 1984Retired, former Principal Research Officer, NRC-HAA
Campbell, Bruce1983 – 1987Financial consultant
Olszewski, Edward1982 – 1984Astronomer, Steward Observatory
Yee, Howard1982 – 1984Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto
Stryker, Linda1981 – 1983Emeritus Professor, Arizona State University
Massey, Philip1980 – 1983Astronomer, Lowell Observatory
Mochnacki, Stefan1980 – 1982Retired, professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto
Harris, Hugh1980 – 1982Astronomer, U.S. Naval Observatory
Quintana, Hernán1979 – 1981Professor, Department of Astronomy (former Chair), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Pritchet, Christopher1978 – 1981Retired, professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy (former Chair), University of Victoria
Lawrie, David1978 – 1980Director, Sensing and Exploitation Department, Aerospace Corporation
Poeckert, Roland1977 – 1979Unknown
Rucinski, Slavek1975 – 1977Retired, formerly professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and Associate Director, David Dunlap Observatory, University of Toronto

Covington Fellowship

The Covington Fellowship is named after Arthur Covington and is awarded to an outstanding, recent doctoral graduate in astrophysics or a closely related discipline. [5] Fellows conduct independent research in a stimulating, collegial environment at the institute at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, BC. DRAO staff expertise is in observational radio astronomy and the development of instrumentation and technology for radio telescopes. Current and past Covington Fellows are:

Caption text
NameDatesCurrent Position
Jennifer West2023-presentCovington Fellow, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, NRC-HAA
Mehrnoosh Tahani2019-2022Banting Fellow, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology, Stanford University
Trey Wenger2019-2022NSF Fellow, Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Paul Scholz2016-2019Dunlap Fellow, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto
Timothy Robishaw2011-2013Senior Research Officer, Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, NRC-HAA
Maik Wolleben2008-2011Founder, Skaha Remote Sensing

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atacama Large Millimeter Array</span> 66 radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is an astronomical interferometer of 66 radio telescopes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, which observe electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths. The array has been constructed on the 5,000 m (16,000 ft) elevation Chajnantor plateau – near the Llano de Chajnantor Observatory and the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment. This location was chosen for its high elevation and low humidity, factors which are crucial to reduce noise and decrease signal attenuation due to Earth's atmosphere. ALMA provides insight on star birth during the early Stelliferous era and detailed imaging of local star and planet formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion Astrophysical Observatory</span>

The Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, located on Observatory Hill, in Saanich, British Columbia, was completed in 1918 by the Canadian government. The Dominion architect responsible for the building was Edgar Lewis Horwood. The main instrument is the 72-inch-aperture (1.83 m) Plaskett telescope, proposed and designed by John S. Plaskett in 1910 with the support of the International Union for Cooperation in Solar Research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Stanley Plaskett</span> Canadian astronomer

John Stanley Plaskett was a Canadian astronomer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llano de Chajnantor Observatory</span> Observatory

Llano de Chajnantor Observatory is the name for a group of astronomical observatories located at an altitude of over 4,800 m (15,700 ft) in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. The site is in the Antofagasta Region approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of the town of San Pedro de Atacama. The exceptionally arid climate of the area is inhospitable to humans, but creates an excellent location for millimeter, submillimeter, and mid-infrared astronomy. This is because water vapour absorbs and attenuates submillimetre radiation. Llano de Chajnantor is home to the largest and most expensive astronomical telescope project in the world, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). Llano de Chajnantor and the surrounding area has been designated as the Chajnantor Science Reserve by the government of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated Universities, Inc.</span> American nonprofit organization

Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) is a research management corporation that builds and operates facilities for the research community. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. The current president is Adam Cohen. The corporation's major current operating unit is the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which it operates under a Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics</span> Research institute in Toronto, Canada

The Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) is a national research institute funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, located at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. CITA's mission is "to foster interaction within the Canadian theoretical Astrophysics community and to serve as an international center of excellence for theoretical studies in astrophysics." CITA was incorporated in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory</span> Research facility in British Columbia, Canada

The Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory is a research facility founded in 1960 and located at Kaleden, British Columbia, Canada. The site houses four radio telescopes: an interferometric radio telescope, a 26-m single-dish antenna, a solar flux monitor, and the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) — as well as support engineering laboratories. The DRAO is operated by the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics of the National Research Council of the Government of Canada. The observatory was named an IEEE Milestone for first radio astronomical observations using VLBI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algonquin Radio Observatory</span> Research facility in Ontario, Canada

The Algonquin Radio Observatory (ARO) is a radio observatory located in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1959 in order to host a number of the National Research Council of Canada's (NRC) ongoing experiments in a more radio-quiet location than Ottawa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Abraham</span> Canadian astronomer

Roberto Abraham, FRSC is a Canadian astronomer and is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Toronto and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Arthur Edwin Covington was a Canadian physicist who made the first radio astronomy measurements in Canada. Through these he made the valuable discovery that sunspots generate large amounts of microwaves at the 10.7 cm wavelength, offering a simple all-weather method to measure and predict sunspot activity, and their associated effects on communications. The sunspot detection program has run continuously to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics</span> Astrophysics centre at the University of Manchester, England

The Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester, is among the largest astrophysics groups in the UK. It includes the Jodrell Bank Observatory, the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, and the Jodrell Bank Visitor Centre. The centre was formed after the merger of the Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST which brought two astronomy groups together. The Jodrell Bank site also hosts the headquarters of the SKA Observatory (SKAO) - the International Governmental Organisation (IGO) tasked with the delivery and operation of the Square Kilometre Array, created on the signing of the Rome Convention in 2019. The SKA will be the largest telescope in the world - construction is expected to start at the end of this decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan Falls</span> Community in British Columbia, Canada

Okanagan Falls is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey</span> Review of astronomy literature produced every ten years

The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey is a review of astronomy and astrophysics literature produced approximately every ten years by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States. The report surveys the current state of the field, identifies research priorities, and makes recommendations for the coming decade. The decadal survey represents the recommendations of the research community to governmental agencies on how to prioritize scientific funding within astronomy and astrophysics. The editing committee is informed by topical panels and subcommittees, dedicated conferences, and direct community input in the form of white papers summarizing the state of the art in each subdiscipline. The most recent report, Astro2020, was released in 2021.

Thomas M. Dame is Director of the Radio Telescope Data Center at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, a Senior Radio Astronomer at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and a Lecturer on Astronomy at Harvard University. He is best known for mapping the Milky Way galaxy in Carbon Monoxide and for the discovery of both the Far 3 kpc Arm and the Outer Scutum–Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Ferrarese</span> Italian astrophysicist

Laura Ferrarese is a researcher in space science at the National Research Council of Canada. Her primary work has been performed using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algonquin 46m radio telescope</span> Radio telescope and deep-space radar in Ontario, Canada

The Algonquin 46m radio telescope (ARO) is a radio telescope at the Algonquin Radio Observatory, Canada. This radio telescope is historically famous for taking part in the first successful very long baseline interferometry experiment in the 1960s, where it was experimentally arrayed with the 26-metre Telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory near Penticton, British Columbia.

Michael Bolte is a Distinguished Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California Santa Cruz. From 2005 - 2012 he was the Director of the University of California Observatories which operates Lick Observatory near San Jose California, co-manages the W.M. Keck Observatory, and leads the University of California participation in the Thirty-Meter Telescope Project. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the CARA Board that oversees the W.M. Keck Observatory from 2005 - 2013 and has been a Director on the Board of Directors for the Thirty-Meter Telescope International Observatory since 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Dougherty</span> Canadian astrophysicist

Sean Dougherty is a Canadian astrophysicist who has been involved in a large number of radio astronomical facilities, both Canadian and international.

Marla C. Geha is an American astronomer who specializes in dwarf galaxies, and especially the satellite galaxies of the Milky Way. She is a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, and director of telescope resources for Yale.

References

  1. 1 2 Canada, National Research Council (January 9, 2017). "Evaluation of NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics (HAA) Portfolio". nrc.canada.ca.
  2. "National Research Council Canada". www.nrc.ca. March 7, 2019.
  3. "NRCC - NRC Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics" . Retrieved December 9, 2014. We operate Canada's national observatories and a national astronomy data centre
  4. "Plaskett Fellowship".
  5. "Covington Fellowship".

48°31′12″N123°25′06″W / 48.5200°N 123.41844°W / 48.5200; -123.41844