Laura Ferrarese
Director’s Message
The Three Goals of a Year-long Vision
Hello, Aloha, and Hola!
I am delighted to address the Gemini community from my new role as the Observatory’s
Interim Director. I will hold this position for the next year, while the search for a perma-
nent Director moves forward. As I write this (beginning of September), I have been in
Hilo, Hawai‘i, for almost two months, and it’s been an exciting time. I have enjoyed work-
ing with the Gemini staff, whose drive, dedication, and talent were already well known to
me from when I chaired the Observatory Oversight Council on behalf of the Association
of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).
As we speak, I am returning from a two-week visit to La Serena, Chile. During my stay,
I spent time every night in the new Base Facility control room, witnessing first-hand
the pride and enthusiasm with which the telescope operators and observers carefully
queued up, executed, and inspected the data — each frame a new discovery. Meanwhile,
the base facility in Hilo had been quiet for seven weeks during a scheduled shutdown at
Gemini North (see page 18 of this issue). Nevertheless, activity on the mountain was fe-
verish, as our day crew and engineers carried out very delicate repairs to the dome shut-
ter mechanism. Those of you who have been on the summit of Maunakea are very well
aware that at 4,200 meters even the most routine activities become challenging; you will
no doubt share my amazement at what our day crew had accomplished in order to get
Gemini North back on-sky, as planned, in late August.
October 2017
GeminiFocus
1