BERKELEY — Google Inc. has given $1 million to the University of California’s Lick
Observatory in what astronomers hope is the first of many private gifts to
support an invaluable teaching and research resource for the state.
The unrestricted funds, spread over two years, will go toward general
expenses, augmenting the $1.5 million the UC Office of the President gives
annually to operate the mountaintop observatory for the 10-campus UC system.
“Lick Observatory has been making important discoveries while training
generations of scientists for more than 100 years,” said Chris DiBona, director
of open source for Google. “Google is proud to support their efforts in 2015 to
bring hands-on astronomical experiences to students and the public.”
“This is very exciting,” said UC Berkeley astronomy professor Alex
Filippenko, who has been beating the bushes for funds to operate the observatory
after UC support dropped as a result of the recent recession.
“Astronomy is the ‘gateway science’ – kids are enthralled by cosmic
discoveries, spectacular images, and far-out concepts, which can inspire them to
pursue technical fields such as applied physics, engineering and computer
science,” Filippenko said. “So there’s a real opportunity to make a difference,
through the research, education and public outreach we do at Lick
Observatory.”
“I am delighted that Google is supporting the Lick effort and thus helping
provide UC students with unique hands-on experiences in valuable astronomy
research,” said UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor for Research Graham Fleming.
“We at UC highly value Lick Observatory’s unique capabilities,” said Claire
Max, interim director of the University of California Observatories (UCO), which
operates Lick, and which manages UC’s share of the twin 10-meter W. M. Keck
Telescopes in Hawaii and the planned Thirty Meter Telescope that broke ground
last year close to Keck on Mauna Kea. “For example, Lick’s telescopes enable
science projects that need lots of repeated observations during the course of a
year or more; these can be done much more successfully at Lick than at the
8−10-meter telescopes, where observing time is extremely tight. Google’s very
generous gift will make it possible for Lick to provide these opportunities and
to continue to develop forefront tools such as adaptive optics, which removes
image blurring caused by turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere.”
Lick Observatory, located atop Mt. Hamilton east of San Jose, was established
in 1888 and currently houses seven telescopes, including the Katzman Automatic
Imaging Telescope run by Filippenko that scans the sky each night in search of
exploding stars (supernovae), which help astronomers understand the accelerating
expansion of the universe and dark energy. Another robotic telescope, the
Automated Planet Finder, closely examines many stars each night to find planets
that may be orbiting them.
Faculty, researchers, postdoctoral scholars and students throughout the UC
system can observe remotely on the main general-use telescopes, the three-meter
Shane telescope and the one-meter Nickel telescope. “These telescopes provide
undergraduates with a unique opportunity to participate in substantial
astronomical research,” Filippenko said. “I have about a dozen undergraduate
students doing Lick research now, many more than ever before.”
Defining the cutting edge
Before the recession,
Lick’s budget was about $2.5 million annually to support astronomers and
students from eight of the 10 UC campuses as well as the UC-managed Department
of Energy labs. Most of the first 100 planets orbiting other stars were
discovered at Lick using a forefront instrument that was the best of its kind at
the time. Lick observations also helped reveal the presence of giant black holes
in the centers of galaxies. In part thanks to large numbers of relatively nearby
supernovae found or studied at Lick, astronomers discovered and verified the
accelerating expansion of the universe, a feat recognized with the 2011 Nobel
Prize in Physics to the leaders of two competing teams and the 2015 Breakthrough
Prize in Fundamental Physics to all team members.
The telescopes are used not only for original observing in the optical and
infrared, but also to design and test new instruments destined for larger
telescopes, such as the 10-meter Keck telescopes. For example, laser guide star
adaptive optics, which allows the world’s largest telescopes to stabilize their
images to improve sharpness and achieve results in some ways superior to those
of the Hubble Space Telescope, was pioneered at Lick.
“At this time, UC is providing basic support at $1.5 million per year, but we
really need at least $2.5 million per year to improve the observatory, moving
forward vigorously at the cutting edge of research and education. To maintain
and expand Lick in the long run, we seek an endowment of about $50 million,”
Filippenko said. The interest on that endowment would be used to provide annual
operating funds. “This major award from Google should go far, giving us time to
raise additional funds.”
“I was delighted to learn of this wonderful gift from Google,” said Aimée
Dorr, UC provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “It will do
great things for the astronomical research and education that can be carried out
at Lick Observatory. Congratulations to Professor Filippenko, who knows
firsthand how valuable Lick is and has dedicated his considerable energy and
expertise to ensuring it is available far into the future.”
“I’m pleased that this generous award will help Lick Observatory keep its
doors open to the public, to future astronomers and to the scientific community
in a capacity that is simply unavailable anywhere else,” said U.S. Rep. Zoe
Lofgren, who previously spearheaded two letters of congressional support for
Lick to the UC Office of the President. “Lick is an historic Santa Clara County
landmark, and the facility has proven invaluable for students, researchers and
the Bay Area community. I hope this is the beginning of many gifts recognizing
Lick Observatory’s important role in inspiring future scientists and adding to
our understanding of what lies beyond our solar system.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, a longtime supporter and advocate for the observatory,
added, “I am delighted that Google has decided to give $1 million to Lick
Observatory. For 127 years, Lick Observatory has been vital in fundamental
astronomical research, the development of new observational techniques, training
students and connecting the general public to the heavens. I am pleased to see
private companies step up and invest in America’s scientific leadership. I look
forward to others joining Google to ensure that Lick Observatory will continue
to explore the universe for years to come.”
“Lick Observatory has provided critical data for University of California
researchers, and Google’s major support will ensure that the observatory will
continue to serve as the foundation for countless scientific discoveries to
come,” said state Assemblymember Mark Stone.
One of the first uses for the money, which comes through the UC Berkeley
Foundation, will be to hire another telescope operator for the Shane three-meter
telescope to eliminate periodic closures caused by the current shortage of
staff, Filippenko said. Interim UCO director Max said that another probable use
of the funds will be to continue the development of laser guide star adaptive
optics, which is breaking new ground at Lick Observatory.
Lick also recently received $350,000 in combined grants from the
Heising-Simons Foundation and donors Bill and Marina Kast to enable an upgrade
of the Kast spectrograph on the three-meter telescope, used to analyze faint
celestial objects – including supernovae – at distances ranging from our own
solar system to the far reaches of the universe.
“Graduate students and postdoctoral scholars can be leaders of research done
at Lick,” Filippenko said. ”They conceive, propose, execute and complete their
own projects, thereby adding immensely to their development as strong, skilled,
independent research scientists. We have to keep this unique research and
educational institution, a Bay Area treasure and California landmark,
thriving.”
Original Article: http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2015/02/10/google-gives-lick-observatory-1-million/