Celebrating astronomy in Chile, with a BANG

 

My first foray into astronomy in Chile related to studying supernovae, the explosions that end stars' lives and recycle the elements of our universe.  But, there's another kind of explosion important to astronomy, and that's the dynamite kind, which can level the top of a mountain to make a suitable site for the newest telescope.  Some of you may have read about this in the Austin American-Statesman or  maybe you saw the related video feed online. 

Thursday, March 22 marked the beginning of construction of the Giant Magellan Telescope, an optical telescope with SIX 8.4 meter mirrors (for reference, the current largest telescope in the world has ONE 10 meter mirror)!  In astronomy, bigger is better, and giant is even greater.  Well, we'll have to be patient, because the telescope will probably take about 10 years to build (the second of the giant mirrors was recently cast in the mirror lab beneath the football stadium at University of Arizona).  But in the meantime, the anticipation is mounting for the possibilities of discoveries with the GMT.

The other night, to celebrate the Giant Magellan Telescope's fruitful partnership (Carnegie Institution, Harvard, UT Austin, Texas A&M, University of AZ, University of Chicago, Australia, Korea) in Chile, the US Embassy hosted a reception for all those involved.  I was fortunate enough to have recently met the Cultural Affairs Officer for the Embassy, who is also a member of the Fulbright board, and she invited me to the shindig.   

Getting ready for an evening at the embassy, going for ``elegant yet sophisticated''.  A friend suggested that I channel Michelle Obama, our model American woman!

With the only caveat being that the event required "formal attire" (and thankfully an astronomer friend lent me an appropriate outfit), I was eager to gain access to the somewhat formidable US embassy building, and to meet the important guests of the evening.  Guests of honor were the Undersecretary of Science for the Smithsonian Institution, Director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Director of the Giant Magellan Telescope. 

The most notable speech, in my opinion, came from the Director of the Harvard CFA.  He addressed the yet-unanswered questions that we are currently asking about our Universe (how did it begin? is there life out there?), and he culminated by suggesting that the biggest discoveries in astronomy, the answers to the unanswered questions, will likely be made in Chile within our lifetimes.  Everyone in the audience -- from Chile and the US, astronomer or not -- was enthusiastic to discuss the exciting possibilities for astronomy in Chile!

 Throughout the evening, I met each of the guests of honor, as well as Chilean astronomy professors, directors of several Chilean observatories (including Cerro Tololo where I was introduced to astronomy in 2008!), and embassy staff.  To me, it was extremely interesting to talk with people from so many backgrounds, and with different careers, but all somehow linked together.  I could see myself (I can only hope) in their shoes one day.

The following afternoon, before the Smithsonian folks headed up north to Las Campanas for the "big bang" festivities, Dr. Eva Pell (Undersecretary of Science for the Smithsonian) gave a talk on "Women in Science at the Smithsonian", with the catch-phrase: We've come a long way, baby!  She was engaging and inspiring, and again, the diverse audience at this event really made the event interesting.  There was an even split of men and women, ranging from local high schoolers to university professors.  Dr. Pell presented a brief history of (some really cool) women scientists at the Smithsonian, and then opened up a discussion to hear more about the experiences of women in Chile.

I think that in the same way that this is an exciting time for astronomy in Chile, it's also an exciting time for women scientists in Chile.  Talking with others at the event, I realized that whether we're from the US or Chile, it seems that we share some experiences and perspectives as women, and as scientists.  Based on Dr. Pell's talk, I realize that we have come a long way, and I think we're continuing to forge ahead.