This June TIO staff attended two national astronomy meetings, the CASCA (Canadian Astronomical Society, Société Canadienne d’Astronomie) at Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada and the AAS (American Astronomical Society) meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. David Andersen went to the CASCA meeting and Kanaka Warad and Mojtaba Taheri Nieh attended the AAS, all representing the TIO Instrumentation department and the science that will come from TMT.
At CASCA, Dave Andersen presented a poster entitled: Thirty Meter Telescope: Efficient, Competitive, and Ready. Dave enjoyed talking with colleagues and sharing updates on TMT’s ongoing deep engagement in Hawaiʻi as well as the design and build process that TMT has been doing all these years. “People were pleased to discover that TMT is quite competitive to the 39 m E-ELT and 85% of it is in final design and construction. We really are efficient, competitive, and ready”, said Dave, echoing the title of his poster. You can learn more about this in our two recently released webinars.
US-ELTP (NOIRLab) and TIO staff at the US-ELTP booth at the AAS
At the AAS, TMT joined our partners at the US-ELTP booth. This served as a great way to share updates on the observatory’s progress and scientific potential with the broader astronomy community. Kanaka said, “We had a steady stream of visitors, including current students, recent graduates, professional astronomers, and amateur enthusiasts from the U.S. and around the world. Many showed strong interest in TMT’s design, performance, science goals, and development plans.” The 3D models and VR experience were especially popular with attendees. Mojtaba enjoyed his interactions with the attendees and was “encouraged to see that the astronomy community clearly understands both the scientific value and the necessity of the Thirty Meter Telescope, while also recognizing the concerns of the Hawaiian community.” He said there is strong support for TMT and the efforts we’re putting into the community.
Eric Peng (US-ELTP NOIRLab) and Kanaka Warad helping people with the virtual reality tour of TMT
While we are working hard to realize TMT’s vision, it's good to get out into the community and share our successes! See you at the next meeting!
[Upper photo: Dave and Luc Simard (TIO board member) at Dave’s CASCA poster]
New York Times article quotes TMT's Executive Director Robert Kirschner
Seconday mirror design is approved for production readiness