Matt Mountain
Matt Mountain FRAS | |
---|---|
Born | Charles Mattias Mountain |
Alma mater | Imperial College London (BSc, PhD) |
Awards | Gabriela Mistral Medal (2003) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy |
Institutions | |
Thesis | Astronomical Spectrometry In The Near-Infrared (1982) |
Doctoral advisor | M. J. Selby |
Charles Mattias ("Matt") Mountain
AURA is a nonprofit consortium[3] of 46 US Universities and 4 International affiliates formed in 1957 to enable the US Federal Government to provide forefront astronomical facilities to the entire US academic community. Today AURA has both a National and International mission to enable astronomical discovery and promote broad engagement in exploring the Universe. AURA has a staff of over 1,500 scientists, engineers and administrators with an annual operating budget of approximately $350M.
Prior to his position as President of AURA, Mountain served as the
His research interests have included star formation, advanced infrared instrumentation, and the capabilities of advanced telescopes to study exo-planets. Dr. Mountain appeared in several documentaries and TV shows on telescopes and astronomy. He received his degree in Physics in 1979, and Ph.D. in Astrophysics in 1983 both from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London. Dr. Mountain has published over 100 research papers, articles, and reports and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE) and the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Dr. Mountain is also the Telescope Scientist for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, and Chair of European Observatory's (ESO) Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) Management Advisory Committee.[9]
Education and career
Mountain earned a
Mountain became project scientist for the Gemini 8-meter telescopes project[11] in 1992, then was appointed director of the seven-nation Gemini project[12] in 1994. Mountain led the team that designed, built, and commissioned the two 8-meter-diameter Gemini telescopes atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii and Cerro Pachón in Chile.[5][10] The book Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology[13] details the efforts involved in building the Gemini telescopes.[10] At Gemini's helm for more than a decade, Mountain assumed responsibility for the creation of the Gemini Observatory, which included formulating, implementing, and running the operations and development programs for the two telescopes.[10] Mountain also developed an adaptive optics group to help the Gemini telescopes remain at the forefront of observational infrared astronomy.[5][8][10]
In 2002, NASA appointed Mountain to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science Working Group[14] as the JWST telescope scientist.[10] Mountain worked with the JWST project[15] to downscale the telescope's primary mirror to an achievable diameter. He represented the science community on the Mirror Review Board, contributing to the selection of beryllium mirrors[16][17] for the telescope. He co-chaired the Science Assessment Team[18] in 2005 and was a member of the Test Assessment Team[19] in 2010. Mountain continues to work with NASA, the JWST project, the JWST instrument teams,[20] and the Science Working Group to ensure that the performance of JWST meets the requirements of the scientific community.[10]
In 2003, Mountain initiated a partnership with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), which resulted in the formation of the New Initiatives Office[21] at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA). The New Initiatives Office conducted a two-year study of the feasibility of ground-based 30-meter telescopes, which led to the inclusion of AURA in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project. Mountain has also served as a member of the review committee for the California Extremely Large Telescope (which became the TMT) and of the TMT Board.
In 2005, Mountain was appointed the director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) by AURA in consultation with NASA.[5][10] As part of his effort to transform STScI into an adaptable multi-mission institution[22] and a modern, diverse workplace, Mountain reorganized STScI's internal management and oversaw the creation of the Science Mission Office,[23] the Project Management Organization, and the Future of the Workplace Committee[24] to advise the director on issues of inclusion and workplace culture.[10]
As STScI's director, Mountain collaborated with the astronomical community, NASA, and the crew of
As an astrophysicist, Mountain's research interests have included star formation, instrumentation for infrared astronomy, and the capabilities of advanced telescopes.[10] He has published more than 100 research papers, articles, and reports.[27] Mountain is also a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the
In 2003, Mountain received the Gabriela Mistral Medal for excellence in education from the Chilean Ministry of Education for the Gemini StarTeachers educational program. This was the first time the medal was awarded outside of Chile.[10][29]
References
- ^ a b "Leadership".
- ^ "Centers".
- ^ "About".
- ^ STScI Director's website. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ a b c d New Director Appointed at Space Telescope, STScI, HubbleSite NewsCenter, June 13, 2005.
- ^ Kanipe, Jeff. Space telescopes: Mountain at the top, Nature 437, pp. 610-611, September 29, 2005 | doi:10.1038/437610a
- ^ About the Director, STScI Director's website. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Gravitz, Lauren. Matt Mountain: A Clear Vision of the Future, GeminiFocus Issue 38, pp. 12-15, June 2009.
- ^ "ESO - EMAC members".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Professional Background, STScI Director's website. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ Kurz, R.; Mountain, M.; Oschmann, J. The Gemini 8-meter telescopes project: Scientific priorities and programmatics, International Symposium on the Scientific and Engineering Frontiers for 8 - 10 m Telescopes, p. 27 - 32, 1995
- ^ International Gemini Project. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology, by W. Patrick McCray, Harvard University Press, 2006
- ^ JWST Science Working Group, NASA. Accessed October 9, 2013.
- ^ JWST Project, NASA. Accessed October 9, 2013.
- ^ JWST Mirrors, NASA. Accessed October 9, 2013.
- ^ NASA Approves James Webb Space Telescope Mirror Architecture, STScI, HubbleSite NewsCenter, September 10, 2003.
- ^ James Webb Space Telescope Science Assessment Team Interim Report, STScI, July 26, 2005.
- ^ JWST Test Assessment Team Final Report, NASA, October 9, 2007
- ^ Instrument and Science Teams for JWST, STScI, JWST News, January 8, 2003.
- ^ AURA New Initiatives Office, General Principles, AURA, August 8, 2005.
- ^ Profile: Matt Mountain, SpaceNews, pg 22, May 28, 2007.
- ^ STScI Science Mission Office. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ STScI Future of the Workplace Committee. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ Hubble Multi-Cycle Treasury Programs, STScI. Accessed November 7, 2013.
- ^ NASA's Great Observatories Begin Deepest Ever Probe of the Universe, STScI, HubbleSite NewsCenter, October 24, 2013.
- ^ Matt Mountain's Bibliography, STScI Director's website. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ Visiting Professorships in the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, University of Oxford. Accessed October 11, 2013.
- ^ Gabriela Mistral Medal announcement, Gemini Observatory. Accessed October 11, 2013.