Science and Technology Facilities Council
 Printable version
|
JCMT now under new ownership
Effective as of March 1, 2015, the James Clark Maxwell Submillimetre Telescope (JCMT) is now being operated by the East Asian Observatory (EAO).
The legal ownership of the facility has transferred from STFC to the University of Hawaii and the telescope is being operated by EAO in partnership with the UK and Canadian research communities. The East Asian Observatory is a non-profit corporation set up by East Asian Core Observatories Association (EACOA) in the State of Hawaii.
Professor Gary Davis, who was Director of the Joint Astronomy Centre for twelve years until the handover said “This transfer is the culmination of a lot of work over the past two years, and we are grateful to the University of Hawaii for their part in making it legally possible. It is gratifying that the JCMT will continue to operate under new East Asian management, potentially for many years, and that the highly-qualified staff will be retained. This outcome will allow it to continue to deliver the excellent and high-impact science that has been its hallmark to date.”
Back row left to right: Jun Yan, Director, National Astronomical Observatories of China, Dr Guenther Hasinger, Director, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Professor Gary Davis, former Director of the Joint Astronomy Centre.
Front row left to right: Dr Paul Ho, Director General, East Asian Observatory, Professor Matt Platz, Assistant Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of Hawaii, Professor John Womersley, Chief Executive STFC.
The UK will retain minor partner status in the JCMT through a grant to Cardiff University, matched by funds from a consortium of UK universities.
Professor Davis has now commenced a new role, in the UK, as the Director of Operations Planning for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope project.
STFC continues to support other strategically and scientifically important investments in Astronomy, to meet future challenges including the SKA, membership of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and through it’s Astronomy and Space Science programme provides support for a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals in order to investigate some of the highest priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science.
Notes
STFC's Astronomy and Space Science programme provides support for a wide range of facilities, research groups and individuals in order to investigate some of the highest priority questions in astrophysics, cosmology and solar system science. Astronomers and space scientists at Universities around the UK are some of the world’s best, working on answers to these and other questions identified in our science roadmap.
STFC's astronomy and space science programme is delivered through grant funding for research activities, and also through support of technical activities at STFC's UK Astronomy Technology Centre andRAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
East Asian Observatory - The EAO (East Asian Observatory) is formed by EACOA (East Asian Core Observatories Association) for the purpose of pursuing joint projects in astronomy within the East Asian region. In the era of very large scale astronomical instruments, East Asia will be competitive internationally by combining their funding resources, their technical expertise, and their manpower. The intention of EAO is to build and operate facilities, which will enhance and leverage existing and planned regional facilities. The intention of EAO is to raise funding and to build an observatory staff, separate from that of the EACOA institutions. As partners of the EAO, the EACOA institutes will help to establish the funding and to oversee the governance of EAO. The communities represented by the partners in EAO would have full access to all EAO facilities.
The EAO is chartered as a non-profit Hawaii corporation. Its first task is to assume the operation of the James Clerk Maxwell Submillimetre Telescope (JCMT) on the summit of Maunakea, Hawai`i. Pursuant to an agreement with the University of Arizona, the EAO also provides engineering and IT support to the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope(UKIRT).
The Joint Astronomy Centre (JAC) operated the United Kingdom Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) until February 28th 2015.
Both telescopes enjoy the excellent dry conditions close to the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
The UK Infra-Red Telescope (UKIRT) is one of the world’s largest telescopes devoted to infrared astronomy. Its high quality 3.8 metre mirror views the Universe with infrared light - the invisible heat radiation beyond red at the edge of a rainbow.
The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) is the largest astronomical telescope in the world designed to operate in the submillimetre wavelength region of the spectrum, between infrared and radio waves.
