November 2011
Open University shines at
inauguration ceremony in Mallorca
The Dean of Science, Professor Hazel Rymer, and Dr Ulrich
Kolb, Director of PIRATE, CEPSAR’s remotely operable
astronomical telescope facility, were guests of honour in
Mallorca at the inauguration of PIRATE’s new partner facility,
operated and funded by Hamburg University.
The ceremony at the Observatori Astronomic de Mallorca (OAM)
was attended by local dignitaries, most notably by Pere
Rotger, the President of the Parliament of the Balearic
Islands, and by a high-ranking delegation of Hamburg
University, led by Vice President Professor Dr Holger Fischer.
The event was given full coverage in the local newspapers,
including the German-language Mallorca Zeitung.
At the event Dr Kolb showcased the recent achievements of
PIRATE. Dr Kolb says: “PIRATE is very successfully
deployed by OU researchers in the hunt for planets around
distant stars. But OU undergraduate students can get their
hands on the facility as well. In S382 (Astrophysics) and
SXP288 (Practical Science) they operate the telescope in
real-time via a web interface from home, to conduct
research-grade measurements of the night sky.”
PIRATE and the new Hamburg facility will collaborate with the
OAM on research and teaching projects.
Celebrating the Open
University collaboration with Spanish and German Institutes
in Mallorca: Hazel Rymer with Pere Rotger, the
President of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands. From
left: Toni Salas, Andreu Ramis, Holger Fischer, Ulrich
Merkt, Daniela Pfannkuche, Pere Rotge, Hazel Rymer, Vadim
Burwitz, Jurgen Schmidt (Director Hamburg Observatory), Ulrich
Kolb, Xisco Serra, Salvador Sanchez (Director OAM)
From the Mallorca newspaper “Ultima Ora” (29 Oct 2011): Hazel
Rymer and Ulrich Kolb with guests in front of PIRATE.
Related Links
- Mallorca newspaper cuttings:
Ultima Hora
Diari de Balears
Brisas
Mallorca Zeitung