Planning & Coordination: connecting teams to move ALMA forward
In an environment as dynamic as ALMA, where multiple critical activities occur in parallel, the Planning & Coordination area plays a key role in ensuring that everything runs safely, smoothly, and in line with the observatory's priorities. The team, made up of Stefan Gairing and Octavio Hernández, both Planner/Coordinator...
The Power Group, the energy of ALMA
From turning on the light in a room and running a coffee maker to maintaining the antennas and correlator operations at OSF and AOS.... for everything to work as usual there has to be a team behind it working day and night: that's the Power Group....
“Doctor, we’re ready to operate”: WSU’s first PDR
The Advanced Technology ALMA Correlator (ATAC), the centerpiece of WSU's new era, has just passed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR). This means that the observatory's new brain, which will be able to analyze more data from the antenna receivers, is going from strength to strength for...
Ensuring good treatment: the new features of the Karin Law
The newly enacted Law 21.643, also known as the Karin Law, aims to eliminate workplace harassment, sexual harassment, and violence in the workplace. This law came into effect on August 1 in Chile. The regulation, in line with Convention 190 of the International Labor Organization (ILO)...
Do you Recommend?: Andrea Araya
With 12 years at ALMA, you'd think Andrea had seen it all. But when she received one of the awards at the last Fundamental Statements 2023 awards, that changed: "It was a mix of feelings that included surprise, gratitude, and excitement". Those were the emotions that...
From ALMA to the world: our speakers at the SPIE conference
When Emiliano woke up, his curtains were open and the sun was already up. He got up ready to have breakfast, until he realized that no one was awake because it was five o'clock in the morning. Of course, he was about to participate in the...
Meeting Tahirih Varner, the new Ombuds
She has been in Chile for a little less than a month, but claims to bring a little Spanish with her from Atlanta, USA. A mother of two university-educated children, a lover of swimming and being in nature, Tahirih Varner, the new ESO Ombuds (80%) and...