Experience Committee: Details that make a difference
With the aim of improving the day-to-day lives of those who work at ALMA, the Experience Committee was formed in 2023, a working group that arose from an agreement between the organisation and both unions during the last collective bargaining negotiations. This committee aims to ensure a good work...
Shutdown: the blackout that energizes 2024 at ALMA
The arid soil of the Chajnantor plain turns white when the altiplanic winter arrives. Thunderstorms can also be part of this climatic phenomenon that causes unfavorable conditions for observation. Therefore, ALMA takes advantage of this period every year to perform maintenance on the OSF and the...
Internships that contribute to ALMA
At ALMA, internships make their own discoveries. Six young people have found a way to contribute their professional practice to the world's largest observatory. Francisco Ortiz, Valentina Rodríguez, Camilo González, Dante Zunino, Matías Ávila and Luciana Fuenzalida have contributed, either in the Atacama Desert or from...
Women who inspire new generations to push their limits
While disassembling computers as a teenager, Camila Martínez discovered a passion that brought her closer to the stars. "It was my family's technique," smiles our engineer from the ALMA Computing Department's Software team on the eve of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science...
Francisco Fuentes: everyone’s friend
"I've got you the latest". That's what Francisco Fuentes used to say to his colleagues every time he came on shift, accompanied by "I had to go back to work, I didn't win the lottery". And that was his trademark: to cheer up with his humor...
The eyes of Chajnantor: our AOS photographers
Carlos González was just a kid when he watched his dad use his analog camera and all he wanted to do was put his eye behind the lens. "It's like a piece of clockwork. I would grab his camera and try to take pictures, as if...
Strong online: our Cybersecurity Team
As an observatory we have gone through several obstacles, but the cyberattack we suffered on October 29, 2022 was an experience we do not want to relive. That intrusion affected our daily operations and communications for months, and required monumental work to recover in 2023. This...