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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 2015)
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With over 40 years of industry experience and highly trained skilled professionals, we specialize in enhancing learning environments through exceptional Custodial 8t Campus Services, Maintenance, and 1 Grounds Management. The Battalion I 1.23.15 4 (Top) GMT's second mirror is prepared at the University of Arizona's mirror lab. (Bottom) The GMT will be made of seven 8-meter diameter mirrors. The fourth will be "melted down" in March. Wmim GMT CONTINUED entrepreneur Richard Caris on Dec. 15 toward the project. Caris is founder and chairman of Interface Inc., a tech com pany that designs load cells commonly used in the oil industry. Buell Jannuzi, director of the Uni versity of Arizona’s Steward Observa tory, said Caris’ gift brought Arizona’s total contribution close to $35 million. He said Arizona is committed to raise $60 million toward the GMT, but hopes to eventually double that figure. Texas A&M and UT Austin have raised $28.1 and $50 million, respec tively, as of September. A GMT part ner’s financial contribution ensures viewing rights on the telescope when it comes online in 2021 — a distinction both Texas universities said will ensure their astronomy departments remain competitive on the global stage. Darren DePoy, physics professor and member of GMT’s board of directors, said Texas A&M is closing in on the second half of its planned $50 million contribution. An A&M Board of Re gents meeting scheduled for Feb. 12 will hear a breakdown of how A&M plans to finance the telescope commit ment. “I approve of the commitment funding schedule, Dean Newton does, our understanding is both the provost and the president — Provost Watson and President Hussey — approve of the documents and would like to sign them,” DePoy said. Caris’ winter donation capped a six- month funding windfall that has pushed the GMT close to a fotmal construc tion announcement, said Patrick Mc Carthy, GMT director. Several of the GMT’s other partners were also able to raise their contributions, bringing the telescope’s total commitment to ap proximately $500 million. “Our first [funding] target, the one that’s critical towards building the tele scope and building the whole facility, the partners and the board are essen tially on the threshold of that target,” McCarthy said. While a formal construction an nouncement is not expected for a few months, preparation has already begun to transform part of the Chil ean mountainside into an observatory. The site’s remote location requires the GMT organization to build everything necessary to sustain a billion-dollar construction site. Housing and support structures for the 200 to 250 workers expected to build the telescope are un der construction, as well as power lines and roads. “We’re establishing our beachhead on the mountain to begin the construc tion process sometime in this calendar year,” McCarthy said. The GMT organization itself is ex panding. McCarthy said the staff will grow from about 50 people to around 150 engineers, scientists and admin istrators who will take the telescope through construction and beyond. And the GMT’s fourth monolithic mirror will begin its “glass melt” phase in late March. The GMT’s optical sur face will eventually consist of seven 8-meter diameter mirrors, but its de sign can work with just four, a trait that might hasten its title as “world’s largest.” “The fourth mirror is important be cause that really gets us to a place where we will have undisputedly the largest telescope on the planet,” McCarthy said. “We can make the telescope work with only four mirrors if we needed to while we continue to make the rest of the mirrors, so we see it as an important milestone.” TWO LOCATIONS TO DONATE AT! (979)315*4101 I (979) 314-3672 ) Of 4223 Wellborn Rd 700 University Dr E„ Ste 111 Bryan, TX 77801 | College Station, TX 77840 MINI MED SCHOOL CONTINUED awareness about personal health in the community,” Bush said. “Also we have researchers who come and talk about cutting-edge research going on at the Health Science Center that they might want to learn about. Even though it may not pertain to them specifi cally, they can learn about it. I think the real impact is for people to be able to learn about their own health and take care of themselves or their loved ones.” Bill Krumm, a member of the community who attends the program’s pre sentations, said the program helps prepare him to be his own healthcare advocate. “I’m not saying anything against the doctor, but you have to be your own ad vocate,” Bill said. “It’s like when you go to the hospital for surgery or something, you should have someone there as an advocate to make sure they’ve got shift changes and everything else. Knowledge is impor tant and this is increasing our knowledge base. As we get older — I’m in my 70s — you want to know more because you become more of a user of the healthcare system.” While a goal of the pro gram is to highlight the new Texas A&M Health Science Center building and faculty, Long said there is no correlation between attending this program and getting into medical school. “I’ve had people email me saying they’re inter ested in coming to medi cal school,” Long said. “I just tell them, ‘This is not a recruiting event, we don’t discuss admissions, but if you’re interested in medi cal school and want to learn about any of these health issues, there is probably something you can gain from it.’” REGENTS CONTINUED board is an honor. “It’s the perfect full circle from being a student to then coming back in a position to continue the advance ment of what we probably all think is the greatest uni versity in the country,” Al britton said. Albritton said he plans to get involved with the stu dent body, which he said would be made easier be cause he has two daughters attending A&M and has had two sons graduate. Texas A&M is a family tradition, Albritton said, and he is glad to be the first ap pointed regent who is the child of a former regent, Ford Albritton. “To the best of anyone’s knowledge this would be the first time a son has ever followed a father on the Board of Regents, which is very exciting and very hum bling to me,” Albritton said. “When 1 was at A&M my father was a regent, and he got to hand me my diploma and my brother his diploma, and it appears that I will do the same thing for my two daughters.” Mahomes, managing partner of Mahomes Bolden PC, was the first African American to matriculate and graduate from Texas A&M as a member of the Corps of Cadets, according to the release. “It is a great privilege to have been nominated by the governor,” Mahomes said. “It is a great privilege to serve A&M and to sort of give back to a university I feel has given me so much and I look forward to the opportunity of serving.” Phil Adams, owner and President of Phil Adams Company, was appointed to the board by former Gov. Rick Perry in 2001 and re appointed in 2009, accord ing to the press release. Adams was unavailable for comment Thursday. Aggieland2015 It’s not too late to order your copy of the 2015 Aggieland yearbook. The 113th edition of Texas A&M’s official yearbook will chronicle the 2014-2015 school year - traditions, academics, athletics, the other education, the Corps, Greeks, residence halls, campus organizations, and student portraits. Distribution will be in Fall 2015. By credit card go online to http://aggieland.tamu.edu or call 979-845-2613. Or drop by the Student Media office in Suite L400 of the MSC. Aggieland2015