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'''[[Matt Mountain]]''' was appointed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) in consultation with NASA to be the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)<ref>http director stsci edu/</ref> in September 2005<ref>Nature 2005</ref>
'''[[Matt Mountain]]''' (Charles Mattias Mountain) was appointed by the [[Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy]] (AURA) in consultation with [[NASA]] to be the Director of the [[Space Telescope Science Institute]] (STScI)<ref>http://director.stsci.edu/</ref> in September 2005<ref>Nature 437, 610-611 (29 September 2005) | doi:10.1038/437610a; Published online 28 September 2005</ref>


Since arriving at STScI, Mountain has worked with his leadership team to transform STScI into an adaptable multi-mission and diverse 21st century institute, while maintaining scientific and technical excellence as the hallmarks of the organization. <ref>Space News</ref>As part of this effort Mountain reorganized the internal management of the Institute, removing management layers and empowering a broader based Directorate Team which included all the Missions and Divisions, the creation of the Science Mission Office, the Project Management Organization, and the charting the Future of the Workplace Committee as a standing group to regularly advise the Director on issues of inclusion and workplace culture.
Since arriving at STScI, Mountain has worked with his leadership team to transform STScI into an adaptable multi-mission and diverse 21st century institute, while maintaining scientific and technical excellence as the hallmarks of the organization. <ref>Space News, Profile: Matt Mountain, pg 22, May 28, 2007</ref>As part of this effort Mountain reorganized the internal management of the Institute, removing management layers and empowering a broader based Directorate Team which included all the Missions and Divisions, the creation of the Science Mission Office,<ref>http://www.stsci.edu/institute/smo</ref> the Project Management Organization, and the charting the Future of the Workplace Committee<ref>http://www.stsci.edu/institute/org/do/futureworkplace/</ref> as a standing group to regularly advise the Director on issues of inclusion and workplace culture.


Telescope Scientist, the James Webb Space Telescope
==Telescope Scientist, the James Webb Space Telescope==


In 2002 NASA appointed Mountain to the JWST Science Working Group as the JWST Telescope Scientist.
In 2002 NASA appointed Mountain to the [[James Webb Space Telescope]] (JWST) Science Working Group<ref>http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/workinggroup.html</ref> as the JWST Telescope Scientist.<ref>http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/meet-mountain.html</ref>


He has worked with the JWST Project to convince the science working group to descope the Webb telescope's primary mirror to a more achievable diameter. He represented the scientific interests of the JWST science community on the Mirror Review Board that led to the selection of Beryllium mirrors. He co-chaired the Science Assessment Team in 2005 and was a member of the Test Assessment Team in 2010. He continues to work with the Project, NASA, Instruments Teams, and the science working group to ensure the JWST telescope performance meets science requirements.
He has worked with the JWST Project<ref>http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/</ref> to convince the Science Working Group to descope the Webb telescope's primary mirror to a more achievable diameter. He represented the scientific interests of the JWST science community on the Mirror Review Board that led to the selection of [[Beryllium]] mirrors.<ref>http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/mirrors.html</ref> He co-chaired the Science Assessment Team in 2005<ref></ref> and was a member of the Test Assessment Team in 2010.<ref></ref> He continues to work with the Project, NASA, Instruments Teams,<ref>http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/news/2003/nasa-selects-teams</ref> and the science working group to ensure the JWST telescope performance meets science requirements.


Background
==Background==


As an Astrophysicist by training, Dr. Mountain has had a long-standing interest and commitment to exploring the Universe with new capabilities. His research interests have included star formation, advanced infrared instrumentation and the capabilities of advanced telescopes. Since 1985 Matt Mountain has led multidisciplinary teams and organizations that have pushed back the scientific and technical frontiers of observational astrophysics. His philosophy to leading such complex undertakings was summarized in an interview he gave to Gemini Observatory’s GeminiFocus magazine in 2009, “Building a telescope is a tremendously human endeavor,“ he said. “Once you realize that, life gets considerably easier” (2009)<ref>GeminiFocus magazine</ref>.
As an [[astrophysics|astrophysicist]] by training, Dr. Mountain has had a long-standing interest and commitment to exploring the Universe with new capabilities. His research interests have included [[star formation]], advanced [[infrared]] instrumentation and the capabilities of advanced telescopes. Since 1985 Matt Mountain has led multidisciplinary teams and organizations that have pushed back the scientific and technical frontiers of observational astrophysics. His philosophy to leading such complex undertakings was summarized in an interview he gave to Gemini Observatory’s GeminiFocus magazine in 2009, “Building a telescope is a tremendously human endeavor,“ he said. “Once you realize that, life gets considerably easier” (2009)<ref>GeminiFocus magazine</ref>.


With a degree in physics in 1978 and a Ph.D. in astrophysics in 1983, both from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University, Mountain went on to hold an SERC Research Fellowship at Imperial before joining the staff at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. During his seven years in Edinburgh, he worked on observations of star formation processes co-supervising four Ph.D. students, and then as Project Scientist, led the team, which designed and successfully commissioned the CGS-4 infrared array spectrometer for the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.
With a degree in physics in 1978 and a [[Ph.D.]] in astrophysics in 1983, both from the [[Imperial College London|Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University]], Mountain went on to hold an [[Smithsonian Environmental Research Center|SERC]] Research Fellowship<ref>http://www.serc.si.edu/pro_training/fellowships/fellowships.aspx</ref> at Imperial before joining the staff at the [[Royal Observatory, Edinburgh|Royal Observatory in Edinburgh]]. During his seven years in Edinburgh, he worked on observations of star formation processes co-supervising four Ph.D. students, and then as Project Scientist, led the team, which designed and successfully commissioned the CGS-4 infrared array spectrometer for the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.


Mountain became Project Scientist for the Gemini 8-meter Telescopes Project in 1992 and was appointed the Director of the International Gemini Project in 1994 to lead the team that designed, built, and commissioned the two Gemini telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and on Cerro Pachon, Chile. This seven nation project, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, was tasked with building two infrared optimized 8m astronomical telescopes on two separate continents within a Congressionally mandated fixed budget of $184M. The building of the Gemini Telescopes was the subject of the book, Giant Telescopes – Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology, by Patrick McCray, (Harvard University Press, 2006).
Mountain became Project Scientist for the Gemini 8-meter Telescopes Project<ref>The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System, The Gemini 8-meter telescopes project:Scientific priorities and programmatics, Kurz, R.; Mountain, M.; Oschmann, J., http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995seft.conf...27K</ref> in 1992 and was appointed the Director of the International Gemini Project in 1994 to lead the team that designed, built, and commissioned the two [[Gemini Observatory|Gemini telescopes]] on [[Mauna Kea]], Hawaii and on [[Cerro Pachón]], [[Chile]]. This seven nation project, under the auspices of the [[National Science Foundation]], was tasked with building two infrared optimized 8m astronomical telescopes on two separate continents within a Congressionally mandated fixed budget of $184M. The building of the Gemini Telescopes was the subject of the book, <ref>Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology, by [[W. Patrick McCray]], ([[Harvard University Press]], 2006)</ref>.


During his 12 years leading Gemini, Mountain moved to Hawaii's Big Island in 1998 to assume responsibility for the creation of the Gemini Observatory – formulating, implementing, and running the operations and development programs of the two telescopes. As part of the development program, he built up a world-renowned adaptive optics group, which has kept the Gemini telescopes at the forefront of observational infrared astronomy. A 10-year retrospective can be found via the June 2009 edition of the GeminiFocus magazine.<ref>GeminiFocus magazine</ref>
During his 12 years leading Gemini, Mountain moved to [[Hawaii's Big Island]] in 1998 to assume responsibility for the creation of the Gemini Observatory – formulating, implementing, and running the operations and development programs of the two telescopes. As part of the development program, he built up a world-renowned adaptive optics group, which has kept the Gemini telescopes at the forefront of observational infrared astronomy.<ref>GeminiFocus, 12-15, June 2009, http://www.gemini.edu/files/pio/newsletters/gf_0609_newsletter.pdf</ref>


In 2003, Mountain initiated a partnership with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) resulting in the formation of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy's (AURA's) "New Initiatives Office," which conducted a two-year study of the feasibility of ground-based 30-meter telescopes. The success of this study led to the inclusion of AURA in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project. Mountain's related responsibilities have included memberships on the review committee of the California Extremely Large Telescope and the TMT Board.
In 2003, Mountain initiated a partnership with the [[National Optical Astronomy Observatory]] (NOAO) resulting in the formation of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy's (AURA's) "New Initiatives Office,"<ref>AURA New Initiatives Office, General Principles (PDF), August 8, 2005, http://www.aura-astronomy.org/news/Archive/NIO_Principles.pdf</ref> which conducted a two-year study of the feasibility of ground-based 30-meter telescopes. The success of this study led to the inclusion of AURA in the [[Thirty Meter Telescope]] (TMT) project. Mountain's related responsibilities have included memberships on the review committee of the [[California Extremely Large Telescope]] and the TMT Board.


Dr. Mountain has published over 100 research papers, articles and reports. He is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Johns Hopkins University and visiting Professor at the University of Oxford; fellow of the American Astronomical Society, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and a member of the International Society for Optical Engineering. In 2003 Matt was awarded the Gabriela Mistral Medal for excellence in education by the Chilean Ministry of Education for the Gemini Star Teachers educational program. It was the first time this honor was awarded outside of Chile.
Dr. Mountain has published over 100 research papers, articles and reports.<ref>Matt Mountain Bibliography, http://director.stsci.edu/bibliography/</ref> He is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy<ref>http://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/directory/charles-mattias-mountain/</ref> at the [[Johns Hopkins University School of Arts and Sciences|Johns Hopkins University]] and visiting Professor at the [[University of Oxford]]; fellow of the [[American Astronomical Society]], the [[Royal Astronomical Society]], and the [[American Association for the Advancement of Science]]; and a member of the [[SPIE|International Society for Optical Engineering]]. In 2003 Matt was awarded the Gabriela Mistral Medal for excellence in education by the [[Ministry of Education (Chile)|Chilean Ministry of Education]] for the Gemini Star Teachers educational program.<ref>Gemini Observatory, Star Teachers Exchange Program, August 13, 2002, http://www.gemini.edu/project/announcements/press/2002-12.html</ref> It was the first time this honor was awarded outside of Chile.


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:42, 20 September 2013


   Matt Mountain (Charles Mattias Mountain) was appointed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) in consultation with NASA to be the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)[1] in September 2005[2]

Since arriving at STScI, Mountain has worked with his leadership team to transform STScI into an adaptable multi-mission and diverse 21st century institute, while maintaining scientific and technical excellence as the hallmarks of the organization. [3]As part of this effort Mountain reorganized the internal management of the Institute, removing management layers and empowering a broader based Directorate Team which included all the Missions and Divisions, the creation of the Science Mission Office,[4] the Project Management Organization, and the charting the Future of the Workplace Committee[5] as a standing group to regularly advise the Director on issues of inclusion and workplace culture.

Telescope Scientist, the James Webb Space Telescope

In 2002 NASA appointed Mountain to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Science Working Group[6] as the JWST Telescope Scientist.[7]

He has worked with the JWST Project[8] to convince the Science Working Group to descope the Webb telescope's primary mirror to a more achievable diameter. He represented the scientific interests of the JWST science community on the Mirror Review Board that led to the selection of Beryllium mirrors.[9] He co-chaired the Science Assessment Team in 2005Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page). and was a member of the Test Assessment Team in 2010.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page without content in them (see the help page). He continues to work with the Project, NASA, Instruments Teams,[10] and the science working group to ensure the JWST telescope performance meets science requirements.

Background

As an astrophysicist by training, Dr. Mountain has had a long-standing interest and commitment to exploring the Universe with new capabilities. His research interests have included star formation, advanced infrared instrumentation and the capabilities of advanced telescopes. Since 1985 Matt Mountain has led multidisciplinary teams and organizations that have pushed back the scientific and technical frontiers of observational astrophysics. His philosophy to leading such complex undertakings was summarized in an interview he gave to Gemini Observatory’s GeminiFocus magazine in 2009, “Building a telescope is a tremendously human endeavor,“ he said. “Once you realize that, life gets considerably easier” (2009)[11].

With a degree in physics in 1978 and a Ph.D. in astrophysics in 1983, both from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London University, Mountain went on to hold an SERC Research Fellowship[12] at Imperial before joining the staff at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. During his seven years in Edinburgh, he worked on observations of star formation processes co-supervising four Ph.D. students, and then as Project Scientist, led the team, which designed and successfully commissioned the CGS-4 infrared array spectrometer for the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope in Hawaii.

Mountain became Project Scientist for the Gemini 8-meter Telescopes Project[13] in 1992 and was appointed the Director of the International Gemini Project in 1994 to lead the team that designed, built, and commissioned the two Gemini telescopes on Mauna Kea, Hawaii and on Cerro Pachón, Chile. This seven nation project, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, was tasked with building two infrared optimized 8m astronomical telescopes on two separate continents within a Congressionally mandated fixed budget of $184M. The building of the Gemini Telescopes was the subject of the book, [14].

During his 12 years leading Gemini, Mountain moved to Hawaii's Big Island in 1998 to assume responsibility for the creation of the Gemini Observatory – formulating, implementing, and running the operations and development programs of the two telescopes. As part of the development program, he built up a world-renowned adaptive optics group, which has kept the Gemini telescopes at the forefront of observational infrared astronomy.[15]

In 2003, Mountain initiated a partnership with the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) resulting in the formation of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy's (AURA's) "New Initiatives Office,"[16] which conducted a two-year study of the feasibility of ground-based 30-meter telescopes. The success of this study led to the inclusion of AURA in the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project. Mountain's related responsibilities have included memberships on the review committee of the California Extremely Large Telescope and the TMT Board.

Dr. Mountain has published over 100 research papers, articles and reports.[17] He is a Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy[18] at the Johns Hopkins University and visiting Professor at the University of Oxford; fellow of the American Astronomical Society, the Royal Astronomical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; and a member of the International Society for Optical Engineering. In 2003 Matt was awarded the Gabriela Mistral Medal for excellence in education by the Chilean Ministry of Education for the Gemini Star Teachers educational program.[19] It was the first time this honor was awarded outside of Chile. 

   ==References==
  1. ^ http://director.stsci.edu/
  2. ^ Nature 437, 610-611 (29 September 2005) | doi:10.1038/437610a; Published online 28 September 2005
  3. ^ Space News, Profile: Matt Mountain, pg 22, May 28, 2007
  4. ^ http://www.stsci.edu/institute/smo
  5. ^ http://www.stsci.edu/institute/org/do/futureworkplace/
  6. ^ http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/workinggroup.html
  7. ^ http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/meet-mountain.html
  8. ^ http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/
  9. ^ http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/mirrors.html
  10. ^ http://www.stsci.edu/jwst/news/2003/nasa-selects-teams
  11. ^ GeminiFocus magazine
  12. ^ http://www.serc.si.edu/pro_training/fellowships/fellowships.aspx
  13. ^ The Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System, The Gemini 8-meter telescopes project:Scientific priorities and programmatics, Kurz, R.; Mountain, M.; Oschmann, J., http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1995seft.conf...27K
  14. ^ Giant Telescopes: Astronomical Ambitions and the Promise of Technology, by W. Patrick McCray, (Harvard University Press, 2006)
  15. ^ GeminiFocus, 12-15, June 2009, http://www.gemini.edu/files/pio/newsletters/gf_0609_newsletter.pdf
  16. ^ AURA New Initiatives Office, General Principles (PDF), August 8, 2005, http://www.aura-astronomy.org/news/Archive/NIO_Principles.pdf
  17. ^ Matt Mountain Bibliography, http://director.stsci.edu/bibliography/
  18. ^ http://physics-astronomy.jhu.edu/directory/charles-mattias-mountain/
  19. ^ Gemini Observatory, Star Teachers Exchange Program, August 13, 2002, http://www.gemini.edu/project/announcements/press/2002-12.html
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