Annual Report 2003 - Vatican Observatory

VATICAN OBSERVATORYUniversity of Trieste; Hans-WalterRix, Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie,Heidelberg; Rachel Somerville,Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore.On 4 July His Holiness JohnPaul II received the group in St. Peter’sSquare at the termination of the GeneralAudience. The young scholarswere joined at the audience by theguests of the Vatican ObservatoryFoundation.VOSS ’03 students on a field trip to the92/67-cm Schmidt Telescope at the AsiagoObservatory. (Photo by Alessandro Omizzolo)Personnel NewsGiuseppe Koch, S.J., was appointed Vice Director for Administration and replaces inthis office Sabino Maffeo, S.J., who assumes the office of Assistant to the Director.Jean-Baptiste Kikwaya, S.J., of the Jesuit Province of Central Africa (Democratic Republicof the Congo) has been assigned as an astronomer to the staff of the Observatory.In 2000, he completed his Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies, a requirement to begin doctoralstudies in France, in astronomy at the Paris Observatory with a thesis on asteroidsatellites. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in astronomy at the University of WesternOntario, London, Ontario, Canada.José Funes, S.J. was appointed Adjunct Assistant Astronomer in Steward Observatory.At the International Astronomical Union (IAU) XXV General Assembly in Sydney,Australia, members of the Vatican Observatory took on several positions for the nexttriennium. Guy Consolmagno, S.J., was elected President of Commission 16, PhysicalStudy of Planets and Satellites, and appointed Secretary of Division III. Similarly,Christopher Corbally, S.J., was elected President of Commission 45, Stellar Classification,and so is also serving on the Organizing Committee of Division IV. He continuesas Chairman of the Working Group on Standard Stars. In preparation for the next IAUGeneral Assembly, Corbally has also been appointed Chairman of the Resolutions Committee.José Funes, S.J., became National Liaison for the Vatican City State to Commission46, Astronomy Education and Development, taking over this post from Corbally.We were saddened by the death of Charles W. Polzer, S.J., on 4 November at LosGatos, California. He served for many years on the Board of Directors of the Vatican12