NAIC/AO Newsletter, July 1997
From left to right: Dr. José F. Nieves, chairman of the Physics department of the Río Piedras campus, Dr. Daniel Altschuler, director of the Arecibo Observatory, Dr. Paul Goldsmith, director of NAIC, Dr. Efraín González Tejera, Chancellor of the Río Piedras campus and Dr. Gladys Escalona, dean of the faculty of Natural Sciences.
An agreement aimed at formalizing and enhancing the interaction between the Arecibo Observatory and the University of Puerto Rico was signed with representatives of the Río Piedras campus on March 1 1997, and a similar agreement with the Mayaguez campus was signed on May 6 1997. In its preamble the document states among other things that:
In recent years the University of Puerto Rico has expanded its role as the main center of higher learning in the island, evolving into an institution of a more international character. This has been due in part to the establishment of new programs which have widened its academic programs and the opportunity to carry out research. This agreement will enhance these developments, by providing incentives, both material and academic, for faculty and potential faculty to embark on research using the facilities of the Arecibo Observatory. Together with the new Visitor and Educational facility, it will promote the interaction between the Observatory and the University. In this way the Observatory can have a significant impact on the academic activities and research environment in Puerto Rico, creating a major presence in the local scene.
The agreement establishes the position of Visiting Scientists at the Observatory to be occupied by selected members of the faculty, and the position of Visiting Professors at the University to be occupied by selected members of the Arecibo scientific staff. Visiting Scientists will be able to spend extended periods at the Observatory to pursue their research programs, the Observatory providing appropriate infrastructure. The University will provide Visiting Professors with office space, computing facilities, library access, and the opportunity to teach courses and supervise students.