| Date: | 1999-12-07 10:39:00 | |
| Sender: | John J. Degnan <[Mailed John Degnan <jjd@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov>]> | |
| Subject: | [SLR-Mail] No. 504: Honors for our colleague, Martine Feissel | |
| Author: | John J. Degnan | |
| Content: | ******************************************************************************** SLR Electronic Mail 1999-12-07 10:39:00 UTC Message No. 504 ******************************************************************************** Author: John J. Degnan Subject: Honors for our colleague, Martine Feissel for Gerhard Beutler circulated this to the IGS community. I thought the good news should be forwarded to the SLR community. >Dear colleagues and friends, > >we would like to draw your attention to a few events having taken place >in Bern, Switzerland during the weekend of December 3-5, 1999. The >events are related ”in a certain sense” and ”to some extent” to >fundamental astronomy, geodynamics, and to geodetic services: > >On December 4, 1999, on the occasion of the ”Dies Academicus” of the >University of Bern, Martine Feissel was presented the distinguished >degree of a > > ”Doctor philosophiae honoris causa, Dr. h.c” > >based on the following considerations (”laudatio”): > >” Martine Feissel > > quae semper maximo studio dedit operam, ut in rebus, quae ad > fundamentalem quae dicitur scientiam astronomicam et ad virium > motuumque terrarum doctrinam pertinent, investigatorum consuetudines > et connexiones non modo inter gentes sed etiam inter disciplinas > augerentur; quae illud institutum condidit, quod ”Inernational Earth > Rotation Service” (omnium gentium ad terrae rotationem observandam > sedes) apellatur; quae in ea sede et condenda et per multos annos > administranda optime est merita.” > >For those of us having forgotten some of the Latin we learned at school >the following ”executive summary” may be helpful: > > ”To Martine Feissel > > the great promotor of international and interdisciplinary > collaboration in Fundamental Astronomy and Geodynamics in > recognition of her merits when creating and directing the > Central Bureau of the International Earth Rotation > Service (IERS).” > >(Admittedly the latin original is much more elegant ...). > >During the ceremony the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Prof. >Adrian Pfiffner, briefly reviewed Martine Feissel´s ”Curriculum >Vitae”. > >He reminded the audience that Martine Feissel was deeply involved in >the attempts in the 1970s and 1980s to exploit new and exciting >observation techniques like VLBI and SLR through international >collaboration in geodynamics and astronomy. This active and apparent >engagement was one important reason why the responsibility to build up >and run the Central Bureau of the IERS was in 1987 given to the >Observatoire de Paris and that Martine Feissel became its first >Director. She held this position till the end of the year 1997 when she >decided to step back and leave this position to another colleague. > >The dean pointed out that through her scientific work and in particular >through her activities as Director of the IERS Central Bureau, she >contributed in a significant way to realize the vision of our >generation of scientists in fundamental astronomy and geodynamics, >viewing the celestial and terrestrial reference systems/frames and the >transformation between them as one ”intimately connected complex in >Earth Sciences”. > >He furthermore mentioned that, according to his understanding, the IERS >was not really responsible for Earth Rotation but only for monitoring >this phenomenon. He found it moreover remarkable that Martine Feissel >used her power to add eight (leap-)seconds to our individual lifetimes >(we hope that the faculty of theology will accept this view of facts). > >Prof. Adrian Pfiffner found it appropriate to conclude with Dr. h.c. >Martine Feissel´s life motto, which she owes to Charles Baudelaire: > >”Je laisse derriere moi, pour ma part sans regret, un monde ou l´action > n´est pas la soeur du reve.” >(for those among us even forgetting the French we learned in School, >this means: ”I leave behind me, without regret, a world in which action >is not the sister of the dream”). > >The weekend of December 3-5 in Bern was filled with many activities >centered around the new Dr.h.c. We cannot comment all of them in this >short report but we would like to note that Prof. Christian Reigber, >Chairman of the IERS Directing Board, came to Bern to review the >achievement of the IERS in the past decade and to develop his visions >concerning the future of the IERS in a special Colloquium of the >Physics and Astronomy Institutes of the University of Bern organized in >honor of Martine Feissel. The presentation was complemented by >Martine´s personal perspective of her interdisciplinary field of >science and her consistent views on international collaboration in our >exciting field of science. > >We would like to conclude by congratulating Dr.h.c. Martine for her >achievements in her scientific career and by expressing the hope that >she will continue devoting her energy to the improvement of the >international collaboration in our field of science. > >On behalf of the Astronomical Institute of the University of Bern > > Gerhard Beutler > > Dr. John J. Degnan Chairperson, ILRS Governing Board Code 920.3, Geoscience Technology Office NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA Phone: 01-301-614-5860 Fax: 01-301-614-5970 E-mail: jjd@ltpmail.gsfc.nasa.gov [Mailed From: John Degnan ******************************************************************************** |