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ING Annual Report 1998
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[ JPEG | TIFF ] I am delighted to write the foreword to the 1998 Annual Report of the Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes, on behalf of the Joint Steering Committee. Not only is this my last foreword, as I step down from the Chairmanship of the Committee, but it is also the last foreword by any Chairman of the JSC since this body has now been disbanded and replaced by the ING Board.
It gives the JSC great satisfaction to see that the scientific productivity of the ING telescopes has continued to increase during this year. Of particular note is the continuing high number of publications and the low percentage of nights lost to faults. Despite the considerable disruption which the reorganisation of the Royal Observatories in the UK caused, it is clear that, for the most part, the ING has continued to move in a forward direction. The closure of the RGO in Cambridge has posed a new set of challenges for the Observatory which its staff has taken on with confidence and vision.
An important development this year was the very positive report from the international Review Committee, chaired by Russell Cannon. The recommendations of this review, which are now in the public domain, were fully endorsed by the JSC and the Funding Agencies. Over recent months, we have been working with the Director of ING and the Funding Agencies to implement these recommendations. For example, the Director has taken steps to reorganise operations support and has targeted the effort released towards the highest priority enhancement programmes. The replacement of the JSC by the ING Board, which now includes a representative of the Spanish astronomical community, was also an outcome of this review. I hope that the Board will strengthen the relationship between the ING staff, its Director and the user community and build upon the basis established by the Joint Steering Committee.
We can look forward to the significant enhancement in image quality which the commissioning of the natural guide star adaptive optics system (NAOMI) will bring, utilising the new infrared camera (INGRID). I am sure these two developments will help ensure that the WHT remains at the forefront of world-class 4 metre optical/near IR facilities.
The year also saw the commencement of the Spanish 10 metre GranTeCan (GTC) project, a development which was warmly welcomed by the JSC. The GTC will have a significant impact on the future of the ING and it is important that the ING should work with the GTC project to ensure that this is to their mutual benefit. Discussions continue as to how this will work in practice.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Director of ING and all his staff for their continued belief in the facility and their considerable efforts, to which this Annual Report is a suitable tribute. I have very much enjoyed my time as Chairman of the JSC and ING Board and I know that I leave it in good hands with the new Chairman, Tim de Zeeuw.
Dr Carlos Frenk, Chairman of the Joint Steering Committee
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