Contactos y Biografías

Dr Miguel Mas-Hesse

Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB; CSIC-INTA)
POB 78
28691 Villanueva de la Cañada
Spain
Tel: +34 91 813 11 96
E-mail: eson-spain@eso.org

Miguel has a PhD in astrophysics, with a special interest in the study of violent star-forming episodes in the Universe (massive starbursts), and their relation to active galactic nuclei. He completed his PhD under the supervision of Dr D. Kunth (Institut d’Astrophysique de Paris) on the properties of starburst galaxies, combining population synthesis models with ultraviolet–optical–infrared observations. Recently his research has focused on the properties of Lyman-alpha emission in these galaxies, which is a powerful tool for unveiling the evolution of star formation through the history of the Universe. In parallel, he has participated in the development of space instrumentation for astronomy: as Principal Investigator for the Optical Monitoring Camera on the high energy ESA INTEGRAL observatory, and as Co-Investigator on the Spanish MINISAT-01-LEGRI gamma-ray imager and finally, on the Bepi Colombo MIXS X-ray imaging spectrometer. He is presently working on instruments for the ESA PLATO mission. Between 1991 and 2003 Miguel worked at the Spanish Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), after some years at Madrid Complutense University (1986–1990) and a postdoctoral stay at the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching (1990–1991). This stay marked his first direct interaction with ESO, which is located close to the MPE building. Since 2003 he has been a CSIC staff researcher at the Center for Astrobiology, a joint institute between the Spanish INTA and CSIC (the Spanish research council), which is also associated to the NASA Astrobiology Institute. He enjoys talking about astronomy to the general public and being responsible for the outreach activities of a Spanish consortium working for the 10.2-metre GTC telescope in La Palma. Apart from astronomy and astronautics, he likes skiing and hiking, frequently visiting the mountains close to Madrid.
Read CAB Website.

Natalia Ruiz Zelmanovitch

Centro de Astrobiologia (CAB; CSIC-INTA)
POB 78
28691 Villanueva de la Cañada
Spain
Tel: +34 91 813 11 96
E-mail: eson-spain@eso.org

Natalia studied translation and interpretation (French and English) at the University of Granada, and soon afterwards she discovered her passion for communication. After some years writing and working for local radio, television and press offices in Granada, in 2001 she moved to the Canary Islands, where she fell in love with astronomy, mostly because of the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). There, she developed the GTC Communication Plan, doing the tasks of a Public Information Officer (press releases, website info, media relations, audiovisuals etc.), as well as other areas of activity, including training science journalists, participating in the editorial team of the IAC journal, running activities for children etc. After seven years at the IAC, she moved to Madrid to do public outreach for the Consolider-GTC project (a group of 170 astronomers working with the GTC) at the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB/INTA-CSIC) (associated with NASA Astrobiology Institute), where the topics and the challenges are wider. She loves travelling, writing short stories (www.cuentofilia.com) and theatre (she played the role of Henrietta Leavitt at the theatre piece The lost honour of Henrietta Leavitt, created by Carmen del Puerto — Director of the Science and Cosmos Museum in Tenerife — to celebrate the IYA2009). Since 2009, she also writes and presents a radio section in Galaxias y Centellas, a programme that promotes science and technology.
Natalia on Facebook

El departamento de educación y difusión pública ha establecido una red de personas en los países miembros de ESO que sirven de contactos locales para los medios de comunicación en relación con los logros de ESO, prensa, etc. Al mismo tiempo, pueden ayudar a proporcionar contactos útiles entre los medios de comunicación y los científicos en su área.
Lea más sobre ESON en http://www.eso.org/public/outreach/eson.html