Faber, S. M. (Sandra M.)
Oral history interview with Sandra Faber, 2020 November 12.
In this interview, Sandra Faber, Professor Emerita in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, UC Santa Cruz and Astronomer Emerita at the University of California Observatories discusses her career and her involvement in various projects. Faber describes the relationship between these appointments, and she describes some of the benefits that remote work has allowed during the Covid-19 pandemic. She describes the DEIMOS spectrograph project as an outgrowth from her interest in galaxy formation and the centrality of steady state theory to this research. Faber discusses the importance of NSF support for her work, and she explains some of the cultural sensitivities in setting up a major telescope project in Hawaii. She explains the difference between ancient and more recent galaxy formation, and she explains how the next generation of spectrographs has surpassed what DEIMOS has been able to achieve. Faber discusses the famous optical flaw that threatened the viability of the Hubble Telescope and how this issue was resolved and the import of the CANDELS project. She explains the value of advanced computing for black hole quenching models, and she discusses her long-term collaboration with Chinese scientists and some of the political and international considerations inherent in these partnerships. Faber describes the origins of the Osterbrock Leadership Program and its value for fostering the careers of the next generation of scientists. At the end of the interview, Faber describes the meaning of Cosmic Knowledge, and she explains how this concept of humanitys greater appreciation of our place in the universe can have ethically positive and long-lasting impacts beyond astronomy.
Sandra Faber is Professor Emerita in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and Astronomer Emerita at the University of California Observatories. She completed her graduate studies at Harvard University. Faber has been involved with many projects such as the Keck Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Dekel, Avishai, 1951-
Faber, S. M. (Sandra M.)
Gunn, J. E. (James Edward), 1938-
Lynds, Roger
Primack, J. R. (Joel R.)
Goddard Space Flight Center
Harvard University.
Hubble Space Telescope (Spacecraft)
Keck Telescope.
Lick Observatory
National Science Foundation (U.S.)
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of California (System)
Astrophysics
Black holes (Astronomy)
Galaxies -- Formation
Optics
Spectrograph
Spectrum analysis
Steady state cosmology.
Women in astronomy
Interviews. aat
Oral histories. aat
Transcripts. aat
Zierler, David, 1979- interviewer.
AIP-ICOS
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA