Mike Gaylard: Radio astronomy has lost a star The global radio astronomy community was shocked and saddened by the premature death of a true stalwart of experimental science and education, Dr Mike Gaylard. His passing is mourned, in particular, by his South African colleagues and the SKA South Africa project office. Right up until it became impractical for him to continue, Mike did what he had done throughout his whole life; selflessly working to make sure that the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) was operating to his own high standards, that good science was being enabled, that students were being trained, that future generations of scientists were being enthralled by the wonders of the cosmos, and that his recent pet project, the African VLBI Network, was progressing well. Mike’s technical, scientific and moral support contributed greatly to South Africa’s active and successful participation in the international SKA project. Mike’s radio astronomy career started with his MSc degree at Rhodes University, where he built a 22 GHz receiver for a 2-metre radio telescope at the university. He then joined the staff at HartRAO in 1976 where he debugged and commissioned the first digital auto-correlation spectrometer at the observatory, and embarked on a scientific career in radio spectroscopy. His PhD, also from Rhodes, was a survey of Galactic radio recombination lines, observed using the 26-meter HartRAO antenna with the correlator that he had nursed into life. The correlator and survey were an early indication of his life-long tenacity in the face of adversity, and dedication to doing the best possible job. Shortly before his death, Mike stepped down as Managing Director of HartRAO when he realized that his enthusiasm and tenacity had met their match. Mike had an insatiable need to pass on his knowledge and experience to others, be they school learners, university students, fellow astronomers, staff at the observatory, journalists, or the general public. He supervised numerous students in their assignments and research projects, and headed the Science Awareness Outreach Programme at HartRAO. He was highly regarded by his colleagues around the world. At the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) General Assembly, currently being held in Beijing, the passing of distinguished radio astronomers over the past three years was marked by a period of silence. He would have been proud and amused to see that his name was in the same roll of honour as that of Sir Bernard Lovell – one of the founders of his beloved scientific pursuit. An appropriate memorial marking Mike’s contribution to radio astronomy and science education will be established at the SKA site in the Karoo.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 09:30:57 +0000
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