Northwestern University Joins Giant Magellan Telescope International Consortium

Northwestern’s investment expands the Giant Magellan Telescope international consortium to 15 research institutions from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan

/EIN News/ -- PASADENA, Calif., Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Giant Magellan Telescope announced today that Northwestern University has joined its international consortium to construct the $2.54 billion observatory.

Home to the world-renowned Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) and the newly founded NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI), Northwestern is at the forefront of advancing astrophysical research. Northwestern researchers will develop and apply cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools to enhance the Giant Magellan Telescope’s capabilities, enabling it to search for Earth-like planets across the Milky Way, investigate the Universe’s most energetic explosions, and explore the intricate relationship between galaxies and black holes.

“Northwestern University’s strength in AI, astrophysics, and engineering innovation makes them an important addition to our consortium,” said Dr. Walter Massey, Board Chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope and former Director of the National Science Foundation. “Their involvement further establishes the Giant Magellan Telescope as the telescope of choice for America’s top universities, now spanning institutions across Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C. This collaboration reflects a nationwide commitment to advancing astronomy and cementing U.S. leadership in manufacturing and scientific discovery.”

As the 9th American institution to invest, Northwestern University expands the Giant Magellan Telescope international consortium to 15 members from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan.

As a new partner, Northwestern joins a distinguished group of American institutions driving one of the largest public-private partnerships in science, which includes the University of Arizona, Carnegie Science, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Chicago, Texas A&M University, Harvard University, the Smithsonian Institution, and Arizona State University. Together, these institutions award more than 30% of the nation’s Ph.D. degrees and invest more than $250 million annually in research and instrumentation for astronomy in the U.S. — fueling technology innovations and strengthening America’s manufacturing economy. Northwestern’s investment builds the consortium’s momentum as it awaits the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) decision regarding federal participation in the partnership, which would expand access in the Giant Magellan Telescope to include all U.S. scientists.

Recognized as a leader in cross-disciplinary collaborations, Northwestern is ranked #6 in U.S. News & World Report’s National Universities rankings and #11 in the Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Rankings, which recognizes, incentivizes and celebrates interdisciplinary science in higher education around the globe. CIERA and Northwestern Astronomy also rank in the top 10 nationally for research impact and national awards for faculty. CIERA’s interdisciplinary approach connects astronomy research and education to computer science, engineering, high-performance computing, and beyond. Just this year, the NSF and Simons Foundation awarded Northwestern with a highly competitive grant to establish the SkAI Institute. The Institute, which unites researchers across disciplines to develop innovative, trustworthy AI tools for survey astronomy, especially motivated by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, solidifies Northwestern as a leader at the forefront of AI and astrophysics.

With these strengths, Northwestern researchers will contribute essential expertise to the complex datasets generated by the Giant Magellan Telescope and will play a crucial role in ensuring the observatory achieves its full potential as a tool for humanity’s continuing exploration of the Universe when it is commissioned in the early 2030s.

“Northwestern's commitment to interdisciplinary research — particularly in astrophysics, AI, data science and engineering — positions us to lead the next wave of astronomical research,” Northwestern President Michael H. Schill said. “Our full partnership with the Giant Magellan Telescope Consortium is a testament to this vision. I am especially grateful for Vicky Kalogera's leadership and efforts to secure this partnership. This collaboration will provide unparalleled opportunities for our students and faculty to push the boundaries of research and innovation as we seek to understand the Universe.”

The Giant Magellan Telescope will deliver up to 200 times the resolution and sensitivity of today’s leading telescopes, offering unprecedented power for astronomical discovery. Unique among the new class of “extremely large telescopes,” it features the widest field of view and the only science instruments capable of detecting and analyzing Earth-like planets in the reflected light of their host stars. It will be the first ground- or space-based telescope, operating now or in the future, capable of such unprecedented detections. This revolutionary capability moves the field beyond traditional transit detection methods for the first time.

The Giant Magellan Telescope is now 40% under construction across 36 states and on track to be operational in Chile by the early 2030s.

About Northwestern University
Founded in 1851, Northwestern University is one of the country’s leading private research and teaching universities with an enrollment of approximately 8,000 full-time undergraduate students and approximately 8,000 full-time graduate and professional students and approximately 2,000 part-time students on campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries. Northwestern provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth in a setting enhanced by the richness of Chicago.

About Giant Magellan Telescope
The Giant Magellan Telescope is the future of space exploration from Earth. Using seven of the world’s largest mirrors, the 25.4-meter telescope will produce the most detailed images ever taken of our Universe. It will uncover the cosmic mysteries of dark matter, investigate the origins of the chemical elements, and search for signs of life on distant planets. The Giant Magellan Telescope is the work of the GMTO Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and international consortium of 15 universities and research institutions from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, and Taiwan. The telescope is being built in America and will be reassembled and completed in Chile by the early 2030s. The Universe Awaits at giantmagellan.org.

Media Contacts
Amanda Morris
Northwestern University
Senior Editor of Science and Engineering
amandamo@northwestern.edu

Ryan Kallabis
Giant Magellan Telescope
Senior Director of Communications and Outreach
rkallabis@gmto.org

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