Yesterday, 14th July, the astrophysicist Juan Carlos Pérez Arencibia, the manager of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, in Garafía (La Palma), was named “Collaborating Member Elect” of the Canarian Royal Academy of Sciences during its meeting which took place at the Salazar Palace in Santa Cruz de La Palma.
The act was introduced by the Full Academician in the Speciality of Earth and Space Sciences Teodoro Roca Cortés, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of La Laguna (ULL) and researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de
Canarias (IAC).
The President of the Academy, José Manuel Méndez Pérez stated that the Academy now has four new members in La Palma, who are notable for their outstanding professional record.
CURRICULUM OF JUAN CARLOS PÉREZ ARENCIBIA
Juan Carlos Pérez Arencibia studied Physics at the University of La Laguna where he obtained his doctorate in 1988. From 1981 to 1984 he worked in the solar preparing his tesina “The Spectrum of Solar p-modes”, while participating in the project on Solar Oscillations at the Teide Observatory. From 1984 to 1985 he was Professor of Physics and Mathematics in the San Pablo-CEU Foundation in Santa Cruz de physics section of the IAC, within the group of solar seismology, and Tenerife. From 1985 to 1990 he carried out research in the Department of Edaphology-Geology of the University of La Laguna, within the framework of the project “The use of volcanic materials from the Canary Islands for the ceramics industry”, where he was supported by a scholarship from the Canary Government and Business Foundation of the University of Las Palmas (1986 to 1988). From 1988 to 1990 he was a Professor in this department. The title of his doctoral thesis was “Applications of primary materials of the Canary Islands in the Ceramics and Petroleum Industries.
From 1990 to 2001 he was the Director of the Department of Informatics Management of the Mixed (public-private) Company Aguas de Las Palmas S.A. (EMALSA) where he was in charge of designing and putting into practice the informatics plan of the company, a job which was carried out between 1990 and 1993. He was the organizer of the First Meeting on Advanced Ceramic Materials, held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1987, and the XXIX Conference on Ceramics and Glass, held in Puerto de la Cruz. He has also participated in international conferences and has published results of his research in prestigious specialized journals. As a result of his research he has two publication’s in international journals, three in national journals, seven contributions to international conferences, and eleven contributions to national conferences. He has also carried out research at a number of important centres, such as the University of Birmingham (United Kingdome) the Institute of Ceramics and Glass of the CSIC in Arganda del Rey (Madrid) the Department of Crystallography and Mineralogy of the University of Barcelona, and the Jaume Almera institute of the CSIC.
From 2001 he joined the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory as its manager. In this job he collaborated as co-organizer or speaker in a number of events such as courses, conferences, and programmes of outreach related with the popularization of astronomy and of the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. We can pick out his Joint direction of the courses organized by the University of La Laguna in La Palma “Astronomy for all”, in 2009, Planets and Stars in the Milky Way” in 2012. He was a speaker in the Starlight conference celebrated in La Palma in 2007, and a member of the Local Organizing Committee in La Palma of the “International Starlight Conference”, 2007, the IVth meeting on “Science with the GTC” in 2011, and of the “100XCiencia Forum, an encounter among the Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence” in 2015. He serves as Secretary of the Common Services Committee of the Observatories, and as an invited member of the International Scientific Committee of the Canary Island Observatories.
He is also a member of the “Mesa de Estrellas” of the Cabildo of La Palma, which promotes astronomical tourism in the island. He is also the driving force, and the coordinator of the programme for students of the 4th course of the ESO in La Palma “Our students and the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory” (650 students per year), and the coordinator of the visitor programme at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (8,000 visitors per year).
