NM Tech Regents: Don’t Mess With “VLA”!

The New Mexico Tech board of regents likes the name “Very Large Array” just fine.

In response to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s search for a new name for the upgraded telescope, the regents last week approved the following resolution:

On this day, Monday, November 21, 2011, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is considering and discussing the proposal to select a new name for the Very Large Array. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Very Large Array is a radio astronomy facility operated by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which is based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Observatory maintains its Domenici Science Operations Center on the campus of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.

WHEREAS, the Very Large Array is a world-renowned facility dedicated to the investigation and discovery of interstellar phenomena; and

WHEREAS, the Very Large Array has developed a reputation for excellence, both within the scientific community and in the realm of public knowledge since 1979; and

WHEREAS, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a tenant of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and maintains strong collegial ties to the Department of Physics at the Institute; and

WHEREAS, the Very Large Array is a name that is well-established and recognizable to the general population; and

WHEREAS, the Very Large Array has recently undergone a comprehensive expansion after a decade of upgrades, thus solidifying its position in the discipline of radio astronomy and its dedication to maintaining its operation base in Socorro, New Mexico,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Regents of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology hereby resolves that the name “Very Large Array” is the most logical, cohesive and recognizable.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, in our opinion, the facility should continue to operate with the name that the facility has had since its inception.