After more than 20 years as a telescope operator at the Pico Veleta, Mariano ESPINOSA BURILLO has left IRAM end of September 2008 to take up new challenges in his hometown Murcia. We thank him for all the high altitude work, and wish him all the best for the future.
In October 2008, Victor PEULA started training as telescope operator.
Stephane LEON has left IRAM end of 2008. We wish him all the best for his future career.
On January 7, Guillermo QUINTANA-LACACI has joined the science support group in Granada. He will become one of our experts on pooled observations. In addition, he is working on evolved stars and will enter extragalactic science by joining the Herschel key project HERMES on M33. We wish him many interesting photons.
The IRAM workshop and construction group changes its head: Jean-Louis POLLET, who directed the group successfully for many years, will take his well-deserved retirement. Jean-Louis has been a key person in the design and construction of the PdB antennas and will stay involved in the NOMEA project as a councelor. His successor Bastien LEFRANC has started work on November 24.
Fabienne SCHICKE, who replaced Cathie BERJAUD in her function as scientific secretary, has left IRAM on August 8th. Cathie, who was on leave to complete her masters's degree, has returned to IRAM on September 1st.
The Backend group welcomes Roberto GARCIA GARCIA, who works since September 1st on numerical simulations.
In the SIS group, Markus Rösch has started on a thesis on November 1st.
The astronomer's group welcomes two new members: Sebastien BARDEAU has started work as a postdoc on December 15, and Sascha TRIPPE has arrived on February 1st.
In our ``general services'' group, Nicolas MOURAT who had replaced Dimitri MOCELLIN left IRAM at the end of January. Stefan MARCOUX (who was on special leave since February 2008) has returned to IRAM on February 4th. Patrice PASTUREL has left the institute on February 16. Patrice was with IRAM for 16 years, first as SIS technician and in recent years as responsible for our general services section. We wish him all the best for his future career.
On Plateau de Bure, Alain CAYOL has started work as a technician on February 5th.