Outreach

70 years of Guillermo Haro at El Colegio Nacional

On October 29, 1953, Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, founder of the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), joined El Colegio Nacional. To remember our founder on these dates, we publish the conference that Dr. Alejandro Cornejo Rodríguez, Emeritus Researcher of the Institute, gave on March 21 in the ceremony for the 110th birthday of Haro.

 

Commemoration of the 110th birthday of Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza

Dr. Alejandro Cornejo Rodríguez

Inv. Tech. Guadalupe Flores Serrano

Foreword

This manuscript is a written version of the conference that was presented on March 21, 2023, in commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of Doctor Guillermo Haro Barraza.

In some way it complements the oral version that was made at the conference, but where now each image has its own description, but the text is attached to the reading of the material presented with the information about the life, work and contributions of Dr. Haro.

I would like to express my gratitude to Guadalupe Flores Serrano for all his help in organizing the photographic material, both for the conference and for this writing. I also thank Dr. Agustín Márquez Limón, head of the Schmidt Camera of INAOE-Tonantzintla, for allowing us to take some photographs of the prism of said instrument, as well as Mr. Gorgonio Cerón Benítez, for his photographs of the telescope at the INAOE Astronomical Observatory in Cananea, Sonora.

Likewise, I would like to thank Lic. Guadalupe Rivera Loy for the work carried out for the commemoration in honor of Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, and review of this edition of the conference.

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I would like to comment, first of all, that writing and preparing a presentation about Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, to celebrate the 110th anniversary of his birth, is an enormous challenge considering his personality and breadth of activities, which he carried out during his life, regarding all focused on the second half of the 20th century. Because in addition to being a notable and important scientific researcher in the field of Astronomy, he not only restricted himself to said activity, but was also the driving force behind the creation of several public entities that helped our country to have a solid scientific infrastructure, linked to cement prospects for industrial applications in various engineering specialties. But he also never wanted to separate various specialties of science and engineering from social branches such as philosophy, history, agronomy, medicine; and to maintain a close relationship with the life in general of our country.

So, my presentation is divided into three large spaces:

Scientific research, B) promotion and development of institutions and specialized personnel and C) the need to always remember the country in which we live and fight for the comprehensive development of Mexican society by collaborating and solving its current and future problems.

A) Scientific activity

The scientific activity of Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza focused on the observation of stellar phenomena using a telescope called the Schmidt Camera, whose structure I show in the following photograph:

This instrument had been invented in Germany in 1930, that is, a few years before arriving at what was called the National Astronomical Observatory of Tonantzintla (OANTON), founded in 1942. It can be said that it was an innovative instrument beginning to be used in the world.

I do not want to fail to mention that the achievements achieved in his observations captured in the photographic plates of the Schmidt Camera, more than 25 thousand (with recognition by UNESCO), mean an effort of numerous night observations and analysis of said plates through microscopes. as we already showed. To do this, he had the company, friendship, respect and affection of Enrique Chavira Navarrete, Graciela González Campuzano, Braulio Iriarte, Luis Rivera Terraza and the youngest Joaquín Campos, dome assistant, and the students of that time, Manuel Peimbert Sierra, Gerardo Bátiz and Rafael Costero Gracia.

I will not refer in detail to his exhausting and relevant scientific work, which gave rise to important discoveries for which he is remembered both nationally and internationally. For this I want to refer and invite you to carefully read the documents, for those who are interested, in the special edition of El Colegio Nacional in tribute to Dr. Haro with the title Memories of the National College: Scientific Work of Dr. Guillermo Haro, editor Arcadio Poveda, 2009.

In addition to the works that appeared as scientific publications, profiles of doctors Arcadio Poveda Ricalde, Manuel Peimbert Sierra and Luis Felipe Rodríguez Jorge, former students and colleagues of Dr. Haro, are included. The multiple recognitions and direction of organizations both nationally and internationally are also listed.

B) Promotion activities and relations between sciences

Being aware of new fields of research in Astronomy, Dr. Haro being director of IA-UNAM and OANTON (SEP), obtained resources to purchase a modern Ritchey-Chrétien type telescope, with a Boller & Chivens brand spectrograph, which was installed here in Tonantzintla and inaugurated by the President of the Republic Lic. Adolfo López Mateos.

With respect to promoting Mexican students to undertake postgraduate studies in various specialties and the founding of institutions, I want to refer to the promotional work of Dr. Haro and Eng. Eugenio Méndez Docurro through the National Institute of Scientific Research (INIC), in the early 1960s, when scholarships began to be offered and awarded for Mexican students to study at universities abroad in specialties such as Chemistry, Metallurgy, Astronomy, Physics, Optics, Electronics, to name a few.

In his last years as director of the IA of the UNAM, during the period of 1965-1968, he began to plan and develop the establishment of the new National Astrophysical Observatory in the Sierra de San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, first doing studies of the quality of the sky, once the site was located by means of space satellites. The first Ritchey-Chrétien telescope was assembled, with a main mirror 84 centimeters in diameter.

Said optics of the telescope were designed at the IA-UNAM and built in its Optics Workshop, located on the first floor of the Science Tower of Ciudad Universitaria de kla UNAM, but the first accommodation buildings for astronomers were also built in the mountain with the construction of the cabin.

Later in the 1970s, with enthusiasm and collaboration from his fellow researchers from various institutions, he promoted the establishment of the National Council of Science and Technology, Conacyt (today Conahcyt), following in the footsteps of INIC, its predecessor institution, it began its programs. , whose first activity is to offer scholarships for postgraduate studies both in institutions abroad and in the country. Work that is carried out successfully to date.

Maintaining constant activity, “so as not to waste time”, during the year 1971 he began to promote the creation of our Institute: National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), whose activities began, as we know, on the 1st of January 1972, based on the presidential decree of November 12, 1971. Clearly defining, expressed in the decree, its organization and tasks to be carried out in a coordinated manner. Where, it is to be emphatically noted, the support for two areas such as Optics and Electronics in a visionary way regarding the role that both branches have achieved in current years, without forgetting to continue with the traditional work of OANTON in the field. of astronomy.

  With these ideas of promoting and developing new areas, the Optical Workshop was built with an annex, new machines were purchased for the mechanical workshop, a welding and anodizing workshop was established, the thin film laboratory was established with the acquisition of welding equipment. high vacuum, and the Microelectronics Laboratory was built, for which special ovens were purchased for the processing of silicon wafers and the production of microcircuits and sensors.

Although it has already been commented on other occasions, study programs were opened at the postgraduate level, first the master's degrees in Optics (1972) and in Electronics (1973) with rigorous study programs. It was not until the early 1980s that the first doctorates in Optics and Electronics were given, and postgraduate studies were also opened in the area of Astrophysics.

To continue the consolidation of our Institute, new research specialties were opened in the three areas. An extremely important development was the work of Dr. Haro again for the establishment and development of the new Astronomical Observatory in the Sierra de la Mariquita, near the mining town of Cananea, Sonora. Therefore, with all the enthusiasm and usual drive of Dr. Haro, the search for the new place began, located again with the help of space satellites. Except for the construction of the mechanical mount, which was designed and built at the Red Makers company in Holland, the optics were designed and built in the special laboratory of the Optical Workshop, for large surfaces, since the diameter of the main mirror is 212 cm . All electronic control systems for the telescope and its dome were also designed and built at the Electronics Coordination, all civil engineering work was carried out by companies in the country.

Currently the observatory in Cananea is named after Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, who last year celebrated 35 years of uninterrupted activity.

C) Society and links with science

As I mentioned at the beginning of the talk, I will conclude by describing some motivations and principles of Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza, which I consider important, to relate and cover different social aspects of his life, immersed in his experiences and knowledge of his country, Mexico. .

From my point of view the two pillars on which he rested were:

Maintain a close relationship between the different fields of studies on the life of human beings throughout their history, and the importance of knowing the reality of the country in which we live and how through academic work we can contribute to solving problems in a way effective and contribute to the progress of the country.

His work to establish a relationship between different fields of science and the necessary influence on other areas of engineering in general, for the possible developments of the field and industries. This is reflected in his collaboration during the decade of 1950-1960 with doctors Samuel Ramos and Eli de Gortari in the seminar of “Scientific and Philosophical Problems”, UNAM, which covered the following three activities: presentation of conferences, edition of the “ Notebooks” about the conferences, and the printing of books by recognized authors in fields such as Philosophy, Medicine, Anthropology, Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics and Sociology, carrying out all this work within the UNAM.

To this arduous work, it is necessary to add that in the OANTON facilities, in the rural town of Tonantzintla, Puebla, it summoned figures from literature, the arts (painting), anthropology and scientists from other areas to meet and dialogue, I imagine. for hours, about the situation in our country. I confess that I did not have the opportunity to experience this stage, and I would have liked to at least witness it.

Another almost unknown task is having obtained musical instruments for the inhabitants of Tonantzintla, so that they could organize an orchestra that was called “Los Oriones”; As a result of this activity, I would like to highlight the fact that the director of the Typical Orchestra of the State of Puebla for several years, from 1975 to 1995, was the director Mr. Refugio Tecanhuey Ramos, and his son Ismael Tecanhuey Cielo, cellist of the same, worthy representatives of the Tonantzintla community.

I cannot fail to mention that Dr. Haro, concerned about the publication of the research carried out in Astronomy, promoted and was the first editor of the Bulletin of the Observatories of Tonantzintla and Tacubaya, where the first publications on Optics appeared, and already in The INAOE published the Tonantzintla Bulletin with publications on Astrophysics, Optics, and Electronics.

More information about other activities of Dr. Haro, with great detail and anecdotes, can be found in the two books written by our dear and close friend from Tonantzintla and INAOE, the writer Elena Poniatowska, which bear the titles of The Skin of the Sky and The universe or nothing.

Astronomer Haro's feelings and knowledge about the real situation of our country arose from his youth with his trips to different states with political activities, together with the actions of different groups and participation of progressive people like José Revueltas.

Upon his arrival to work as an astronomer here in Tonantzintla and enter the OANTON, invited by Luis Enrique Erro, founder of this observatory, and of the National Polytechnic Institute, he maintains his vision of the experiences of the rural agricultural populations, this is expressed clearly in his entrance speech to El Colegio Nacional in the year 1953, from which I allow myself to transcribe the following paragraphs:

“Our simultaneous observation of the sky and the countryside creates a serious internal conflict for us. Isn't Tonantzintla an example and symbol of the contrasts and contradictions that characterize our country? What are we doing to help the progress of Mexico and its people?....

“These and many other questions deepen our intellectual responsibility as Mexicans, forcing us to meditate on the reality of Mexico.”

“Our faith in the creative spirit of the Mexican man increases when we consider the scientific work of our doctors and biologists and when we see that in a few years a group of university students establishes the foundations of an important school of Physics and Mathematics” (Faculty of Sciences UNAM).

TO END

I want to convey to you the points of view of two important Mexican astronomers on the personality of Dr. Haro, the profiles appear published in the aforementioned memoirs of the National College, about his scientific work.

Dr. Arcadio Poveda Ricalde comments: “Haro was a critical person of the conditions of the country and of science in particular; he was a visionary of the deterioration that would occur if the explosive growth of Mexico City continued.

“We will say, first of all, that his most important discoveries were so advanced that when they were announced it was not clear how to place them in the astronomical context of the time. This is a persistent characteristic in his main discoveries, for example, when he finds the Herbig-Haro nebulae, the general reaction of astronomers was one of perplexity, especially regarding their energy source.” It was not until several years later that well-known astronomers established the explanations, among them the Mexicans Luis Felipe Rodríguez and Jorge Canto.

Dr. Poveda also comments on how Fernando Benítez rightly said: “For me, the extraordinary thing about Guillermo Haro is that, deprived of the support of physics and mathematics, the basis of modern astronomy, he has managed to discover how stars are formed. Obsessed from a very young age by Darwin's theory, he took the theory of evolution to heaven and performed a scientific feat.

Dr. Manuel Peimbert Sierra says: “The development of science in Mexico, and in particular astronomy, is largely due to the drive, vision and contributions of Haro. Already in the 1940s, he raised the urgent need to carry out high-quality research in Mexico and to promote the training of first-class researchers; At the same time he helped develop the institutions and infrastructure necessary to achieve these ends. All of this was possible due to the passion, intelligence, tenacity and leadership capacity and the quality of Guillermo Haro's scientific contributions."

I would like to add that the development of the field of Optics in Mexico is due to the vision and drive, as always, of Dr. Haro.

I end my speech with two questions that Dr. Guillermo Haro Barraza asked me, which he also frequently asked other colleagues:

1. Can we in Mexico produce a pencil completely autonomously and independently?

2. Why is the Mexican diet not consuming enough and frequent seafood, having two long coastlines bathed by two enormous oceans?, that is, the Atlantic and the Pacific.

I add: how many countries are there where their coasts are caressed by two different oceans or seas?

Now yes: thank you very much for your attention and I take this opportunity to send affectionate greetings to Elenita Poniatowska, and her children, Emmanuel (Mane), Felipe and Paula.