Finding Aid to the Papers of Robert L. Dickman, 1987-2016
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Location of collection: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Archives, 520 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville, VA. Phone: 1-434-296-0203, email: archivist at nrao.edu Title and dates of the collection: Papers of Robert L. Dickman, 1987-2017 Size of the collection: 5.25 linear feet paper, 2.76 GB digital. Papers/Records created by: Dickman, Robert L. (1947-2024) Short description of collection: The papers in this collection are from Robert L. Dickman's tenure as NRAO's Assistant Director for New Mexico Operations (2007-2011), Head of the New Initiatives Office (2011-2014), and Director of NRAO's Central Development Laboratory (2014-2016). Most ALMA materials are from Dickman’s time at the National Science Foundation.
Biography: Robert L. Dickman received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Columbia University, earning his PhD in physics in 1976. Following a post-doctoral appointment at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and two years at The Aerospace Corporation, he spent 11 years at University of Massachusetts/Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, where he was a Research Associate Professor and Manager of FCRAO. From 1991 through 2007, he held key positions in the National Science Foundation's Astronomy Division, including Coordinator of the Radio Astronomy Facilities Unit and ALMA Staff Associate. He served on the ALMA Board for five years and was its Chair for 2005-2006. In 2009-2010 he chaired the International and Public-Private Partnership Study Group for the Astro-2010 Decadal Survey. Dickman joined NRAO as Assistant Director for New Mexico Operations in September 2007, and in March 2011 was appointed Head of the [NRAO] New Initiatives Office. From February 2014-September 2016 he was Director of NRAO's Central Development Laboratory, with a concurrent appointment as NRAO Scientist. In March 2019 he retired as an NRAO Emeritus Scientist. Dickman was a member of the American Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society, and the International Astronomical Union. Dickman died in December 2024. [Biographical note written by Ellen Bouton, based on information from Dickman's curriculum vitae.] Accession history: Materials were donated by Dickman in August 2019. Scientific research and ALMA materials added in 2023, including 2.76 GB digital files in the ALMA Series, which were copied from Dickman’s computer in September 2021. Access to collection: No restrictions. The Archives are open part-time; contact the Archivist for appointment. Restrictions on use of collection: Some restrictions on specific ALMA materials as noted. Publication rights: Copyright for much of the material has been assigned to the NRAO/AUI Archives; contact the NRAO Archivist for further information. Permissions for ALMA Board Materials must be obtained from the ALMA Board Secretary in the ALMA Director's Office at the Joint ALMA Observatory. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Preferred citation: National Radio Astronomy Observatory/Associated Universities, Inc. Archives, Papers of Robert L. Dickman, <series/unit/subunit/box #>. After the initial citation, abbreviations may be used: NRAO/AUI Archives, Dickman papers, <series/unit/subunit/box #>. Processing notes: Arrangement, description, indexing, foldering and boxing of paper material was begun in January 2020 and was completed in November 2020. Additional paper material was processed in summer 2023. During the processing, fasteners were removed and duplicates were discarded. Arrangement, description, indexing and ingestion of digital material was done in fall 2023. Note: Dickman's curriculum vitae for 2010 and 2019 are filed at the beginning of the New Mexico Operations Series. New Mexico Operations Series: Dickman served as Assistant Director for New Mexico Operations from September 2007 through March 2011, overseeing the operation of NRAO's New Mexico-based instruments and facilities, including the VLA, VLBA, and EVLA. Materials are dated 2001-2011 and include correspondence, memos, reports, notes, meeting materials and notes, as well as materials related to Dickman's work as chair of the International and Public-Private Partnership Study Group for the Astro-2010 Decadal Survey. Click here for a folder listing. Related materials: See the Records of NRAO for materials on the VLA, EVLA, and VLBA. New Initiatives Office (NIO) Series: NRAO's New Initiatives Office (NIO) pursues, develops, and manages strategic partnerships and collaborations with national and international academic, government, and non-profit organizations that align with NRAO strategy and that have the potential to lead to additional funding and/or benefit NRAO's mission. Dickman was the Assistant Director for NIO from March 2011 through February 2014. His NIO files are dated 1987-2015 and include correspondence, reports, memoranda of agreement/understanding, meeting agendas and minutes, and other materials related to a wide variety of initiatives and projects. Click here for a folder listing. Two larger groups of materials have been described as separate units below. Inclusive series size: 1.5 linear feet.
Central Development Laboratory (CDL) Series: Dickman served as the Assistant Director for NRAO's Central Development Laboratory from 2014-2016. This series includes notes, correspondence, memos, budget materials, and reports dated 2011-2016. Size: 0.25 linear feet. Click here for a folder listing. Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Series: This series includes Dickman’s digital files related to ALMA dated 1990-2017. The bulk of the files are from his work at the National Science Foundation, where from 1991-2007 he held key positions in the Astronomy Division, including Coordinator of the Radio Astronomy Facilities Unit and ALMA Staff Associate. Dickman served on the ALMA Board for five years and was its Chair for 2005-2006. There was considerable duplication of files in the directories, and many obvious duplications have been deleted. Related materials: See also the ALMA materials in the Records of the NRAO and in the papers of Robert L. Brown, of Mark A. Gordon, of Paul A. Vanden Bout, and the records of Associated Universities, Inc..
Scientific Research Series: This series includes collected notes and other materials related to Dickman’s research interests. Annotated reprints were retained, but the very large quantity of collected unannotated reprints from the open literature were discarded. Many of the handwritten notes are undated, but dates are generally derived from Dickman’s dated notes rather than from dates of retained reprints. Folders are arranged by topic. Notes are dated 2006-2018. Size: 1.0 linear feet. Click here for a folder listing. |