The award, instituted in honour of Canary Island scientist Irene González Hernández, recognises excellence in solar research and scientific leadership.
The Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) celebrates the awarding of the inaugural Irene González Hernández prize to Dr. Holly R. Gilbert, director of the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) of the US National Science Foundation. The award was presented at the 56th meeting of the Solar Physics Division (SPD) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), held jointly with the AAS and the Laboratory Astrophysics Division from 8 to 12 June in Anchorage, Alaska.
This new honorary award, established in April 2024 by the SPD, recognises mid-career scientists for outstanding, transformative and sustained contributions to the field of solar physics. It honours the memory of solar physicist Irene González Hernández (La Orotava, Tenerife, 1969 - Tucson, Arizona, 2014), who completed her PhD thesis at the IAC and left a profound mark on the study of the Sun and the international scientific community.
Dr. Holly R. Gilbert has been honoured for her pioneering research on solar flares and her role in advancing knowledge of the dynamics of the solar corona and its impact on the heliosphere and space weather. She has also provided outstanding leadership at NASA and NCAR, promoting interdisciplinary scientific initiatives and fostering the inclusion and support of new generations of researchers.
‘The IAC congratulates Dr Gilbert on this recognition and celebrates her continued contributions to the advancement of solar physics,’ says Valentín Martínez Pillet, director of the IAC. ‘The IAC is proud to have been part of Irene González Hernández's academic journey and adds to the recognition of her scientific and human legacy, which continues to inspire the international solar physics community,’ he adds.
During the award ceremony, Irene González Hernández's parents, Modesto and Ángela, participated through a video message in which they expressed their emotion and gratitude: ‘Thank you for having thought of our daughter for such an important award. We are very proud of her and very grateful’. His speech added a touching personal memory to the tribute, underlining the human and scientific impact of Irene's legacy.
The legacy of Irene González Hernández
PhD in Astrophysics from the University of La Laguna (1998), she developed her thesis in the solar physics group of the IAC. She pioneered the use of holographic techniques in local helioseismology to detect solar activity on the non-visible side of the Sun. Her professional career included stays at the National Solar Observatory (NSO), Stanford University and Queen Mary University of London. His legacy lives on in current advances in the prediction of solar activity and its influence on space weather.
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