Posted: Dec 28, 2021 1:17 am
Matt_B wrote:I'm fully expecting the next NASA space telescope to be named after Pat Robertson at this rate.
When I've been on campus at various US universities, I have always been struck by the penchant for naming absolutely everything imaginable after some person (a benefactor no doubt). The Charles P. Wagner lecture hall, The Miriam Rosenfeld sports arena, The Ronnie Yang library, The Nora L. Hirsch memorial staircase, The Ricardo Gonzalez handrail, The Jerome Broadstaffe door handle, The Lillian M. Sert bathroom stall.
It was true to a lesser extent in the UK, but usually the names were of long dead and mostly forgotten local benefactors, and nothing smaller than a building. In Japan, most universities go with a fairly quotidian system of Alphabetical or Alphanumerical or some kind of local/seasonal system. My office is in J building on my campus and I teach mostly in C or S buildings.
I've never really understood the thinking behind naming things after people. I would loathe having anything at all named 'in my honour'.
(Sorry for the derail....the new telescope is a wonder and I'm looking forward to seeing the data when it is up and running. Nice overview by Cali of the long and intricate processes that are needed to bring the instrument up to functionality. A good reminder that science takes time and is not calibrated to human gratification temporal scales.)