Sixto González

Sixto González (born 1965) is the first Puerto Rican to be named Director of the Arecibo Observatory, the world's largest single dish radio telescope.

González was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico He received his B.Sc. in Humacao. He was accepted at MIT.

In 1983, he traveled to Massachusetts. González returned to the island in 1985 and enrolled at the Humacao campus of the University of Puerto Rico to study Applied Physics and Electronics, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 1988.

González completed his Ph.D in 1994 at Utah State University.

Arecibo Observatory

When González returned to the island, he became the first Puerto Rican member of the scientist staff and named research associate at the observatory. He held this position until 1999 when he was named senior research associate. He and Jose Alonso educational officer at the observatory, together with and Maiella Ramos (UPR) created a new program of firsthand research experience in the geosciences for high school students and their teachers and for undergraduates in northwest Puerto Rico.

In 2001, González was named assistant director for space and atmospheric sciences at the radar facility. On September 29, 2003, González became the first Puerto Rican to be named Director of the observatory. This appointment was made by Robert Brown, director of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC). González was responsible for the overall management of the facility, including the executions of basic policy that maintains the observatory at the front of research in astronomy, planetary studies and space and atmospheric science. The appointment to the position of site director was for a three-year term and it expired on September 15, 2006.

In early 2009, a "Dear Colleague" letter from Dana Lehr announced the following: "NSF will compete the next cooperative agreement for the management and operation of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) through an open, merit-based review process...."

In early June 2011 the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that the cooperative agreement to manage, operate and maintain the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico for the next five years (from 2011 to 2016) would be awarded to SRI International. Gonzalez is currently Director for Space and Atmospheric Sciences at the Arecibo Observatory part of SRI's Center for Geospace Studies and continues to be a member of the Observatory's scientific staff.

On October 30, 2003, González was honored by the United States House of Representatives when he was publicly congratulated.