Dear colleagues,
It is my sad duty to inform you that Andrey Finkelstein passed
away on Sunday, September 18 after a severe illness at the age
of 70. The IVS has lost a strong supporter of its cause.
Andrey became the head of the Institute of Applied Astronomy (IAA)
of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1988. He held a Doctorate
in Physical and Mathematical Sciences and authored more than
200 scientific papers. He was the driving force behind the
establishment of the Russian QUASAR VLBI network, among many
other accomplishments.
Andrey was very active within the IVS. He was a Board member
for many years and brought the community to Saint Petersburg
when hosting the IVS General Meeting there in 2008. We will
miss him.
Please join me in sharing our condolences with Andrey's
family, friends, and colleagues.
With sadness,
Dirk Behrend
IVS Coordinating Center
