The University of Puerto Rico at Humacao (UPRH) will inaugurate a radiotelescopio, the only one in operation at a Puerto Rico university, on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 10:30 AM, in the faculty parking lot of the Natural Sciences building. The instrument, part of the UPRH Astronomical Observatory, will let researchers observe the universe through radio waves, run research projects and offer specialized instrumentation for education.
Rector Dr. Edwin Mojica Rodríguez said the project links knowledge with research and gives students tools to develop scientific skills while serving Puerto Rico’s research community. Acquisition and installation were funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its Center for Advanced Radio Science and Engineering (CARSE) program, under the proposal Radio Astronomy at the UPR Humacao Astronomical Observatory.
The project is led by Dr. Desireé Cotto, director of the Department of Physics and Electronics and principal investigator, with Dr. Alex Camacho as co-investigator. Cotto said students will take part in every stage of a radioastronomical observation, from instrument calibration and data acquisition to signal analysis. The telescope is a POAM Electronics RTP37 model with a 3.7-meter reflector antenna of twelve panels, a motorized azimuth-elevation mount and an L-band receiver.
Its arrival carries special weight after the December 2020 collapse of Arecibo Observatory’s 305-meter main telescope, a major loss for radioastronomy in Puerto Rico. From the island’s eastern region, UPRH will broaden local access to the field and complement its Astronomy minor.