University of Groningen On the complex stellar populations of ancient stellar systems Savino, Alessandro

University of Groningen

On the complex stellar populations of ancient stellar systems

Savino, Alessandro

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Publication date: 2018

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Savino, A. (2018). On the complex stellar populations of ancient stellar systems. University of Groningen.

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CKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Here we are to the part of the thesis that everyone was waiting for! I often keep my feelings for myself, but I am getting better with time and I will do my best to manifest my gratitude to everyone who made this journey so amazing and enjoyable. These four years have been a significant experience in my life and made me mature, not only scientifically but as a person too. Two countries, two institutes, two fantastic supervisors and a countless number of people around me provided me with the chance to learn a lot, confront myself with many different ways of thinking and living, and have a lot of fun while doing so. I would not be where I am and who I am today without your help and my appreciation goes to all of you. I would like to thank a few people in particular.

A big thanks goes to Maurizio. You taught me how to approach research in an effective way. Among the many things I learned from you, I am particularly grateful for your pragmatism, that brought me from the idealised world of science inside my head to the real world of scientific research. Daje!

An equally big thanks goes to you, Eline. You have always been there to provide me with feedback and advise, regardless of week-ends, kilometers of distance or short deadlines. You never denied my requests and you provided me with plenty of opportunities to foster my scientific career. Thanks to Davide. You made this guy, who had never seen a telescope before, gain experience in the world of observations. When your boss is also your friend, work is easier and much more pleasant.

Thanks to Phil. You have always had kind words in my regards. You are one of the few true gentlemen left on this planet.

Thanks to Thomas, Santi, Emanuele, Alessio, Carmela, Angela, Adriano and my other collaborators. It has been an honour to do research with you. Thanks to my reading committee: Reynier, Nate, Annette and Achim. Thank you for examining my thesis carefully and providing valuable comments. Thanks to the ARI star formation group: Nate, Steve, Ricardo, Carmela, Jonny, Ben, Crusher, Joel and the Tiger. Thanks for our interesting weekly discussions over lunch. They have really broadened my scientific horizons.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to my friends and colleagues in Liverpool: Ivan, Chris, Ash, Gavin, Simon, Ben, Ted, Lawrence, Emma, Rob, Katie, Harriet, Adrien, Kate, Caroline, Helen, Rhana, Sam, Jessica, Dan and Kevin. Sharing an office with a lot of people can be difficult. But that is not our case, thanks for making my time at ARI funny and enjoyable, we are a good astro-team! I will miss the Nerf battles!

Thanks to Elliot, Rob, Katie, Ben and Caroline for the fun we had in our D&D nights. It is has always been something I love and I am glad I started again after so many years.

A big thanks to Stew. You are the closest friend I made in Liverpool. Time will pass and our roads go in different directions, but certain bonds are made to last.

Thanks to Ginevra. Even if our paths have now diverged, your support has been really important while I was adapting to my new life in UK.

Last but by any means not least, a huge thanks to Anna. You are the real hero of the department! Without your tireless work the life of all of us at ARI would have been much more difficult.

Moving to Groningen: Olmo! You probably know more about me than anyone else and words are not really necessary with you. Thanks for being Olmo, you will always be my favourite tree!

Thanks to Lorenzo. You are a good friend and you have been my scientific moral compass. Every time I had doubts on the appropriate way to tackle an issue, speaking with you always provided clarity.

Thanks to Katya. You have always been there for me, every time I needed it. You are like a sister to me.

Thanks to Enrico. Our conversations on society, mind and many other topics opened my mind on horizons I had never conceived.

Thanks to Nika. Just five minutes of joking with you and even the saddest frown becomes a wide smile. You showed me how beautiful it can be to care for your roots.

Thanks to the rest of the crew: Laurent, Vaggelis, Daniel, Kristiina, Karlis, Simon, Anastasia, Smaran, Jonas L., Jonas B., Julia, Aku, Teymoor, Saikat, Sampath, Anne and Tadeja. It has been great fun to hang out with you, inside and outside Kapteyn.

Thanks to my officemates: Jack, Zheng and Suma (and Jeffrey). Thank you for tolerating my blabbering for so long! I am certainly not the easiest officemate to have, but we made it work amazingly.

A big thanks to Laura, Antonino, Lorenzo, Crescenzo, Giulio, Andrea, Davide P., Davide M., Cristiana, Francesco and Marisa. Even though I always deny it, it is very nice to have a little piece of home when you are

far away. Thanks also to the role-playing subgroup of you for the many fun nights we had together and the hilarious situations we put ourselves into. Thanks to the Kapteyn secretaries and the computer group. Your work is the backbone that makes research in this institute possible in the first place.

Thanks to Jonas for helping with my Dutch summary. You always find time to help people, that is a rare quality!

Thanks to Laura for drawing my amazing thesis cover. For once, I made you work on a nearby galaxy!

Thanks to Filippo. If I am where I am right now, it is also thanks to you for telling me about this PhD position.

Un grazie speciale alla mia famiglia per avermi sempre supportato e permesso di inseguire i miei sogni, nonostante questo implicasse andare sempre pi`u lontano. Anche se spesso passa sotto silenzio, vi voglio bene! Un altro grazie altrettanto grande ai miei amici di Ariano: Sax, Gianfranco, Mimmo, Federica, Dedo, Mario, Silvio, Livia, Daniela, Francesco e Ermete. Ogni volta che torno e sono con voi, ´e come se il tempo non fosse mai passato.

Thanks to Italy for having so many flaws. Taking the decision of leaving my country made me realise how many incredible places there are in the world.

Thanks to the United Kingdom for teaching me how to be polite and respectful, to not lose my temper and put up a smile even in the darkest hour, and that half a pint is definetely not an option!

Thanks to the Netherlands for being such a wonderful place. If we could bring a little bit of Netherlands in every country, the world would certainly be a better place.

Finally I want to thank the Universe for being such a vast and mysterious place. You will always be my biggest love and I hope to keep having fun solving your riddles for many more years to come.