On 9 May 2008 Professor Andy Fabian of the University of Cambridge will
become President of the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), the largest
professional astronomical body in Europe. Professor Fabian will take
over from incumbent President Professor Michael Rowan-Robinson at the
annual general meeting of the RAS and will serve until May 2010.
Professor Fabian has been active in professional astronomy since the
early 1970s, having received his degrees from the University of London
(BSc, King's; PhD, University College). His current research interests
are black holes, clusters of galaxies and X-ray astronomy. In
recognition of his work he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
in 1996 and awarded an OBE in 2006. He was awarded the Rossi prize
(jointly with Y. Tanaka) of the American Astronomical Society in 2001
and the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics by the American Physical
Society and the American Astronomical Society in 2008. He is Vice Master
of Darwin College, Cambridge.
Professor Fabian is delighted to be taking up his new role. He comments,
"It is a great honour to take up the office of President of the RAS. In
today's uncertain funding climate, astronomers, space scientists and
geophysicists need the support of a professional body more than ever.
Over my two years I will be working very hard to make sure that our
voice is heard and that our work receives the recognition it deserves.
Some of the most exciting cutting-edge discoveries are made in
astronomy, space science and geophysics and the public rightly holds
them in high esteem. Our science has a bright future - provided we
receive the support we need."
ESS Scandinavia’s new Science Advisory Group has had its constituent meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Lund, Sweden. The Group will
contribute to developing the science of the European Spallation Source in order that future researchers have maximum use of the ESS.
The Science Advisory Group has been set up to contribute with international expertise and external advice within three specific
areas: how to set up a model for the organisation and operation of the ESS in Lund, the scientific priorities for the ESS, and cooperation with other European research facilities.
‑ We have chosen ten scientists that are both young and renowned, says Dr Christian Vettier, Head of Science at the ESS Scandinavia and former Head of Science at the ILL in France. European researchers must be able to develop the ESS according to how they themselves want to use during the coming decades. We want to build a scientific tool for the future, not for today’s needs.
The members of the Group have expertise in various fields of applications of neutron science and also broad experience from other
large‑scale research facilities. The Group is chaired by Professor Robert McGreevy and will meet twice a year. The members are:
Professor Robert McGreevy, Head of Science at ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Dr Dimitri Argyriou, Hahn‑Meitner Institute, Berlin
Assoc. professor Lise Arleth, University of Copenhagen
Dr Wim G. Bouwman, Technische Universiteit, Delft
Professor Stefan Egelhaaf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf
Assoc. professor Aleksandar Matic, Chalmers Technical University, Gothenburg
Professor Joel Mesot, PSI, Villingen, Schweiz
Professor Tommy Nylander, Lund University
Dr Julian Oberdisse, University of Montpellier
Dr Helmut Schober, ILL, Grenoble
Chapman University confirmed today that its new computational science and physics team – the university’s first – will include five nationally renowned scientists from George Mason University. They include Yakir Aharonov, Ph.D., the co-discoverer of one of the cornerstones of modern physics, the Aharonov-Bohm Effect and considered one of the most highly regarded scientists today; and Menas Kafatos, Ph.D., leader of the team, who has an extensive administrative international reputation, research record and interdisciplinary experience in astrophysics, Earth system science, hazards and global change, and computational science. The team, which will become the foundation of Chapman’s new Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering, also includes Jeff Tollaksen, Ph.D., Keun Hang Yang, Ph.D. and Hesham Al-Askary, Ph.D.
More team members will be announced soon – the eventual team will probably end up numbering between seven and nine instructional faculty and several research faculty members. Dr. Kafatos has been named Chapman’s Vice Chancellor for Special Projects as well as director of the new Center for Excellence ( details below ).
Effective June 1, Chapman University will create two new colleges: the College of Science, which will house the new Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering as well as the already established biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, physical therapy and psychology departments; and Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Sciences, which will house the departments of English, languages, religious studies, philosophy, communication studies, history, political science and sociology as well as Chapman’s Albert Schweitzer Institute and Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education. Janine Hill, Ph.D., will serve as interim dean of the College of Science, and Roberta Lessor, Ph.D., will serve as dean of Wilkinson College. These two colleges join the already established schools and colleges within Chapman: the Argyros School of Business and Economics, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, College of Performing Arts, School of Education and School of Law.
“A true genius” and a stellar team
“These are scientists of the first magnitude,” said Daniele Struppa, Ph.D., chancellor of Chapman University, of the new computational science and physics team. “Aharonov is a true genius, and you won’t hear me use that word easily; he is Einstein quality, and I am not overstating the case. We are delighted and proud to be welcoming them all to Chapman, and we cannot stress how much this will positively affect our students. To have scientists of this caliber working with our undergraduate and graduate students will be very exciting. Having this group as the foundation of our new Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering is a true honor indeed.”
Chapman President James L. Doti, Ph.D., said, “The strength of every university is measured by its faculty, and a great university is built on the shoulders of its faculty. The addition of this renowned team of scholars will propel Chapman’s science program to an academic level approaching that of the nation’s most elite research institutions. But unlike larger institutions, Chapman’s advantage is in its focus on small classes and individualized attention. These distinguished scientists will not only be carrying out some of the most important research in physics today, but they will be sharing their immense knowledge directly with those they teach.”
This is the second team of researchers that Chapman has acquired from George Mason University, where Dr. Struppa was formerly dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Last year, Chapman attracted a distinguished team of GMU scholars in economic science, headed by Nobel laureate Vernon L. Smith, Ph.D., to establish its new Economic Science Institute, a multidisciplinary unit that straddles the Argyros School of Business and Economics, the Chapman School of Law and Wilkinson College of Letters and Sciences.
Dr. Struppa added that the two new Chapman colleges are being created for some very specific reasons. “On the one hand, the sciences at Chapman are now in a position to achieve national preeminence with this acquisition of this world-class new team of researchers, and that can best be achieved with a structure focused on science,” he said. “On the other hand, we want to build on Chapman’s distinguished liberal arts heritage, and the Wilkinson College of Humanities and Social Science will be the structure that allows us to focus on that heritage. It will carry on the historic name of Wilkinson to honor the service and legacy of our late alumnus and trustee Harmon Wilkinson, whose daughter Karen continues to serve on our Board of Trustees.” The official naming of the College of Science will be announced at a later date, Struppa said.
Wide-ranging research
The new Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering will be self-contained but – as is always the case at Chapman – there are no barriers between disciplines, and it is likely that the new computational science and physics team will be involved in research projects spanning such fields as climate change and hazards, quantum mechanics, computational neuroscience, information science, supercomputing, earth observing, quantum coherence, environmental science and cosmology. They will also identify and offer support to new fields evolving in mathematics and the social, biological, computational, economic and physical sciences.
The team’s focus is on computational science in general, and by joining the Chapman faculty they will immediately promote Chapman to national prominence in two particular niche areas: applications to earth observations and earth system science, and quantum computing.
“Of great interest to California and our local community is the focus on earth observations, with specific applications in regional hazards and their connection to climate change,” said Dr. Struppa. “They are experts in the wide application of hazards that concern Californians, such as forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons as well as modeling of the environment. In particular, Kafatos and the team moving to Chapman have a long history of working with the media as well as local, state and federal agencies on the occurrence of fire, flood, hurricanes and other natural disasters and emergencies. This team’s expertise would be perfect to work with our local constituencies on disaster forecasting, prevention and management.”
More specifically, the team can map the spread of smoke during wildfires, have developed coupling of observations to modeling to follow hazards, download and analyze earth observation data daily from NASA satellites for Google Earth, and have invented hyper-capable devices that speed up information processing for the U.S. military.
A new department, a new Center of Excellence and new degrees
Upon arrival at Chapman, the team will immediately create the Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering and develop a new Center of Excellence with two research units that focus on Quantum Studies and Earth Observing. A new undergraduate degree in physics, with concentrations in computational science, climate and hazards, and engineering, will be created, with prospects of putting in place graduate programs within four years.
Chapman’s prestigious new Center of Excellence will be established with the ambitious goal of being the number one center of its kind in the world. Its mission will be:
• To attract the top scientists in the world and stimulate collaborations and synergy: “Computational science is by its very nature interdisciplinary and allows teams of experts to work together,” said Dr. Kafatos;
• To work on applied science areas of concern to society and California in particular, such as hazards research, adaptation to climate change and earth observing;
• To communicate the relevance and importance of earth science and quantum studies to the broader public through a lecture series and other outreach efforts; and
• To provide a focal point for institutions, state and national governments and industry around the world for the advancement and funding of applied and fundamental science, such as computational science fields and the foundations and applications of quantum mechanics.
“The nation views California as being on the cutting edge of the future,” said President Doti. “Innovation and growth in this state have propelled the national economy, and California’s issues are the world’s issues: natural disasters, energy solutions, economic challenges. Whether in emerging technology, biotechnology, marine resources, real estate development, travel and tourism, entertainment or agriculture, the research produced at Chapman will transcend local, national and even international borders. The establishment of our new Department of Physics, Computational Science and Engineering and the corresponding Center of Excellence at Chapman University has enormous, unlimited potential that we’ve only just begun to realize.”
Three Virginia Tech students, each with an impressive record of undergraduate research and leadership experience, have received highly competitive Barry M. Goldwater scholarships for the 2008‑09 academic year.
The scholarship winners from Virginia Tech are Thao Do, a sophomore from Springfield, Va., majoring in mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering; Kevin Finelli, a junior from Yorktown, Va., double majoring in mathematics and physics in the College of Science; and David Tatum, a junior from Midlothian, Va., double majoring in chemistry in the College of Science and biochemistry in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Through undergraduate research experiences at Virginia Tech, Harvard University, and the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington D.C., Do says he has developed an interest in nanotechnology because of its potential applications in the biomedical field. She has focused her research on developing robust microscopic channels and particles.
"These can be used for medical diagnosis and treatments, as well as DNA analysis," said Do, who has filed for a patent related to one project at Harvard. "My research experiences have inspired me to integrate my education in mechanical engineering with physics and biomedical fields."
She co‑authored a journal article and delivered a presentation to the American Physics Society. In addition, she found time to help with the Human‑Powered Submarine Team and the Society of Women Engineers, for which she organizes a Girl Scout Day to inspire 46 local students to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Finelli, who is a member of the Society of Physics Students and the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics National Honor Society, has conducted undergraduate research in Virginia Tech's Department of Physics and Department of Mathematics as well as the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Va. His physics research is a part of the QWeak collaboration, an experiment that will be the first precision measurement of the weak charge of the proton.
"Since it turns out that nature, at its most basic level, behaves very differently than we intuitively would expect, physics is also a very interesting discipline to study," said Finelli, who has a 4.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at Virginia Tech and was valedictorian of York High School in Yorktown, Va., in 2005. "Understanding the vast complexity involved in even the most seemingly simple events that surround our daily lives helps me to gain an appreciation for what physicists have been working on for centuries."
Through the Physics Outreach Program, Finelli has helped bring physics to primary and secondary school students in the community in stimulating and relevant ways. In the fall, he also organized the Hillcrest Academic Assistance Program, which helps younger students seek out older students willing to offer tutoring in any academic subject.
A member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Tatum has studied the trafficking of sulfur in bacteria with the Department of Biochemistry and, more recently, molecule‑based magnets with the Department of Chemistry.
"Magnetic substances found in nature, like the magnets you would find on a refrigerator, are atom‑based where the magnetic properties arise from aligned, unpaired electrons on metal atoms," said Tatum, who was named an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America in 2005. "Our research concerns molecular complexes that are magnetic in nature due to an overall net magnetic moment between organic radicals and metal ions."
This semester, Tatum is not only continuing his research pursuits but also teaching two recitation sections of a general chemistry course. He is also a member of the Virginia Tech Club Volleyball A Team, which placed No. 9 in Division I of the national tournament last year.
All three winners are members of the Hillcrest Honors Community and say they plan to pursue a Ph.D. so that they can teach and conduct research at a major research university. Since the program's inception in 1986, Virginia Tech has had 37 Goldwater scholars, including this year's winners.
This year, 321 sophomores and juniors from a field of 1,035 applicants nationwide at colleges and universities around the country received the scholarships. Goldwater scholars are selected for academic merit and each is awarded up to $7,500 per year for tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Congress established the scholarship program in 1986 to honor the late Sen. Barry Goldwater and to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Texas A&M University is one of four international institutions selected by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia to host an inaugural quartet of interdisciplinary scientific research centers dedicated to collaborative excellence on a global scale.
Continue reading "Texas A&M Will Host Major International Science Research Center" »
The National Academy of Sciences today announced the election of 72 new members and 18 foreign associates from 9 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
The election was held this morning during the business session of the 145th annual meeting of the Academy. Those elected today bring the total number of active members to 2,041. Foreign associates are nonvoting members of the Academy, with citizenship outside the United States. Today's election brings the total number of foreign associates to 397.
The National Academy of Sciences is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the furtherance of science and its use for the general welfare. It was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation signed by Abraham Lincoln that calls on the Academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology.
Additional information about the Academy and its members is available online.
Newly elected members and their affiliations at the time of election are:
ADAMS, JERRY M.; senior principal research fellow, research professor, and joint head, molecular genetics of cancer division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
ALBRIGHT, THOMAS D.; professor and director, vision center laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego
ALDRICH, RICHARD W.; professor and Karl Folkers Chair, section of neurobiology, center for learning and memory, University of Texas, Austin
ALLEY, RICHARD B.; Evan Pugh Professor of Geosciences, department of geosciences and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute, Pennsylvania State University, University Park
ANSELIN, LUC E.; Foundation Professor and director, School of Geographical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe
ARNOLD, FRANCES H.; Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry, department of chemistry and chemical engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
BEUTLER, BRUCE A.; professor and chair, department of genetics, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.
BEVAN, MICHAEL J.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor, department of immunology, University of Washington, Seattle
BOTCHAN, MICHAEL R.; professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, department of molecular and cell biology, University of California, Berkeley
BOXER, STEVEN G.; Camille and Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
BOYLE, EDWARD A.; professor of ocean geochemistry, department of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
BUCHWALD, STEPHEN L.; Camille Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
CARRINGTON, JAMES C.; professor, department of botany and plant pathology, and director, center for genome research and biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis
CARTER, EMILY A.; Arthur W. Marks '19 Professor, department of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
CRABTREE, GEORGE W.; senior scientist and director, materials science division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill.
CROPPER, MAUREEN L.; professor of economics, University of Maryland, College Park
DARST, SETH A.; Jack Fisherman Professor and head, laboratory of molecular biophysics, Rockefeller University, New York City
DE LONG, EDWARD F.; professor, department of civil and environmental engineering, division of biological engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
DILL, KENNETH A.; professor of pharmaceutical chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics, department of pharmaceutical chemistry, University of California, San Francisco
FULLER, MARGARET T.; Reed-Hodgson Professor in Human Biology and professor of genetics, department of developmental biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.
GEISLER, WILSON S.; professor of psychology and biomedical engineering and David Wechsler Regents Chair, department of psychology, University of Texas, Austin
GREENBERG, MICHAEL E.; professor, departments of neurology and neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, and director, division of neuroscience, Children's Hospital, Boston
GRUNSTEIN, MICHAEL; professor of biological chemistry, department of biological chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
GUYER, JANE I.; professor of anthropology, department of anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
HERNQUIST, LARS E.; professor, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.
HILLIS, DAVID M.; director, center for computational biology and bioinformatics, and Roark Centennial Professor, University of Texas, Austin
HOFER, HELMUT; professor, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York City
HU, EVELYN L.; professor, electrical and computer engineering department, University of California, Santa Barbara
JACOBSEN, ERIC N.; Sheldon Emery Professor of Chemistry, department of chemistry and chemical biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
JENKINS, NANCY A.; deputy director and principal investigator, cell cycle control, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Proteos, Singapore
JONES, PETER WILCOX; professor, department of mathematics, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
KASTNER, MARC A.; Donner Professor and dean of science, School of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
KAUFMAN, THOMAS C.; Distinguished Professor of Biology, department of biology, Indiana University, Bloomington
KAY, STEVE A.; Dean and Richard C. Atkinson Chair, division of biological sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
KESSLER, RONALD C.; professor, department of health care policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston
KOTTAK, CONRAD P.; Julian H. Steward Collegiate Professor of Anthropology, department of anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
LEIGHTON, FRANK T.; professor of applied mathematics, department of mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
LEVY, RONALD; professor of medicine and chief, division of oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
LIGGETT, THOMAS M.; professor, department of mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles
LINDE, ANDREI; professor of physics, Stanford Institute of Theoretical Physics, department of physics, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
LIPPINCOTT-SCHWARTZ, JENNIFER; chief, section on organelle biology, cell biology and metabolism branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
MANDEL, GAIL; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and senior scientist, Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland
MANGELSDORF, DAVID J.; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and chair, department of pharmacology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
MASKIN, ERIC S.; Albert O. Hirschman Professor of Social Science, school of social science, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J.
MAX, CLAIRE E.; professor, astronomer, and director, center for adaptive optics, University of California, Santa Cruz
MILLER, DAVID A.B.; W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Electrical Engineering, Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
MOVSHON, J. ANTHONY; Silver Professor and director, center for neural science, New York University, New York City
MURDOCH, WILLIAM W.; Charles A. Storke II Professor, department of ecology, evolution, and marine biology, University of California, Santa Barbara
OLDSTONE, MICHAEL B.A.; professor and head, viral-immunobiology laboratory, department of immunology and microbial science, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.
OLSEN, PAUL E.; Arthur D. Storke Memorial Professor, department of earth and environmental sciences, Columbia University, Palisades, N.Y.
PALMER, ROBERT B.; senior scientist and group leader, advanced accelerator group, department of physics, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, N.Y.
PARKIN, STUART S.P.; IBM Fellow and manager, magnetoelectronics, IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, Calif.
PRESCOTT, EDWARD C.; W.P. Carey Professor of Economics, department of economics, Arizona State University, Tempe
PRIVES, CAROL L.; DaCosta Professor of Biology, department of biological sciences, Columbia University, New York City
RANDALL, LISA J.; professor of theoretical physics, department of physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
RAO, ANJANA; professor of pathology and senior investigator, Immune Disease Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston
RINE, JASPER; professor of genetics, genomics, and development, department of molecular and cell biology, University of California, Berkeley
RUVKUN, GARY; professor of genetics, department of molecular biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
SCHEINKMAN, JOSE A.; Theodore A. Wells '29 Professor of Economics, department of economics, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J.
SCHMIDT, BRIAN P.; Australian Research Council Federation Fellow, Mount Stromlo Observatory, Australian National University, Weston Creek, ACT
SCHMITT, JOHANNA; Stephen T. Olney Professor of Natural History, department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Brown University, Providence, R.I.
SEIBERG, NATHAN; professor, School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, N.J.
SEMENZA, GREGG L.; professor of pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore
SKOCPOL, THEDA; Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
SMOOT, GEORGE; professor and research scientist, department of physics and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
STRUHL, GARY; investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and professor, department of genetics and development, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City
SWAGER, TIMOTHY M.; John D. MacArthur Professor and head, department of chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
THOMPSON, ELIZABETH A.; professor, department of statistics, University of Washington, Seattle
THOMSON, JAMES; MacArthur Professor, departments of anatomy and of obstetrics and gynecology, Genome Center of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin, Madison
WISDOM, JACK L.; professor of plantary sciences, department of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
WRIGHT, PETER E.; Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Investigator, department of molecular biology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.
YANOFSKY, MARTIN F.; chair, section of cell and developmental biology, and professor, division of biological sciences, University of California, San Diego
Newly elected foreign associates, their affiliations at the time of election, and their country of citizenship are:
ASFAW, BERHANE; manager, Rift Valley Research Service, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
ASPECT, ALAIN; director of research and professor, Ecole Polytechnique Laboratoire Charles Fabry, Institut d'Optique, Orsay, France (France)
CAZENAVE, ANNY; senior scientist, Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), Toulouse, France (France)
COHEN, PHILIP; Royal Society Research Professor and director of MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
COWLING, RICHARD M.; professor, department of botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa (South Africa)
CUTLER, E. ANNE; professor, Institute for Cognition and Information, University of Nijmegen, and director, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Heilig Landstichting, Netherlands (Australia)
DEAN, CAROLINE; associate research director, John Innes Centre, Norwich, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
GRANT, B. ROSEMARY; research scholar, department of ecology and evolutionary biology, Princeton University, Princeton, N.J. (United Kingdom)
HAGGETT, PETER; senior research fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies and department of geographical sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
HOFFMANN, JULES A.; Distinguished Class Research Director, IBMC, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Strasbourg, France (France)
IMRY, YOSEPH; professor, department of condensed matter physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel (Israel)
LAWTON, JOHN H.; professor, Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
MARSHALL, BARRY J.; clinical professor of microbiology, University of Western Australia, Crawley (United Kingdom)
MOFFATT, H. KEITH; professor of mathematical physics emeritus, centre for mathematical physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom (United Kingdom)
RODRIGUEZ, LUIS F.; professor of astronomy, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Michoacan (Mexico)
ROSSANT, JANET; chief of research and senior scientist, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada and United Kingdom)
TAO, TERENCE C.; professor, department of mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles (Australia)
ZOLLER, PETER; University Professor, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria (Austria)
Craig Hogan, a member of one of the scientific teams that co-discovered dark energy, will soon assume dual roles as Director of the Center for Particle Astrophysics at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and as a Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago.
Hogan is a Professor of Astronomy and Physics at the University of Washington and a member of the international High-z Supernova Search Team that in 1998 co-discovered dark energy, the mysterious force that works against gravity to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Hogan's hiring is the first joint appointment since the University took a major role in managing Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy in 2007.
"Craig Hogan is an outstanding and respected leader in the field of particle astrophysics," said Fermilab Director Pier Oddone. "I am delighted that he will bring his energy and vision to Fermilab's Center for Particle Astrophysics, a vital part of Fermilab's scientific program."
Chicago scientists founded the field of particle astrophysics at Fermilab during the 1980s, said Edward "Rocky" Kolb, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Chicago. In this field, scientists study the connections between forces and objects at the largest and smallest scales of the universe.
"Craig is a high-profile scientist, and he sees a great future in the Fermilab-Chicago connection in particle astrophysics," Kolb said.
Said Hogan: "The cosmology and particle astrophysics community at Fermilab and the University of Chicago continues to lead the world in exploration of the inner space/outer space frontier. It's a place of great talent, diversity, creativity and intellectual excitement."
The cosmological frontier is as much about experiments and data as it is about crazy and cool ideas, he said. "The scientists and engineers at Fermilab build incredible machines-devices of unprecedented precision, sensitivity, sophistication and complexity.
"The physicists recognize that in addition to smashing particles in a lab, they can attack deep mysteries of the nature of time, space, matter and energy by using their powerful tools to study the cosmos. This is pushing technology, literally, to the limits-the smallest and biggest things, the farthest and earliest events, the densest and emptiest places, the bits and pieces of space and time themselves."
Hogan's University appointment includes affiliations with the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics and the Enrico Fermi Institute, where he began his research career in 1980. He will spend 75 percent of his time at Fermilab and 25 percent at the University. Nevertheless, the University will provide 50 percent of his salary as part of its commitment to operating Fermilab through the Fermi Research Alliance.
He is currently a member of two international scientific collaborations: the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). The LSST is a proposed 8.4-meter telescope that will image faint astronomical objects thousands of times across the entire sky, including exploding stars and potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids.
Expected to launch in the next decade, the satellite-based LISA mission will explore and measure the early universe using gravitational waves. These waves, never directly detected, are predicted in Einstein's theory of general relativity. Hogan also is pursuing theoretical studies of techniques for probing the quantum nature of space time directly in the laboratory.
Hogan earned his bachelor's degree in astronomy, with highest honors, from Harvard University in 1976, and his Ph.D. in astronomy from King's College at the University of Cambridge, England, in 1980. He was an Enrico Fermi Fellow at the University of Chicago in 1980-81, a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at Cambridge in 1981-82, and a Bantrell Prize Fellow in Theoretical Astrophysics at the California Institute of Technology from 1982-85.
Hogan joined the University of Arizona faculty in 1985, followed by the University of Washington in 1993. At Washington, he served as chair of the Astronomy Department for six years, as Divisional Dean of Natural Sciences for one year and as Vice Provost for Research for more than three-and-a-half years.
His honors include an Alexander von Humboldt Research Award and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship. He also is the author of The Little Book of the Big Bang. Published in 1998 by Springer-Verlag, the book has been translated into six languages.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (April 23, 2008) - Dr. Martin Fisher is transforming the lives of thousands of poor African farmers through a combination of technological invention and system-wide business development. In collaboration with his co-workers, Fisher, the 2008 recipient of the Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability, has already enabled over 310,000 people to rise out of poverty.
Fisher will accept his award and present his accomplishments to the public at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the second-annual EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit, June 25-28, presented by the Lemelson-MIT Program.
"By learning and understanding African societal needs and cultures firsthand, Fisher has harnessed the entrepreneurial drive of many Africans and empowered them with sustainable technological inventions," noted Joshua Schuler, executive director of the Lemelson-MIT Program.
According to the United Nations, more than 40 percent of Africans live in poverty, subsisting on less than US$1 a day. As co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit social enterprise KickStart, Fisher develops and markets moneymaking tools such as low-cost, human-powered irrigation pumps that improve the lives of small-scale rural farmers ¾ the majority of the poor in sub-Saharan Africa.
"These poor rural farmers have one asset: a small plot of land; and one basic skill: farming. The best business they can pursue is irrigated farming," Fisher explained. "Once they employ irrigation, the farmers can grow and sell high-value crops, like fruits and vegetables. They can grow year-round and reap four or five harvests, instead of waiting for the rain to grow a staple crop once or twice a year."
Making a Difference with MoneyMaker Pumps
Among the tools and devices designed and produced by Fisher and the KickStart team, the greatest impact comes from their line of MoneyMaker manual irrigation pumps.
Inspired by a treadle pump used in Bangladesh and India, these pumps are distinguished by features, which include easy installment and maintenance, portability, and pressurization to facilitate irrigation on hillside landscapes.
The Super MoneyMaker Pump, the most widely used model of these pumps, can pull water from a source (such as a pond, lake, stream, or well) as deep as 30 feet below the pump. It can then pressurize the water and spray it continuously to a height over 40 feet above the pump. It can also push water through a hosepipe for as far as 1,000 feet on flat ground, and it has the ability to irrigate as much as two acres of land. It retails for about US$100, and its users are earning an average of US$1,000 profit per year.
More recently, Fisher and his KickStart team invented the MoneyMaker Hip Pump, which is more affordable than the Super MoneyMaker Pump to lower barriers of entry to commercial irrigation. Unlike a treadle pump, its unique pivoted design allows the operator to pump water using his or her arms, legs, and body weight in an easy-to-use rocking motion. More than 4,300 farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mali are already using this pump. The Hip Pump retails for about US$35; it can be used to irrigate over an acre of land, and its users are earning an average annual profit of US$650.
"The MoneyMaker pumps Martin designed are inspirational on many levels," said award nominator David M. Kelley, IDEO chairman and founder of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University. "The inventions are remarkable in the huge impacts they have had on poverty and the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor farmers in Africa. They are an exceedingly simple solution to a very complex problem."
At present, nearly 62,000 small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs in Kenya, Tanzania and Mali are running profitable businesses by using MoneyMaker pumps. On average, farmers double or triple their annual net household incomes. Current pump users generate total new revenues equivalent to 0.6 percent of Kenya's GDP, and 0.25 percent of Tanzania's GDP.
KickStarting Sustainability
In 1984, while a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Stanford University, Fisher traveled to Peru where he first witnessed rural poverty. The experience motivated him to explore ways technology and engineering could be applied to alleviate poverty. After completing his degree he won a Fulbright Scholarship to study technology-oriented solutions for rural poverty in Kenya. Fisher went for 10 months and stayed for 17 years. As he worked on traditional development projects for the first five years, he became increasingly disillusioned by the lack of sustainable impacts on poverty. In collaboration with fellow development worker Nick Moon, Fisher established ApproTEC - the organization that would become KickStart.
"The vast majority of development is about giving things away, and most development agencies see the poor as victims asking for help," Fisher explained. "At KickStart, we have a very different opinion of them. We see them as entrepreneurs. We see them as extremely hardworking people seeking the opportunity to get out of poverty."
Inventing something is only one step in the process of a successful innovation. Fisher knows this well ¾ he supports his inventions with a market-based development approach that ‘kick-starts' a sustainable cycle of wealth creation. Fisher commercializes his inventions through a private sector supply chain, which is profitable for the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. Centralized manufacturing and a nationwide retail network ensure high quality, economies of scale, and locally available spare parts. KickStart will soon break ground on a new technology development center in Nairobi.
"In creating KickStart, Martin has created a model that is, by design, sustainable and easily replicated nearly anywhere in the world where people suffer grinding poverty," said award nominator Frances B. Emerson, vice president of corporate communications at Deere and Company. "Because of the quantum leap in income brought about by these technologies, the journey out of poverty is a one-way trip."
ABOUT THE LEMELSON-MIT PROGRAM
The Lemelson-MIT Program recognizes outstanding inventors, encourages sustainable new solutions to real-world problems, and enables and inspires young people to pursue creative lives and careers through invention. This June it will announce the 2008 winner of the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize.
Jerome H. Lemelson, one of U.S. history's most prolific inventors, and his wife Dorothy founded the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1994. It is funded by the Lemelson Foundation, a philanthropy that celebrates and supports inventors and entrepreneurs in order to strengthen social and economic life in the U.S. and developing countries. More information on the Lemelson-MIT Program is online at http://web.mit.edu/invent/.
ABOUT KICKSTART
KickStart is a non-profit organization that develops and markets new technologies in Africa. These low-cost technologies are bought by local entrepreneurs and used to establish highly profitable new small businesses. They create new jobs and wealth, enabling the poor to climb out of poverty forever. http://www.kickstart.org/.
# # #
Research in Plasma Physics has multiple and rich outcomes with direct and/or indirect applications. These applications, which
are sometimes inconspicuous and even unknown to the layman, can have significant impacts on daily human life as well as on economic activity. Surprisingly, some of the impacts seem far from the basic Plasma Physics research which gave birth to these key original ideas, but nonetheless represent exemplary innovative strategies. Today, applications of Plasma Physics flourish in vastly different domains, such as radioactive waste transmutation, medicine, isotope separation processes (with fundamental applications to cancer therapy), infection treatment, material processing, torch cutting and welding, flat TV screens, lighting systems, thrusters, as well as countless other medical, industrial and engineering applications. Within the general framework of the relationship between "Science and Society", there is a strong effort on communication between research and public domains in many countries.
The European Physical Society is keenly aware of these important applications. As a dual gesture of stimulation and
recognition, a new annual prize has been created by the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society. This prize targets
research which has demonstrably led to robust innovative applications or important effects on society. Nominations in any fields are
encouraged."
Establishment and Support
The prize is established in 2008 and supported by the Plasma Physics Division of the European Physics Society. The Prize is given once a year and consists of 1500 euros and a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient.
Rules and eligibility :
Nominees need not now be working on the topics. Any work developped within the five last years (defined with respect to the concerned submission year) may be submitted. The recognized contribution may be a product, a process or a tool enabling practical application issued directly from plasma physics fields. Nominees need not to be EPS members. Nominees candidatures are submitted by nominators as detailed below. Self nominations are also encouraged. There is no restriction in terms of geography and/or nationality.
Nominations and selection Process
A broad spectrum of nominations and in particular from smaller companies/institutions/National and/or Universities laboratories as
well as larger ones is encouraged. To complete the nomination, you (the nominator) are asked to provide the following documents :
1. The references of the nominee (Name, firstname, full professional address, email address, phone and fax numbers).
2. The topical group (within the Plasma Physics division) best qualified to assess the nomination.
3. A suggested citation (maximum 250 characters).
4. A supporting summary describing the significance of the nominee's work (this description is limited to 2 pages).
5. Nominee's principal publications (at most 10).
6. Nominee's other contributions (main invited talks, patents, professional service, etc.).
7. Nominee's academic background.
8. Nominee's employment background.
9. Nominee's professional honors.
10. Your name, full address and email address.
11. Your letter of support. (maximum 1 page)
12. Additional letters of support (at most 2 beyond yours); maximum 1 page each.
These materials are due by April 30th 2008. The committee will then recommend one of the finalists to the EPS Executive Board, and the recipient of the Prize will be announced after the Board has approved the recommendation, by May 18th 2008.
The Prize will be presented during the forthcoming EPS meeting to be held in Hersonissos (Crete, Greece, 9‑13 June 2008). Finalist
nominations will remain active through three prize cycles.
Important deadlines :
Announcement March 23rd, 2008
Applications April 30th, 2008
Decision May 18th, 2008
Submission:
All proposals can be sent to : bertrand.lembege@cetp.ispl.fr
Contacts: Bertrand Lembege, Jorg Winter, Holger Kernsten and Jo Lister.
The National Science Board (NSB) today announced that Norman R. Augustine will receive its 2008 Vannevar Bush Award for his distinguished public service leadership in science, engineering and technology; for his longstanding commitment to the ethical conduct of business and the engineering profession; and for his extraordinary contributions to the welfare of the nation through his advocacy of science, technology and engineering education as national priorities. The NSB will honor Augustine at a black-tie dinner ceremony on May 6 at the U.S. Department of State.
NSB is the 24-member policy-making body of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and advises the president and Congress on matters of U.S. science and engineering policy. Each year, the NSB presents the Vannevar Bush Award to an individual whom, through public service activities in science and technology, has made an outstanding "contribution toward the welfare of mankind and the nation."
"Norm Augustine has served as a superior leader in science, technology and engineering; performed tremendous service to the U.S. government, private industry and scientific enterprise," said Board Chairman Steven Beering. "He's made exceptional contributions to advancing the nation."
 Augustine has demonstrated ethical and responsible leadership throughout his distinguished career, most recently in the private sector, and prior to that in government. He played a prominent role in the 1995 merger of Martin Marietta and Lockheed, one of the largest aerospace and defense mergers in history. He had first served as vice president of aerospace technical operations and then director at Martin Marietta Corporation. Most recently he was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the Lockheed Martin Corporation. He retired from his management roles in 1998, but remained an active director until 2005. He was also a professor at Princeton University, his alma mater.
Prior to his work in corporate America, Augustine applied his science and technology talents in key government positions under two U.S. presidents. He served as assistant secretary for research and development of the Army from 1973 to 1975, and then undersecretary of the Army from 1975 to 1977.
The Bush Award will be in good company among Augustine's honors. He was presented the National Medal of Technology by the president of the United States and received the Joint Chiefs of Staff Distinguished Public Service Award. He has five times received the Department of Defense's highest civilian decoration, the Distinguished Service Medal. He is co-author of The Defense Revolution and Shakespeare In Charge and author of Augustine's Laws and Augustine's Travels.
Augustine's current and past contributions to corporate, nonprofit and university boards are numerous. He is a current member of the board of directors of ConocoPhillips and Black & Decker, and has recently retired from the board of Procter & Gamble.
Augustine served as chairman and principal officer of the American Red Cross for 9 years, as well as chairman of the National Academy of Engineering, president and chairman of the Association of the United States Army, chairman of the Aerospace Industries Association, and chairman of the Defense Science Board. He is a trustee emeritus of Johns Hopkins and a former member of the board of trustees of Princeton and MIT.
He holds 22 honorary degrees and was selected by Who's Who in America and the Library of Congress as one of "Fifty Great Americans" on the occasion of Who's Who's 50th anniversary.
The University of Pittsburgh today announced the creation of a new Center for Energy as part of what Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg referred to as "the increasing need to address the complex energy challenges of our time, which call for more reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly energy sources."
The Center for Energy, housed in the Swanson School of Engineering, comprises more than 40 world-class faculty members and their research teams who will apply deep and diverse expertise across a broad spectrum of energy-related projects as well as education and outreach activities. The center's five areas of research are energy diversification, renewable energy, clean coal technologies, hydrogen, and environmental solutions.
"Energy will be a defining social issue for the next generation," said Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor James V. Maher. "We want to accelerate our research in order to be positioned to have a significant and positive impact on the environment as well as the economy while further establishing our home region as a leader in energy research."
Areas of energy research at Pitt already include subjects as diverse as harnessing solar energy and creating clean coal technologies, to developing synthetic and biomass-derived fuels, gas hydrates, high-temperature coatings, and fuel cells. Faculty members from the Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Geology and Planetary Science, Physics, and Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science are participating in the new center.
Pitt's U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering Gerald Holder said the Center for Energy's mission extends beyond research to include partnering with industry, government, and other universities. "We have already developed an educational program in nuclear engineering," Holder said. "We expect to develop partnerships in other areas, including power transmission and mining engineering."
Brian Gleeson, Harry S. Tack Chair in Materials Science and a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, serves as the director of the center; Laura Schaefer, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, is the assistant director.
The new center also will be linked to the Pitt-Bradford energy initiative, which has the mission to facilitate education and outreach programs in energy, particularly the regional resources of petroleum and renewables.
For more information, visit the Center for Energy Web site.
Michael R. Luther has been named deputy associate administrator for programs in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the directorate, made the announcement Wednesday.
Luther will be responsible for overseeing the safe and successful execution of the directorate's 36 missions currently in formulation and development, as well as 54 operating science missions. Prior to this appointment, Luther was deputy director for programs in the Science Mission Directorate's Earth Science Division.
"Mike brings an unprecedented amount of knowledge in overall science programs along with extensive experience in Earth research. That experience will be invaluable as we prepare for upcoming Earth-related launches and campaigns," said Weiler.
Luther began his tenure at NASA Headquarters in 1987 and has served as program manager of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite and Earth science flight program director. He has worked at NASA since 1981 when he joined Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. In 2005, Luther received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
"It is an honor and a privilege to assist Ed Weiler and Deputy Associate Administrator Chuck Gay in managing the world's premier civilian space science organization," Luther said. Luther's predecessor, Todd May, who served in the position since 2007, will return to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate conducts research and scientific programs to observe the Earth, study space weather and explore the solar system and the universe beyond. To achieve these scientific goals, NASA manages a diverse constellation of spacecraft and conducts an assortment of grant-based research programs.
Michael R. Luther has been named deputy associate administrator for programs in NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the directorate, made the announcement Wednesday.
Luther will be responsible for overseeing the safe and successful execution of the directorate's 36 missions currently in formulation and development, as well as 54 operating science missions. Prior to this appointment, Luther was deputy director for programs in the Science Mission Directorate's Earth Science Division.
"Mike brings an unprecedented amount of knowledge in overall science programs along with extensive experience in Earth research. That experience will be invaluable as we prepare for upcoming Earth-related launches and campaigns," said Weiler.
Luther began his tenure at NASA Headquarters in 1987 and has served as program manager of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite and Earth science flight program director. He has worked at NASA since 1981 when he joined Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va. In 2005, Luther received the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
"It is an honor and a privilege to assist Ed Weiler and Deputy Associate Administrator Chuck Gay in managing the world's premier civilian space science organization," Luther said. Luther's predecessor, Todd May, who served in the position since 2007, will return to Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
NASA's Science Mission Directorate conducts research and scientific programs to observe the Earth, study space weather and explore the solar system and the universe beyond. To achieve these scientific goals, NASA manages a diverse constellation of spacecraft and conducts an assortment of grant-based research programs.
The Silver Dirac Medal for the Advancement of Theoretical Physics is awarded by the University of New South Wales on the occasion of the Public Dirac Lecture. The Lecture and the Medal commemorate the visit to the University in 1975 of Professor P.A.M. Dirac, one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the century. Professor Dirac gave five lectures at the University, which were subsequently published as a book Directions of Physics (Wiley, 1978 – H. Hora and J. Shepanski, eds.). Professor Dirac kindly donated the royalties from this book to the University for the establishment of the Dirac Lecture series.
Harald Fritzsch is the 17th recipient of the Dirac medal and will speak on the 15 April 2008 at the University of New South Wales on the fundamental constants in physics, and the advantages of quantum optic experiments in understanding the values of these constants.
Continue reading "Fritzsch to receive University of South Wales Dirac medal" »
Jefferson Science Associates, LLC today announced that Hugh Montgomery will become the new Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia. Currently the Associate Director for Research at DOE’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Montgomery will take charge of Jefferson Lab on September 2.
Continue reading "Hugh Montgomery named as new leader of Jefferson lab" »
NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin issued the following statement Wednesday regarding the announcement that Dr. S.
Alan Stern, NASA associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, has decided to leave the agency.
"Alan has rendered invaluable service to NASA as the Principal Investigator for the Pluto/New Horizons mission, as a member of the
NASA Advisory Council, and as the associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate. While I deeply regret his decision to
leave NASA, I understand his reasons for doing so, and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
Griffin also announced that Dr. Edward J. Weiler, director of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., will serve as interim associate administrator.
Weiler was appointed to Goddard in August 2004. Previously, he had served as the associate administrator for the agency's Space Science Enterprise from 1998 to 2004.
Prior to his selection as associate administrator, Weiler served as the director of the Astronomical Search for Origins Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. He also served as the chief scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 until 1998. Weiler joined Headquarters in 1978 as a staff scientist and was promoted to the chief of the Ultraviolet/Visible and Gravitational Astrophysics Division in 1979.
"Though we regret Alan's departure, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Ed Weiler back to NASA HQ once again to assume the mantle of SMD
leadership. With his experienced guidance, science at NASA will continue to thrive," said Griffin.
A native of Chicago, Weiler earned his doctorate in Astrophysics from Northwestern University in 1976.
USA Today: (March 26, 2008)--Miguel Jose Yacaman, a world-renowned authority in the field of nanotechnology, has joined The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to chair the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the College of Sciences. Yacaman joins UTSA after serving seven years at The University of Texas at Austin.
Continue reading "Physics and astronomy department names chair" »
The President of the Republic of Cyprus T. Papadopoulos, awarded on behalf of the citizens of Cyprus, Ernest J. Moniz, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics at MIT and Director of MIT’s Energy Initiative, the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III. This award, which represents the highest honor of the Republic of Cyprus was bestowed to Prof. Moniz “for his contributions in the development of research, technology and education in Cyprus and the wider region”.
Professor E.J. Moniz has been actively involved with the planning and development of the Cyprus Institute since its inception in 2001. He played a leading role in the establishment of the first Research Center of the Institute, the “Energy, Environment and Water Research Center, which is being developed in collaboration with MIT.
The 2008 Dan David Prize honors Ellen Mosley-Thompson and Lonnie G. Thompson, jointly, in the field of Geosciences for their separate and joint efforts in studying the geological and environmental records in ice cores ranging from the polar regions to the highest tropical and subtropical mountains on six continents and remote islands; and for providing high-resolution environmental histories that contribute to the understanding of complex interactions in the Earth's outer envelopes, such as the fast melting of mountain glaciers worldwide and the retreat and disintegration of polar icecaps.
The 2008 Dan David Prize honors Geoffrey Eglinton in the field of Geosciences for his studies of organic chemical fossils, which revealed the inhabitants and climates of ancient worlds and the mechanisms by which their products yield essential resources for the future; for his pioneering and modern investigations of chemical fossils in sedimentary rocks; and for revolutionizing standards for the identification of molecular structures, introducing systematic considerations of chemical histories, and undertaking seminal studies of the molecular processes affecting sedimentary organic matter.
WASHINGTON -- The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 65 new members and nine foreign associates, NAE President Charles M. Vest announced today. This brings the total U.S. membership to 2,227 and the number of foreign associates to 194.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature," and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education."
Continue reading "National Academy of Engineering Elects 65 Members and Nine Foreign Associates" »
Menlo Park, CA—Professor Burton Richter has been named the winner of the 2007 Philip Hauge Abelson Prize by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The prize will be awarded to Richter by AAAS President David Baltimore and CEO Alan I. Leshner at the 174th AAAS Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, February 16, 2008.
Continue reading "SLAC Director Emeritus Awarded the 2007 AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize" »
February 12, 2008 – Stuart Wolf, a professor in both the University of Virginia's Department of Physics and its Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been named the new director of U.Va.'s Institute for Nanoscale and Quantum Scientific and Technological Advanced Research, or "nanoSTAR."
Continue reading "Stuart Wolf Named New Leader of University of Virginia's Nanotechnology Efforts" »
The 2008 Rossi Prize has been awarded to four scientists for their pioneering work on the use of X-ray observations to study the physics and evolution of clusters of galaxies, and on the use of clusters as cosmological probes.
Continue reading "Top High-Energy Prize to Scientists Working on Galaxy Clusters" »
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy 2008 with one half (mathematics) jointly to Maxim Kontsevich, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHÉS), Bures-sur-Yvette, France, and Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA, “for their important contributions to mathematics inspired by modern theoretical physics", and the other half (astronomy) to Rashid Alievich Sunyaev, Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Garching, Germany, “for his decisive contributions to high-energy astrophysics and cosmology, in particular processes and dynamics around black holes and neutron stars and demonstration of the diagnostic power of structures in the background radiation".
Continue reading "The Crafoord Prize in Mathematics and Astronomy 2008" »
William Madia, a former director of two national laboratories and senior executive overseeing research laboratories for Battelle, has been appointed to the position of vice president for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), President John Hennessy announced today.
Continue reading "William Madia appointed vice president for SLAC" »
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has selected Stanley Hart of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as the 13th recipient of the Arthur L. Day Prize and Lectureship. Hart, a scientist emeritus in the WHOI Department of Geology and Geophysics, was recognized for making lasting contributions to the study of the physics of the Earth. The $20,000 prize will be awarded on April 27, 2008, at the annual meeting of the Academy in Washington, D.C.
Continue reading "WHOI Geochemist Awarded for Contributions to Studies of the Physics of the Earth" »
Nobel laureate Peter C. Agre, a chemist and Vice Chancellor for Science and Technology at Duke University School of Medicine, has been chosen to serve as president-elect of AAAS beginning 19 February, at the close of the 2008 Annual Meeting in Boston. Agre would assume the presidency of AAAS in February 2009.
Continue reading "Nobel Laureate Peter Agre to Serve As AAAS President-Elect" »
WASHINGTON -- The National Academy of Sciences has selected Norman P. Neureiter to receive its most prestigious award, the Public Welfare Medal. Established in 1914, the medal is presented annually to honor extraordinary use of science for public good. The Academy chose Neureiter for enhancing the status of science and technology in the U.S. State Department as the first science and technology adviser to the secretary of state and for spurring international cooperation in science and technology under U.S. leadership.
Continue reading "Norman P. Neureiter to receive Public Welfare Medal" »
The United Nations (UN) 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. The Resolution was submitted by Italy, Galileo Galilei's home country. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is an initiative of the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO.
Continue reading "United Nations declares 2009 the International Year of Astronomy" »
Menlo Park, CA—Persis S. Drell has been named director of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), effective immediately, Stanford University President John Hennessy announced Thursday. Drell, a professor of physics at SLAC, has held a series of senior positions at the laboratory since 2002 and has served as acting director since September. Stanford University operates SLAC on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science.
Continue reading "Persis S. Drell Named Fourth Director of the U.S. Department of Energy's Stanford Linear Accelerator Center" »
Qian Xuesen, China's leading pioneer in nuclear and space science, was hailed for his contributions to the development of China's nuclear and space industries at a seminar in his honor on Monday.
The workshop, with the theme "Learning from Qian's example in his innovative thought in research and fostering leading scientists in science and technology", marked his 96th birthday, to fall on Tuesday.
Delegates honored his outstanding contribution in fostering students, and called for carrying forward his spirit of patriotism.
Qian last week said that fostering leading scientists was a "primary issue" for the nation's future and should be "properly handled", said his secretary and academic assistant, Tu Yuanji.
Tu told the seminar that Qian had a "fairly good" health, and most of the past year he had stayed at home, "reading something every day while leading a peaceful life".
"The problem that most concerns him is that China is in great need of leading scientific personnel," Tu said.
Premier Wen Jiabao visited Qian at his home in July 2005 and August this year, and they discussed proposals on fostering leading scientists.
Qian told Wen, "The successful handling of the relationship between science and art will help the Chinese to be innovative and to be more competitive than other nations."
Qian, a member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, graduated from Shanghai Communications University in 1934.
In 1935, he went to study in the aviation department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later studied aviation engineering at the California Institute of Technology. In 1939, he received a doctorate in aviation and mathematics.
The value of mentoring in developing the scientists of the future was at front and center with the latest Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM), a program supported and administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF).The winners of the 2006 competition -- comprising 10 individuals and one organization and representing a number of scientific disciplines -- were announced at the White House on Nov. 16.
Continue reading "President Honors Mentors of Scientists and Engineers" »
|
