American Astronomical Society Recognizes CfA Researchers
This week, the American Astronomical Society is meeting in Kissimmee, Florida. Often described as the Super Bowl of Astronomy," these meetings include announcements of new discoveries, scientific lectures, and awards presentations. Several CfA scientists will be featured.
Prominent Smithsonian astronomer Giovanni Fazio will present the Henry Norris Russell Lecture. Fazio was recognized for his lifetime of preeminent astronomical research. His lecture "Viewing the Universe with Infrared Eyes: The Spitzer Space Telescope" describes how Spitzer opened a new window onto the infrared universe. Fazio serves as principal investigator on Spitzer’s Infrared Array Camera.
It was also announced that Harvard assistant professor Karin Oberg is the recipient of the 2016 Newton Lacy Pierce Prize. The Pierce Prize is awarded annually for outstanding achievement over the past five years in observational astronomical research based on measurements of radiation from astronomical objects. It is given to an astronomer who has not attained 36 years of age in the year designated for the award.
The citation reads: The AAS awards Dr. Karin I. Oberg the Pierce Prize for her research on the astrochemistry and astrophysics of ices and molecules in star-forming regions and proto-planetary disks. The panel recognizes Dr. Oberg's scientific leadership in her ability to identify important, well-defined, and tractable problems, yielding fundamental advances in the field of star and planet formation. Dr. Oberg's combination of experimental work matched to focused millimeter observations and comparison simulations provides novel insight into the details of chemical processes taking place in planet-forming circumstellar disks. The resulting implications for star- and planet-formation chemistry, and in particular evidence for the ubiquity of complex organic chemistry, have a significant impact across astrophysics, astrochemistry, and astrobiology.
Finally, Smithsonian astronomer Christine Jones is currently serving as president-elect of the American Astronomical Society. She will become president in June 2016 and serve in that role for two years.