Michael Dine, distinguished professor and chair of physics at UC Santa Cruz, has received the 2010-11 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences. The award recognizes faculty who have provided outstanding contributions in the areas of research, teaching, and service to the campus and community.
"In all aspects, Professor Dine is an extraordinary faculty member, truly deserving of this award. He is an internationally known and widely respected scientist who is held in high regard for his excellence in research, teaching, and service," wrote Paul Koch, interim dean of Physical and Biological Sciences, in a letter announcing the award.
Dine is a high-energy physicist who has made important contributions in the areas of theoretical particle physics, the phenomenology of fundamental particle interactions, superstring theory, and theories of new physics beyond the standard model. The standard model is a very successful theory explaining the interactions of elementary particles, yet it is known to be incomplete. The principle goal of Dine's research has been to address questions left unanswered by the standard model. His work also addresses big questions in cosmology, such as the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
Students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels have praised Dine for his teaching abilities. His students consistently acknowledge his enthusiasm and deep understanding of the material he teaches. He is also known as an outstanding mentor of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, with many of his students moving on to high-profile jobs, both in the United States and abroad.
Dine co-organized the Theoretical Advanced Study Institute in Particle Physics (TASI) at Boulder, Colorado, and served as chair of the TASI advisory committee. He has also served as an editor of the Journal of High Energy Physics and on numerous National Science Foundation advisory panels. At UCSC, Dine has been active on recruitment committees for the Departments of Physics and Mathematics, and he co-chaired the 5th Annual Undergraduate Women in Physics conference held at UCSC.
A fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dine joined the UCSC faculty in 1990.
