Astronomy & Astrophysics
-
Astronomer Joseph Miller receives Berkeley Medal and UC Citation of Excellence
The University of California, Berkeley, has awarded its highest honor, the Berkeley Medal, to Joseph Miller, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz. Miller, who served as director of UC Observatories/Lick Observatory for 14 years before stepping down last year, also received the UC Citation of Excellence. Both awards were presented at a…
-
UC appoints Michael Bolte director of UC Observatories/Lick Observatory
The University of California has appointed Michael Bolte, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, as the director of UC Observatories/Lick Observatory (UCO/Lick). The appointment, effective as of July 1, was announced jointly today (October 27) by UC Provost Rory Hume and UCSC Acting Chancellor George Blumenthal. Michael Bolte (Photo: Tim Stephens) UC…
-
ARCS Foundation scholarships support ten UCSC graduate students
Ten UC Santa Cruz graduate students have received scholarships worth a total of $100,000 from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Foundation for the 2006-07 academic year. The Northern California chapter of the ARCS Foundation is the most generous provider of annual private awards to the UCSC campus and has provided more than $1…
-
Planet hunters wanted to help astronomers in the search for new worlds
Astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are seeking the public’s help to find and understand planets outside our solar system. But you don’t need an advanced degree or even a telescope to participate–just a computer, access to the Internet, and an interest in astronomy. The project, called Systemic, enlists volunteers to help astronomers…
-
UCSC astronomer Constance Rockosi wins prestigious Packard Fellowship
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering to Constance Rockosi, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The Packard Fellowship, worth a total of $625,000, is one of the nation’s most prestigious honors for young faculty members. Rockosi will receive $125,000…
-
Astronomers trace the evolution of the first galaxies in the universe
A systematic search for the first bright galaxies to form in the early universe has revealed a dramatic jump in the number of such galaxies around 13 billion years ago. These observations of the earliest stages in the evolution of galaxies provide new evidence for the hierarchical theory of galaxy formation–the idea that large galaxies…
-
UCSC leads astrophysics research consortium
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a five-year, $9.5 million grant to researchers studying the astrophysics of supernovae and gamma-ray bursts. The Computational Astrophysics Consortium includes researchers at five universities and three national laboratories and is led by Stan Woosley, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The…
-
A simple survey yields a cosmic conundrum
A survey of galaxies observed along the sightlines to quasars and gamma-ray bursts–both extremely luminous, distant objects–has revealed a puzzling inconsistency. Galaxies appear to be four times more common in the direction of gamma-ray bursts than in the direction of quasars. Quasars are thought to be powered by accretion of material onto supermassive black holes…
-
UCSC scientists to discuss life on Earth in conjunction with world premiere of Frans Lanting’s Life: A Journey through Time
A scientific forum exploring advances in the understanding of life on Earth will take place on Monday, July 31, at 7 p.m. at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. The forum is being held in conjunction with Life: A Journey through Time, a multimedia presentation by photographer Frans Lanting, which has its world premiere this month…
-
Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Harvard Centennial Medal
Sandra Faber, University Professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has been awarded the Centennial Medal of the Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). The Centennial Medal, first awarded in 1989 on the 100th anniversary of the GSAS, honors alumni for contributions to society that have emerged…
-
Hubble surveys find gamma-ray bursts and supernovae in different environments
Long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are associated with the deaths of only the most massive stars and occur relatively rarely in spiral galaxies such as our own Milky Way, according to research published online in Nature this week. That’s good news, because a nearby gamma-ray burst could wreak havoc on Earth by destroying the ozone layer…