Irwin I. Shapiro
| Irwin I. Shapiro | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Irwin Ira Shapiro[1] October 10, 1929 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Alma mater |
Cornell University Harvard University |
| Thesis | Methods of Approximation for High Energy Nuclear Scattering (1955) |
| Notable students |
Steven J. Ostro Alyssa A. Goodman |
| Known for | Shapiro time delay |
| Notable awards |
Albert A. Michelson Medal Dannie Heineman Prize (1983) Brouwer Award Charles A. Whitten Medal (1991) William Bowie Medal Albert Einstein Medal Gerard P. Kuiper Prize Einstein Prize |
Irwin Ira Shapiro (born October 10, 1929 in New York City) is an American astrophysicist and Timken University Professor at Harvard University. He has been a professor at Harvard since 1982.[2] He was the director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1982 to 2004.[3][4]
Career
A native of New York, Shapiro graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City. He later received his B.A. in Mathematics from Cornell University, and later a M.A. and Ph.D in Physics from Harvard University. He joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory in 1954 and became a professor of physics there in 1967. In 1982, he took a position as professor and Guggenheim Fellow[5] at his alma mater, Harvard, and also became director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 1997, he became the first Timken University Professor at the university.[2]
Shapiro's research interests include astrophysics, astrometry, geophysics, gravitation, including the use of gravitational lenses to assess the age of the universe.[6] In 1981, Edward Bowell discovered the 3832 main belt asteroid and it was later named after Shapiro by his former student Steven J. Ostro.[7]
Honors
Awards
- Albert A. Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute (1975)[8]
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the American Astronomical Society (1983)
- Brouwer Award from the American Astronomical Society's Division on Dynamical Astronomy (1988)
- Charles A. Whitten Medal from the American Geophysical Union (1991)
- William Bowie Medal from the American Geophysical Union (1993)
- Albert Einstein Medal from the Albert Einstein Society (1994)
- Gerard P. Kuiper Prize from the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences (1997)
- Einstein Prize from the American Physical Society (2013)[9]
Eponyms
- Shapiro time delay, discovered by Shapiro in 1964
- 3832 Shapiro, asteroid named after Shapiro in 1981
References
- ↑ http://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu/id.php?id=22941
- 1 2 "Shapiro Named First Timken University Professor". Harvard University Gazette. 1997-10-16. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ↑ "Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Celebrates 25 Years". Harvard University Gazette. 1998-10-15. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ↑ "Alcock to lead the CfA". Harvard University Gazette. 2004-05-20. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ↑ http://www.gf.org/fellows/13358-irwin-ira-shapiro
- ↑ http://astronomy.fas.harvard.edu/people/irwin-shapiro
- ↑ http://www.springerreference.com/docs/html/chapterdbid/128747.html
- ↑ "Franklin Laureate Database - Albert A. Michelson Medal Laureates". Franklin Institute. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ↑ http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Shapiro&first_nm=Irwin&year=2013