Irwin I. Shapiro
Irwin I. Shapiro | |
|---|---|
| Born | Irwin Ira Shapiro[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Cornell University Harvard University |
| Known for | Shapiro time delay |
| Awards | Albert A. Michelson Medal (1975) Dannie Heineman Prize (1983) Brouwer Award (1987) Charles A. Whitten Medal (1991) William Bowie Medal (1993) Albert Einstein Medal (1994) Gerard P. Kuiper Prize (1997) Einstein Prize (2013) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Thesis | Methods of Approximation for High Energy Nuclear Scattering (1955) |
| Notable students | Thomas A. Herring Steven J. Ostro Alyssa A. Goodman |
Irwin Ira Shapiro 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 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian 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 Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. 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]
Recognition
Honors and awards
- Albert A. Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute (1975)[8]
- Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the American Astronomical Society (1983)
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1984)[9]
- 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)[10]
- Elected Member of the American Philosophical Society in 1998.[11]
- Elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020.[12]
Eponyms
- Shapiro time delay, discovered by Shapiro in 1964
- 3832 Shapiro, asteroid named after Shapiro in 1981
References
- ^ "Irwin Shapiro - the Mathematics Genealogy Project".
- ^ a b "Shapiro Named First Timken University Professor". Harvard University Gazette. 1997-10-16. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ "Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Celebrates 25 Years". Harvard University Gazette. 1998-10-15. Archived from the original on 2016-04-18. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ "Alcock to lead the CfA". Harvard University Gazette. 2004-05-20. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ "Irwin Ira Shapiro - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
- ^ "Irwin Shapiro".
- ^ "(3832) Shapiro". Dictionary of Minor Planet Names. 2007. pp. 324–325. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_3824. ISBN 978-3-540-00238-3.
- ^ "Franklin Laureate Database - Albert A. Michelson Medal Laureates". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "2018 Stanley Corrsin Award Recipient".
- ^ "American Philosophical Society Members". APS. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "AAS Fellows". AAS. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
External links
- Harvard profile
- Oral history interview transcript with Irwin I. Shapiro on 23 April 2020, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Shapiro papers from 1965-1990 from the Smithsonian Institution Archives