News
One of the best young astrophysicists in North America has found a home at West Virginia University –
a place where she can unlock the secrets of the universe and also enjoy a high-quality work-life balance.
Maura McLaughlin, who distinguished herself in 2006 by discovering a new, mysterious class of radio-bursting
collapsed stars, has been named a 2008 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow.
She was one of only 23 physicists in the United States and Canada selected for the fellowship. Outside of physics,
only 95 other early career researchers received the award in fields such as chemistry, biology and computer science.
As a Sloan Research Fellow, McLaughlin joins an extremely distinguished group. Since the awards began, 35 fellows
have gone on to win the Nobel Prize, and 14 have received the Fields Medal, the top honor in mathematics.
Full Article (hosted at West Virginia University)
Extract ©2008, West Virginia University, reprinted with permission
Einstein predicted them. Princeton scientists won the 1993 Nobel Physics Prize for indirectly demonstrating they exist.
But no one has directly detected gravitational waves, or "ripples" in the space-time continuum.
Andrea N. Lommen, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Franklin and Marshall College, however, hopes to
change that. And she just won a highly competitive grant of $654,917 to do so.
The National Science Foundation recently selected Lommen as the recipient of a CAREER award
for her project, "Gravitational Wave Detection Using Pulsars."
The CAREER award is the NSF's most prestigious grant supporting early career development activities of teacher-scholars
who effectively integrate research and education in their projects. Only about 400 scientists receive the awards each year,
out of a pool of more than 2500 applicants.
Full Article (hosted at Franklin and Marshall College)
Extract © Franklin and Marshall College, reprinted with permission
Local Organizing Committee Chair: Paulo Freire
The meeting will focus be geared toward coordinating efforts and achieving optimal results as a worldwide timing array.
Details will follow, but please put the dates on your calendars and email Paulo
so that we can add you to the mailing list.