Irwin I. Shapiro
Irwin I. Shapiro | |
---|---|
Born | Irwin Ira Shapiro[1] October 10, 1929 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Cornell University Harvard University |
Known for | Shapiro time delay |
Relatives | Zev Shapiro (Grandson) |
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 | Steven J. Ostro Alyssa A. Goodman |
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]
Personal life
One of Shapiro's grandchildren is entrepreneur and activist Zev Shapiro (the son of his daughter Nancy) who is the founder of TurnUp.[8]
Recognition
Honors and awards
- Albert A. Michelson Medal from the Franklin Institute (1975)[9]
- 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)[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. 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.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-02-21.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Irwin Shapiro".
- ^ "SpringerReference - Meteor".
- ^ "Weddings Nancy Shapiro and Stuart Dickstein". New York Times.
- ^ "Franklin Laureate Database - Albert A. Michelson Medal Laureates". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
- ^ "2018 Stanley Corrsin Award Recipient".
- ^ "American Philosophical Society Members". APS. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ "AAS Fellows". AAS. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
External links
- 1929 births
- Living people
- Brooklyn Technical High School alumni
- Scientists from New York City
- American astrophysicists
- Cornell University alumni
- Harvard University alumni
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty
- Harvard University faculty
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- American relativity theorists
- Winners of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
- Albert Einstein Medal recipients
- MIT Lincoln Laboratory people
- Fellows of the American Physical Society
- Fellows of the American Astronomical Society