The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, announces the inauguration of an international award named the Dunlap Prize.
“Our vision for the award,” says the Dunlap Institute’s interim director, Peter Martin, “is to recognize an individual whose remarkable achievements resonate with our goals for excellence in astronomy and astrophysics.”
The Dunlap Institute was established in 2008 at the U of T to be a global leader in sharing scientific discovery with the public, training the next generation of astronomers, and developing innovative astronomical instrumentation to enable breakthroughs in observational research.
“As a reflection of the Dunlap Institute’s commitment to public outreach and education,” says Martin, “the first Dunlap Prize is being awarded to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.”
Image: Cutty McGill, Penworld Magazine
Dr. Tyson is an exceptional communicator, a prolific author and writer, was the host of PBS’s NOVA ScienceNOW, and currently hosts the popular StarTalk Radio podcast. He is the presenter of COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey, the much-awaited follow-up to Carl Sagan’s landmark television series to be broadcast in 2014.
According to Michael Reid, the Dunlap’s Director of Public Outreach, “Because of his tireless and highly successful efforts to communicate astronomy to the public, Dr. Tyson was a clear choice to be the first Dunlap Prize winner.”
Dr. Tyson received his PhD in astrophysics from Columbia University and, following postdoctoral work at Princeton, became founding Chair of the Department of Astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. There, he was project scientist for the reconstruction of the Hayden Planetarium, where he is now Astrophysicist and Frederick P. Rose Director.
The prize ceremony will take place on the afternoon of Friday, March 21st, 2014, at the University of Toronto with invited guests in attendance.
The ceremony will be followed by the Dunlap Prize Lecture, a free public lecture by Dr. Tyson in the U of T’s Convocation Hall on Friday evening.
Registration to attend the lecture will be available in late winter. To subscribe for updates and announcements, the public is invited to visit http://dunlap.utoronto.ca/events/2014-dunlap-prize-lecture/
21 Feb: Registration will open on SATURDAY, MARCH 1ST AT NOON ET.
Starting at that time, you can register at: https://dunlap-prize-lecture.eventbrite.ca
-30-
PHOTOGRAPHY:
Dr. Tyson:
For use with attribution, but without charge: http://bit.ly/1651hqd
Credit: Cutty McGill, Penworld Magazine
For additional: http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/profile/portraits
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chris Sasaki
Communications and New Media Specialist
Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics
University of Toronto
50 St. George Street
Toronto, Canada
M5S 3H4
e: csasaki [at] dunlap [dot] utoronto [dot] ca
p: 416-978-6613
The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, continues the legacy of the David Dunlap Observatory: by developing innovative astronomical instrumentation, including for the largest, most advanced telescopes in the world; by its passionate commitment to training the next generation of astronomers; and by fostering public engagement in science. The research of its faculty and postdoctoral fellows spans the breadth and depth of the Universe, and includes: the discovery of exoplanets, the formation of stars, galactic nuclei, the evolution and nature of galaxies, the early Universe and the Cosmic Microwave Background, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dunlapinstitute
Twitter: @dunlapinstitute
###
