Case astrophysicists Rhul, Starkman named 2005 APS fellows
Confirms strength of Case physics program
December 7, 2005
| For more information: Susan Griffith 216-368-1004
John Ruhl and Glenn Starkman, professors from Case Western Reserve University’s
department of physics, have been elected Fellows of the American Physical Society
in honor of their work in area of astrophysics.
Each year members of the APS recognize less than one-half of one percent
of the society’s current members by electing them Fellows for their “advances
in knowledge through original research and publication” or “significant
and innovative contributions in the application of physics to science and technology.” Some
Fellows are also acknowledged for their contributions to teaching or involvement
in Society activities.
Starkman was honored "for his wide-ranging and creative contributions
to particle astrophysics, including explorations of the possibility of non-trivial
topology in the universe, and uncovering unexpected features in the cosmic
microwave background fluctuations at large angular scales," according
to the APS.
Ruhl’s Fellowship came in acknowledgement of “his fundamental
experimental contributions to the study of the cosmic microwave background
radiation." Ruhl has captured some of the earliest images of the universe,
approximately 100,000 years after its formation through his experimental cosmology
projects centered at the South Pole on Antarctica. His work concentrates on
Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, the leftover remnants from the big bang
or the birth of the universe.
His South Pole experiments include Boomerang, a balloon-borne experiment
that maps characteristics of the cosmic microwave background. Another project
is Acbar that utilizes a telescope nearby the pole to measure fluctuation in
the cosmic microwave background.
Starkman’s work is theoretical, with the goal of unraveling the mysteries
of the universe’s formation, its shape and its expansion through the
behavior of all its components from stars, galaxies, black holes and the many
particles.
Currently Starkman is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow and the inaugural Beecroft
Fellow at Oxford University’s new Beecroft Institute of Particle Astrophysics
and Cosmology, where he and collaborators are revisiting Albert Einstein’s
theory of general relativity to see how gravity might cause the accelerated
expansion of the universe.
Both physicists were nominated for APS Fellowships by Lawrence Krauss, the
Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Case. Krauss, also an
APS Fellow, was recently elected vice chair (chair-elect) of the APS Forum
on Physics and Society. The Forum on Physics and Society, established in 1971,
addresses issues related to physics and society.
Krauss said he was hesitant at first to nominate two Case faculty members
from the same area of physics for the honor at the same time, but was pleased
when both nominees were accepted for election as Fellows in the same year,
out of perhaps a dozen total individuals in this area in a given year.
“This confirms that our particle astrophysics and cosmology program is
one of the strongest in the country,” said Krauss.
The election of Ruhl and Starkman now means that essentially every physicist
hired over the past decade at Case, and who advanced to full professor by June
2004 when the nominations were accepted, is now an APS Fellow, said Krauss.
There are 16 full professors in the department.
“These elections attest
to the strength of our department,” Krauss
said.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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