San Diego, CA (January 8, 2000) – This morning the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) presented the Dannie Heinemann Prize for 2000 to University of California Professor, Frank Shu for his outstanding work in the field of Astrophysics.
“The Dannie Heinemann Prize for 2000 is awarded to Frank H. Shu for shaping our current understanding of star formation, for his research on an unusually large array of topics including the origin of spiral structure in galaxies, stellar dynamics, the evolution of close binary stars, planetary rings and composition of meteorites, and for his contributions as an educator and leader of the astronomical community”
Shu, who emigrated from China in 1949, is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities in theoretical astrophysics, and star formation. Shu received his bachelor’s degree in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963 and his PhD in astronomy from Harvard University in 1968. From 1994 to 1996 he served as the President of the AAS, and is a current member of the National Academy of Sciences. He has also the author of “The Physical Universe,” an introductory textbook on astronomy for university undergraduates.
The Heinemann Prize for Astrophysics was established in 1979 and is awarded jointly each year by AIP and AAS to recognize outstanding work in the field of astrophysics.
The Prize was presented this morning in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers by Marc Brodsky, the executive director of the American Institute of Physics.