Irwin I. Shapiro

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]

For the American writer and translator, see Irwin Shapiro (writer).
Irwin I. Shapiro
Born
Irwin Ira Shapiro[1]

(1929-10-10) October 10, 1929
New York City, New York, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University
Harvard University
Known forShapiro time delay
AwardsAlbert 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
FieldsAstrophysics
ThesisMethods of Approximation for High Energy Nuclear Scattering (1955)
Notable studentsSteven J. Ostro
Alyssa A. Goodman

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

Eponyms
  • Shapiro time delay, discovered by Shapiro in 1964
  • 3832 Shapiro, asteroid named after Shapiro in 1981

References
  1. "Irwin Shapiro - the Mathematics Genealogy Project".
  2. "Shapiro Named First Timken University Professor". Harvard University Gazette. 1997-10-16. Archived from the original on 2006-09-02. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  3. "Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Celebrates 25 Years". Harvard University Gazette. 1998-10-15. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  4. "Alcock to lead the CfA". Harvard University Gazette. 2004-05-20. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-12-19. Retrieved 2013-02-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "Irwin Shapiro".
  7. "SpringerReference - Meteor".
  8. "Weddings Nancy Shapiro and Stuart Dickstein". New York Times.
  9. "Franklin Laureate Database - Albert A. Michelson Medal Laureates". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  10. "2018 Stanley Corrsin Award Recipient".
  11. "American Philosophical Society Members". APS. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  12. "AAS Fellows". AAS. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
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