Sandra Faber
Sandra M. Faber | |
|---|---|
 Sandra Faber accepting theNational Medal of Sciencefrom PresidentBarack Obamain 2013 | |
| Born | Sandra Moore December 28, 1944 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Swarthmore College Harvard University |
| Known for | Faber–Jackson relation,Designing theKeck Observatory |
| Awards | Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics(1985) National Medal of Science(2011) Bruce Medal(2012) Gruber Prize in Cosmology(2017) Magellanic Premium(2018) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society(2020) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | University of California, Santa Cruz Lick Observatory |
| Thesis | Photometry of elliptical galaxies in multiple systems(1971) |
| Doctoral advisor | I. John Danziger |
| Doctoral students | |
Sandra Moore Faber(born December 28, 1944) is an American astrophysicist known for her research on theevolution of galaxies.She is theUniversity ProfessorofAstronomyandAstrophysicsat theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz,and works at theLick Observatory.She has made discoveries linking the brightness of galaxies to the speed of stars within them and was the co-discoverer of theFaber–Jackson relation.Faber was also instrumental in designing theKeck telescopesin Hawaii.
Early life and education
[edit]Faber studied atSwarthmore College,majoring inPhysicsand minoring inMathematicsandAstronomy.She earned her bachelor's degree in 1966. She then earned herPhDin 1972 fromHarvard University,specializing in Optical Observational Astronomy under the direction of I. John Danziger.[1][2]During this time the only observatory open to her was theKitt Peak National Observatory,which had inadequate technology for the complexity of her thesis.
Personal life
[edit]Faber married Andrew Leigh Faber, a fellow Swarthmore physics major one year her junior, on June 9, 1967. They have two daughters, Robin and Holly.[3]
Career and research
[edit]In 1972, Faber joined the faculty of theLick ObservatoryatUniversity of California, Santa Cruz,becoming the first woman on staff.[1]In 1976, Faber observed the relationship between the brightness and spectra of galaxies and the orbital speeds and motions of the stars within them. The law that resulted would become known as theFaber–Jackson relation,after herself and the co-author, graduate studentRobert Jackson.[4][5]
Three years later, Faber and collaboratorJohn S. Gallagherpublished a paper collecting all of the evidence for the existence ofdark matterthat had been published at that point. In 1983, she published original research showing that dark matter was not composed of fast-movingneutrinos( "hot dark matter" ) and that instead, it was likely composed of slow-moving particles yet to be discovered ( "cold dark matter" ).[4][5]
Around 1984, Faber collaborated withJoel Primack,George Blumenthal,andMartin Reesto elucidate their theory of how dark matter was part ofgalaxy formation and evolution.[6]This was the first proposal of how galaxies have formed and evolved from theBig Bangto today. While some details have been proven wrong, the paper still stands as the current working paradigm for structure information in the universe. She and her collaborators discovered high-speed galaxy flows.[1]
In 1985, Faber was involved with the construction of theKeck Telescopeand building the first wide-field planetary camera for theHubble Space Telescope.UC BerkeleyphysicistJerry Nelsondesigned the Keck telescope, but Faber helped to sell the idea of large optical telescopes all over the world. The Keck telescope is the second largest optical telescope in the world, with a 10-meter primary mirror of a novel type that consists of 36 hexagonal segments. Sandra Faber co-chaired the Science Steering Committee, which oversaw the first-light instrument for Keck I. She also continued to insist on high optical quality for the primary mirror of the Keck I, and went on to work on the Keck II as well.[7]
During the later 1980s, Faber got involved in an eight-year project called the "Seven Samurai"collaboration, which attempted to catalogue the size and orbital speeds of 400 galaxies. Though this goal was not met, the group developed a way to estimate the distance to any galaxy, which became one of the most reliable ways to measure the total density of the universe.[5]: 23, 69
In 1990, she assisted with the on-orbit commissioning of the wide field planetary camera for the Hubble Space Telescope. She says this was one of the most exhilarating and well-known phases of her career. The optics of the Hubble were flawed, and Faber and her team helped to diagnose the cause asspherical aberration.[8]In 1995, Faber was appointed University Professor at UCSC.[1]
Faber was also the principal investigator of theNuker Team,which used the Hubble Space Telescope to search forsupermassive black holesat the centers of galaxies.[1]One of her most recent works include the addition of a new optical spectrograph for the Keck II telescope, which saw its first light in 1996. The new addition would increase the Keck II's power for observing far-away galaxies by 13-fold. She has also joined up with other scientists to create the CANDELS project, which is the largest survey of the universe taken by the Hubble Telescope.[9]
At UCSC she focuses her research on the evolution of structure in the universe and the evolution and formation of galaxies. In addition to this, she led the development of the DEIMOS instrument on theKeck telescopesto obtain spectra of cosmologically distant galaxies. On August 1, 2012 she became the Interim Director of theUniversity of California Observatories.[1]
Sandra Faber was a co-editor of theAnnual Review of Astronomy and AstrophysicswithEwine van Dishoeckfrom 2012 to 2021.[10][11][12]
Honors and awards
[edit]- 1977,Alfred P. Sloan FoundationFellowship[13]
- 1978, Bart J. Bok Prize,Harvard University[1]
- 1985. elected to theNational Academy of Sciences[14]
- 1985,Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics[15][16]
- 1986, Honorary Degree,Swarthmore College[17]
- 1989, elected member,American Academy of Arts and Sciences[18]
- 1996-1997,Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Lectureship and Medal,University of Texas[19]
- 1997, Honorary Degree,Williams College[17]
- 2001, elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society[20]
- 2005, Medaille de l'Institute d'Astrophysique de Paris[17]
- 2006,Harvard Centennial Medal[21]
- 2006, Member,Harvard Board of Overseers[21]
- 2006, Honorary Degree,University of Chicago[17]
- 2009,Bower Awardand Prize for Achievement in Science,Franklin Institute[15][1]
- 2010, Honorary Degree,University of Pennsylvania[17]
- 2011, Honorary Degree,University of Michigan[17]
- 2011,Henry Norris Russell Lectureship,American Astronomical Society[15]
- 2012,Bruce Medal,Astronomical Society of the Pacific[15]
- 2012,Karl Schwarzschild Medal,German Astronomical Society[15]
- 2012,National Medal of Science[15][22]
- 2017,Gruber Prize in Cosmology[15][23]
- 2018, Magellanic Premium Medal,American Philosophical Society[24]
- 2020,Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society[25]
- 2020, Elected a Legacy Fellow of theAmerican Astronomical Society[26]
- Member, Board of Trustees of theCarnegie Institution for Science[27]
- Minor planet #283277 Faber is named for her.[28]
See also
[edit]- Faber–Jackson relation
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Nuker Team
- List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects
References
[edit]- ^abcdefghStephens, Tim."Astronomer Sandra Faber to receive Franklin Institute's prestigious Bower Award".UC Santa Cruz News.Retrieved2017-07-08.
- ^Faber, Sandra Moore (1972).Photometry of elliptical galaxies in multiple systems(PhD).Harvard University.OCLC976673998.ProQuest302615200.
- ^"Sandra Moore Faber".
- ^ab"Sandra Faber Receives $500,000 Gruber Cosmology Prize | American Astronomical Society".aas.org.Retrieved2017-07-08.
- ^abcLemonick, Michael D. (1993).The light at the edge of the universe: leading cosmologists on the brink of a scientific revolution(1st ed.). New York: Villard Books.ISBN978-0679413042.
- ^Blumenthal; et al. (11 Oct 1984). "Formation of galaxies and large-scale structure with cold dark matter".Nature.311(5986): 517–525.Bibcode:1984Natur.311..517B.doi:10.1038/311517a0.OSTI1447148.S2CID4324282.
- ^Hamilton, Marianne L. (April 1, 2015)."Los Gatos and Saratoga: Sandra Faber has helped to build and use some of the world's largest telescopes".The Mercury News.Retrieved6 August2021.
- ^Faber, S. (1995, July 12). Autobiographical Sketch: Sandra M Faber. Retrieved November 14, 2015, fromhttp://cwp.library.ucla.edu/articles/faber.htm
- ^"Sandra Faber Honored By American Astronomical Society"(Press release). University of California at Santa Cruz. 18 January 2011.ProQuest848222994.
- ^van Dishoeck, Ewine F.; Kennicutt, Robert C. (18 August 2020)."Introduction".Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics.58(1): v–vii.Bibcode:2020ARA&A..58....0V.doi:10.1146/annurev-aa-58-081420-100001.
- ^"CO-EDITORS OF THE ANNUAL REVIEW OF ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS - VOLUME 50, 2012".Annual Reviews.Retrieved28 July2021.
- ^"CO-EDITORS OF THE ANNUAL REVIEW OF ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS - VOLUME 59, 2021".Annual Reviews.Retrieved28 July2021.
- ^Rossiter, Margaret W. (April 2, 2012).Women Scientists in America: Forging a New World Since 1972.JHU Press. p. 124.ISBN9781421402338.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^"Sandra M. Faber".National Academy of Sciences.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^abcdefg"The Bruce Medalists: Sandra M. Faber".www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu.Retrieved2021-08-05.
- ^"Faber Receives Heineman Prize for Work in Astrophysics".Physics Today.39(3): 119. 2008-01-08.doi:10.1063/1.2814940.
- ^abcdef"Prizes and Awards to UC Astronomy Faculty 2013 February"(PDF).UC Observatories.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^"Dr. Sandra Moore Faber".American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^"Antoinette de Vaucouleurs Lectureship and Medal".The University of Texas at Austin.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^Stephens, Tim (June 4, 2001)."Astronomer Sandra Faber elected to American Philosophical Society".UC Santa Cruz Currents.Retrieved3 August2021.
- ^abStephens, Tim (June 12, 2006)."Astronomer Sandra Faber awarded Harvard Centennial Medal, elected to Harvard Board of Overseers".UC Santa Cruz Currents.Retrieved3 August2021.
- ^Burns, J. (December 21, 2015)."UCSC astronomer Sandra Faber to receive the National Medal of Science".UC Santa Cruz News.Retrieved6 August2021.
- ^"2017 Gruber Cosmology Prize Press Release | The Gruber Foundation".gruber.yale.edu.Retrieved2017-07-08.
- ^Stephens, Tim (April 29, 2019)."Sandra Faber receives American Philosophical Society's Magellanic Premium Medal".University News.UC Santa Cruz.Retrieved3 August2021.
- ^"Professor Sandra Moore Faber: 2020 Gold Medal in Astronomy"(PDF).RAS.Retrieved25 August2020.
- ^"AAS Fellows".AAS.Retrieved27 September2020.
- ^"Board of Trustees".Carnegie Institution for Science.Retrieved5 August2021.
- ^"283277 Faber (2011 HX34)".JPL Small-Body Database Browser.Retrieved5 August2021.
Further reading
[edit]
- Lemonick, Michael D. (1993).The light at the edge of the universe: leading cosmologists on the brink of a scientific revolution(1st ed.). New York: Villard Books.ISBN978-0679413042.
External links
[edit]- Inventory of the Sandra M. Faber Papers,Online Archive of California
- Dr. Faber's page @ UCSC
- See video of Dr. Faber @ Meta-Library.net
- Video of Faber explaining How Galaxies Were Cooked from the Primordial SouponYouTube,from the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lectures
- Oral history interview transcript with Sandra M. Faber on 15 October 1955, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Oral history interview transcript with Sandra M. Faber on 12 November 2020, American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives
- Video of Faber talking about her work,from the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
- 1944 births
- Living people
- American women astronomers
- American cosmologists
- Scientists from California
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
- Lick Observatory
- University of California, Santa Cruz faculty
- Winners of the Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics
- 20th-century American astronomers
- 21st-century American astronomers
- 20th-century American women scientists
- 21st-century American women scientists
- Swarthmore College alumni
- Members of the American Philosophical Society
- Sloan Research Fellows
- Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society
- American planetary scientists
- American women planetary scientists
- Fellows of the American Astronomical Society
- Annual Reviews (publisher) editors
- Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute) laureates