George B. Field
Encyclopedia
George B. Field is an American astrophysicist.
. Disliking engineering, he later switched to astrophysics. After MIT he attended the graduate school at Princeton University
.
Field worked on plasma oscillation
s and later became interested in cosmology. In 1973 he became the founding director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
, an innovative organizational structure that
unified the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
(a government agency) and the Harvard College Observatory
(a private institution) under a single management. Field served as director until 1982, when he was succeeded by Irwin I. Shapiro
.
In the early 1980s Field chaired an influential National Academy of Science decadal study that recommended priorities for U.S. astronomical research.
Education and career
Field became interested in astronomy at an early age, but at the urging of his father he studied chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. Disliking engineering, he later switched to astrophysics. After MIT he attended the graduate school at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Field worked on plasma oscillation
Plasma oscillation
Plasma oscillations, also known as "Langmuir waves" , are rapid oscillations of the electron density in conducting media such as plasmas or metals. The oscillations can be described as an instability in the dielectric function of a free electron gas. The frequency only depends weakly on the...
s and later became interested in cosmology. In 1973 he became the founding director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
The Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is one of the largest and most diverse astrophysical institutions in the world, where scientists carry out a broad program of research in astronomy, astrophysics, earth and space sciences, and science education...
, an innovative organizational structure that
unified the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it is joined with the Harvard College Observatory to form the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics .-History:The SAO was founded in 1890 by...
(a government agency) and the Harvard College Observatory
Harvard College Observatory
The Harvard College Observatory is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and was founded in 1839...
(a private institution) under a single management. Field served as director until 1982, when he was succeeded by Irwin I. Shapiro
Irwin I. Shapiro
Irwin I. Shapiro is an American astrophysicist. Since 1982, he has been a professor at Harvard University. Shapiro was director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1982 to 2004.- Biography :Irwin Shapiro was born in New York City in 1929...
.
In the early 1980s Field chaired an influential National Academy of Science decadal study that recommended priorities for U.S. astronomical research.
External links
- George B. Field Homepage, Harvard.edu