Ostriker selected for prestigious National Medal of Science award
Lauren Robinson-Brown
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The Charles A. Young Professor of Astronomy is one of 12 medal recipients chosen this year for the nation's highest scientific honor. Selected by President Clinton and administered by the National Science Foundation, the awards are scheduled to be presented on Dec. 1. Princeton has 12 previous science medal winners.
Ostriker's scientific research focuses on theoretical astrophysics and has covered a wide variety of topics, proving essential to astronomers. The National Science Foundation cited Ostriker "for his bold astrophysical insights which have revolutionized concepts of the nature of pulsars, the 'ecosystem' of stars and gas in our galaxy, the sizes and masses of galaxies, the nature and distribution of dark matter and ordinary matter in the universe, and the formation of galaxies and other cosmological structures."
"I know of no one more deserving of the National Medal of Science than Jerry Ostriker," said President Shapiro. "For many years his powerful and original ideas have reshaped and pushed back the frontiers of knowledge in the field of astrophysics. He has made his extraordinary and extensive scientific contributions while also achieving well deserved recognition as an exceptional teacher, a leader in his field and, for the past six years, as Princeton's provost."
Ostriker was appointed as provost in 1995. Previously, he served as chair of astrophysical sciences and director of the University Observatory since 1979. Ostriker joined the Princeton faculty in 1965 and has held the Young Professorship since 1982. He has won fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, California Institute of Technology, Smithsonian Institution and American Association for the Advancement of Science. Ostriker also has received numerous awards and prizes including the Karl Schwarzschild Medal of Astronomische Gesellschaft in 1999, the Vainu Bappu Memorial Award of the Indian National Science Academy in 1993 and the Henry Norris Russell award of the American Astronomical Society in 1980.
"I count myself fortunate to have been born into an era when extraordinary advances in astrophysics and cosmology were possible, and doubly fortunate to live in a nation that values intellectual opportunities enough to have provided the resources that enabled the great discoveries of the last half century," Ostriker said.
"It is especially remarkable that he has continued to make important new scientific discoveries even while undertaking the demanding and time-consuming responsibilities of provost," Shapiro said. "Still, as Jerry would be the first to insist, he is first and foremost a scientist, which is why it is especially fitting that the nation should recognize his scientific distinction by awarding him this National Medal of Science."
Astrophysics Chair Scott Tremaine called Ostriker "one of the most influential researchers in one of the most intellectually exciting and publicly visible areas of modern science" and said his research is "marked by an unparalleled combination of boldness, insight, imagination, eloquence and breadth."
"In the 35 years since Jerry arrived at Princeton, his insights have dramatically advanced our understanding in almost every arena of astrophysics, especially galactic structure and galaxy formation, cosmology and star formation. He has combined a prodigious research output with an unusual dedication to the scientific community, both here in Princeton and throughout the nation," Tremaine said.
Professor John Bahcall, a visiting lecturer at Princeton and a 1998 science medal laureate, said Ostriker's energy and acumen have had a stimulating effect on his peers. "He has been a role model for all scientists in Princeton because of his pioneering contributions to almost every area of astronomical research and his legendary quickness in appreciating and capitalizing on the most recent observational discoveries," he said.
"Over a span of nearly 40 years, Jerry Ostriker has produced a body of astrophysical work that has few, if any, equals," said Joseph Taylor, Princeton's dean of the faculty and a 1993 Nobel laureate in physics. "He also co-authored one of the first, and most enduring, quantitative descriptions of the physical nature of pulsars and their spatial distribution throughout our galaxy. He has been instrumental in developing and applying powerful computational techniques for attacking longstanding problems of cosmic proportions."
Previous Princeton winners of the science medal are: Solomon Lefschetz, 1964; John Milnor, 1966; William Feller, 1969 - posthumous; John Wheeler, 1970; Robert Dicke, 1970; John Tukey, 1973; Hassler Whitney, 1976; Lyman Spitzer, 1979; Donald Spencer, 1989; George Miller, 1991; Val Fitch, 1993; and Martin Schwarzschild, 1997. In addition to Ostriker, this year's winners include Gary Becker, professor of economics and sociology at the University of Chicago, who earned his bachelor's degree from Princeton in 1951 and an honorary degree in 1991.
The National Medal of Science was established by Congress in 1959. Nominations are reviewed and recommendations made to the U.S. president by a 12-member, presidential-appointed committee.
It is especially remarkable that he has continued to make important new scientific discoveries even while undertaking the demanding and time-consuming responsibilities of provost.
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