James N. Reeves, a CSST Visiting Scientist, wins award

Mon, 27 Nov 2017 10:53:07 -0500

James N. Reeves, a CSST Visiting Scientist, wins an award from the Italian government for a research project he worked on while visiting UMBC. He is 3rd from the left in the photo.

PRESS RELEASE:
A study on black holes to receive the 2017 Aspen Award

A debate on the future of research and the economics of space exploration, with Nobel Prize Winner Samuel C.C. Ting, Luciano Maiani and Dr. Colleen Hartman del NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Rome, October 26, 2017 – Today Thursday, October 26, from 10:30am to 1pm, at the Aspen offices at Piazza Navona 114, the ceremony took place for the 2017 edition of the Aspen Institute Italia Award for scientific research and collaboration between Italy and the United States. The recipient of this year’s prize – now in its second year – is a research project entitled “Wind from the black hole accretion disk driving a molecular outflow in an active galaxy”.

The study was featured on the cover of Nature on March 26, 2015. By comparing data drawn from two powerful telescopes, the authors demonstrated how the wind from black holes contributes to the formation of new stars in diverse galaxies. They also showed how the very evolution of galaxies depends on the black holes at their centers. The work contained in this study was first begun by Bruno Rossi and Riccardo Giacconi (Nobel for Physics, 2002).

The prize will be awarded following a panel debate entitled “Looking up: Space Research, Space Economy”. The event will be open to the press. Participants will include Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Prize winner, Thomas Dudley Cabot, Professor of Physics at MIT; Roberto Battiston, President of the Italian Space Agency; Colleen Hartman, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Paolo Savona, Vice Chairman of Aspen Institute Italia; Lucio Stanca, Vice Chairman of Aspen Institute Italia; Luciano Maiani, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at La Sapienza University in Rome.

The award-winning authors are: Francesco Tombesi, Researcher and Assistant Professor of Astrophysics at University of Rome Tor Vergata, Assistant Research Scientist at the Department of Astronomy of the University of Maryland, College Park - USA; Astrophysicist at the NASA – Goddard Space Flight Center - USA; Marcio B. Meléndez Hernández Research Scientist in the Astronomy Department at University of Maryland; Sylvain Veilleux, Professor of Astronomy and Joint Space Science Institute Fellow at the University of Maryland; James N. Reeves, Professor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County - USA; Astrophysics Group, School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University - United Kingdom; Eduardo González Alfonso, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Spain’s University of Alcalá; Christopher S. Reynolds, Professor of Astronomy and Joint Space Science Institute Fellow at the University of Maryland.

Aspen Institute Italia Award for scientific research and collaboration between Italy and the United States
Established in 2016, this annual award honors a research contribution to theoretical or applied natural sciences that is the product of collaboration between scientists and/or research organizations in Italy and the United States. The aim of the award is to raise the profile of collaborative efforts between the two countries in research in the natural sciences and its associated applications, by granting a cash prize of forty thousand euros for the winning entry. The Aspen Institute Italia Award builds on the commitment of the institute to organize initiatives and events exploring issues related to scientific culture and technological innovation, with a special focus on their relevance to Italy. The Announcement of the Winning Entry, the Call for Entries, the Award Rules, the Award Entry form, and all other relevant information can be found on the Aspen Italia website at www.aspeninstitute.it/en/aspen-institute-italia-award-scientific-research-and-collaboration-between-italy-and-united-states.