NSF PA/M 97-18 - April 22, 1997
Physicist Cornell Receives Waterman Award
Eric A. Cornell, 35, adjoint professor at the University of Colorado
and physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has
been selected to receive the Alan T. Waterman Award, the National Science
Board's highest honor for young researchers.
Cornell is most noted for the first demonstration of Bose-Einstein
condensation in a gas, the existence of which was predicted by Einstein
70 years ago. Cornell's experiments since then have established the area
as an exciting new field of physics. Many physicists consider the creation
of the Bose-Einstein condensate the most important discovery since high-temperature
superconductivity.
Cornell's award citation notes that Bose-Einstein condensate is a new
macroscopic state with unique and fascinating properties. Its applications
have included the transformation of the field of atom interferometry much
as the laser revolutionized optical interferometry. As the citation states,
Cornell's work has "opened up a rich and fascinating physical system with
a host of further questions to explore."
The Alan T. Waterman Award honors an outstanding young U.S. scientist
who is at the forefront of science. The recipient receives a medal as
well as a $500,000 grant over three years for scientific research or advanced
study in any field of science. Cornell will be honored at a National Science
Board awards dinner on May 7.
For more information contact:
Lynn Simarski, 703-306-1070/lsimarsk@nsf.gov (media)
Susan Fannoney, 703-306-1096/sfannone@nsf.gov (non-media)
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