MEDIA ADVISORY April 22, 1997 PA/M 97-18
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 BoardÃs 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. CornellÃs 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.
CornellÃs 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, CornellÃs 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/[email protected] (media) Susan Fannoney 703-306-1096/[email protected] (non-media)
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