Sheperd (Shep) Doeleman, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, has been named the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences’ 2021 Henry Draper Medal. As founding director of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), Doeleman is widely known for his pivotal role in capturing the first image of a supermassive black hole in 2019.
This year’s Henry Draper Medal recognizes Doeleman’s vision and decades-long leadership in developing the instruments and global telescope arrays necessary to produce the world’s first black hole image.
“It’s an honor and quite humbling to receive the medal. To bring a black hole into focus has been the central theme of my career, and to capture the image was really a dream fulfilled,” Doeleman says. “At the same time, the EHT could not have achieved its goals without the exceptionally hard work and dedication of the entire collaboration. It has been an absolute privilege and joy to work with teams at MIT, the
Credit: National Academy of Sciences
Astronomers Heino Falcke of Radboud University and Sheperd Doeleman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will jointly receive the Henry Draper Medal for their pioneering work, which led to the first image of a black hole. The medal is awarded every four years by the American National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and is presented with a $25,000 prize. It is the first time in 65 years that a Dutch astronomer will receive this special award.
The Henry Draper Medal honours a recent, original investigation in astronomical physics. It is the oldest NAS prize and was first awarded in 1886. Since that time, 54 scientists have received the medal, including eight Nobel Prize winners.
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WASHINGTON The National Academy of Sciences will honor 20 individuals with awards in recognition of their extraordinary scientific achievements in a wide range of fields spanning the physical, biological, social, and medical sciences.
Dana Longcope, Montana State University, will receive the Arctowski Medal for fundamental research on the nature of solar magnetism, magnetic topology, and reconnection. The medal is presented with a $100,000 prize, and $100,000 to support research in solar physics and solar terrestrial relationships.
Patrick Keeling, University of British Columbia, will receive the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal for excellence in published research on marine and freshwater algae. The medal is presented with $50,000 prize.
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IMAGE: Astrophysicist Sheperd Doeleman has been awarded the National Academy of Sciences 2021 Henry Draper Medal. view more
Credit: Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
Sheperd (Shep) Doeleman, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, has been named the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences 2021 Henry Draper Medal. As founding director of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), Doeleman is widely known for his pivotal role in capturing the first image of a supermassive black hole in 2019.
This year s Henry Draper Medal recognizes Doeleman s vision and decades-long leadership in developing the instruments and global telescope arrays necessary to produce the world s first black hole image.