Shapiro Appointed University Professor

In recognition of his outstanding scientific contribution, Paine Professor of Practical Astronomy and Professor of Physics Irwin I. Shapiro has been appointed by the University's governing board as Timken university professor.

After spending 26 years at MIT as a research staff assistant and as a professor of geophysics and physics, Shapiro in 1983 became director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA) and professor of astronomy and physics.

"Irwin Shapiro is an imaginative and broad-ranging astrophysicist who has greatly advanced our knowledge of the universe while also helping both teachers and students to reach a deeper understanding of the nature of scientific thought," said President Neil L. Rudenstine in a statement.

Shapiro has been the recipient of a number of impressive awards, among them the New York Academy of Sciences Award in Physical and Mathematical Sciences in 1982, the prestigious Charles A. Whitten and William Bowie medals of the American Geophysical Union, and the Einstein Medal in 1994.

Shapiro has also been active on a number of academic and government advisory boards, including the NASA Advisory Council and the National Academy of Sciences Space Science Board.

A member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Shapiro has served as a member of the Radio Science teams for the Mariner, Viking and Pioneer Venus spacecraft missions.

As CFA Director, Shapiro has been instrumental in the center's research initiatives, which in recent years have included the development of powerful telescopes and the establishment of a Science Education Department.

Shapiro has been involved in several areas of research. Over the years, he has conducted a variety of tests of Einstein's theory of relativity. To date, his research is focused on the application of radar techniques to astronomy and astrophysics.

More recently, Shapiro has also devoted his interest to precollege and college science education and has for years worked on curriculum development and teacher training, establishment the Science Education Department at the CFA.

Currently, Shapiro is serving as principal investigator for programs in scientific education funded by the National Science Foundation.

Born in New York, Shapiro pursued his college education at Cornell University before transferring to Harvard, where he obtained a master's and a doctorate, both in physics.

In an academic career that has spanned four decades, Shapiro has authored and co-authored more than 300 publications on a wide array of scientific and educational issues.