Douglas Osheroff
Douglas Osheroff | |
---|---|
Born | Douglas Dean Osheroff August 1, 1945 Aberdeen, Washington, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Citizenship | United States |
Alma mater | California Institute of Technology (B.S.), Cornell University (Ph.D.) |
Known for | Discovering superfluidity in Helium-3 |
Spouse |
Phyllis Liu (m. 1970) |
Awards | Condensed Matter Physics |
Institutions | Stanford University Bell Labs |
Doctoral advisor | David Lee |
Douglas Dean Osheroff (born August 1, 1945) is an American physicist known for his work in experimental condensed matter physics, in particular for his co-discovery of superfluidity in Helium-3. For his contributions he shared the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics along with David Lee and Robert C. Richardson.[1] Osheroff is currently the J. G. Jackson and C. J. Wood Professor of Physics, emeritus, at Stanford University.
Life and work
Osheroff was born in
Osheroff earned his bachelor's degree in 1967 from Caltech, where he attended lectures by Richard Feynman and did undergraduate research for Gerry Neugebauer.
Osheroff joined the
Osheroff received a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1973. He then worked at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey for 15 years, continuing to research low-temperature phenomena in 3He. In 1987 he moved to the Departments of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University, where he also served as department chair from 1993 to 1996. His research is focused on phenomena that occur at extremely low temperatures.
Osheroff was selected to serve on the Space Shuttle Columbia investigation panel, serving much the same role as Richard Feynman did on the Space Shuttle Challenger panel.
He currently serves on the board of advisors of Scientists and Engineers for America, an organization focused on promoting sound science in American government.
Osheroff is left-handed, and he often blames his slight quirks and eccentricities on it. He is also an avid photographer and introduces students at Stanford to medium-format film photography in a freshman seminar titled "Technical Aspects of Photography." In addition, he has taught the Stanford introductory physics course on electricity and magnetism on multiple occasions, most recently in Spring 2008, as well as undergraduate labs on low temperature physics.
Among his physics outreach activities, Osheroff participated in the science festivals for middle and high school students, is an official guest of honor at the International Young Physicists' Tournament 2013.[6][7]
He married a biochemist, Phyllis Liu-Osheroff, in 1970.
Osheroff is one of the 20 American recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physics to sign a letter addressed to President George W. Bush in May 2008, urging him to "reverse the damage done to basic science research in the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill" by requesting additional emergency funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.[8]
Awards and honors
- Nobel Prize in Physics (1996)
- Simon Memorial Prize (1976)
- Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize(1981)
- MacArthur Fellowship Program (1981)[9]
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1997)[10]
See also
- Timeline of low-temperature technology
- List of Jewish Nobel laureates
References
- ^ "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1996". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-10-04.
- ^ Biography on the Nobel Foundation website
- ^ Hargittai. 2006. Candid Science VI: More Conversations with Famous Scientists, Imperial College Press, p. 726
- .
- .
- ^ "Douglas Osheroff at the IYPT 2013". IYPT. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ "Professor Douglas Osheroff: Invited Nobel laureate". iypt.tw. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
- ^ "A Letter from America's Physics Nobel Laureates" (PDF).
- ^ "Douglas D. Osheroff". www.macfound.org. MacArthur Foundation.
- American Academy of Achievement.
External links
- Stanford Physics Department - Osheroff Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Douglas D. Osheroff on Nobelprize.org including the Nobel Lecture, December 7, 1996 Superfluidity in 3He: Discovery and Understandning
- Osheroff Learning of his Nobel Prize - Osheroff released this recording from his answering machine, which showed his initial annoyance with a 2.30am phone call.
- Freeview video interview with Douglas Osheroff by the Vega Science Trust