John Johnson (astronomer)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
John Johnson
Newton Lacy Pierce Prize (2012)
Scientific career
FieldsAstronomy
InstitutionsCalifornia Institute of Technology
Harvard University
Doctoral advisorGeoffrey Marcy
WebsiteHarvard Astronomy page
The Johnson ExoLab

John Asher Johnson (4 January 1977) is an American

Harvard
. He is the first tenured African-American physical science professor in the history of the university. Johnson is well known for discovering three of the first known planets smaller than the Earth outside of the solar system, including the first Mars-sized exoplanet.

Early life and education

Johnson grew up in

Caltech
. He entered graduate school at
hot Jupiters.[1][2][3][4][5]

Scientific career

Johnson is currently a professor of astronomy at Harvard, where he is one of several professors who study exoplanets along with

Exoplanet Science Research Institute. Before attaining a faculty job, Johnson was a National Science Foundation (NSF) post-doctoral fellow at the Institute for Astronomy, a part of the University of Hawaiʻi
.

Research

Johnson does research on the detection and characterization of

K2, the successor to the original Kepler mission.[11]

In 2012, Johnson's team discovered three small

Keck Observatory to more precisely measure the properties of the system, including the sizes of the three planets.[14]

Diversity initiatives

Johnson is the founder of the Banneker Institute, a summer program hosted at the

Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian.[15]
The program provides funding for undergraduate students from backgrounds underrepresented in astronomy, with a focus on students of color. It has merged with a similar program into the joint Banneker & Aztlán Institute, which also targets Latin and Native American students. In addition to research, the institute emphasizes discussions on social justice issues and their relevance in the field of astronomy.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Black History Month - Profile of a Scientist". NASA. February 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  2. ^ "John Asher Johnson" (PDF). National Science Foundation. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  3. ^ "Intelligence in Astronomy: The Growth of My Intelligence". Mahalo.ne.trash. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  4. Bibcode:2007PhDT.........7J
    .
  5. ^ "About the Speakers of AbGradCon 2012". AbGradCon. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  6. ^ "John Asher Johnson". Harvard Magazine. 2013-12-16. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  7. ^ "'Party of One': Diversity and Isolation in Harvard's Faculty". Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  8. S2CID 119332976
    . Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  9. ^ "A dedicated Exoplanet Oservatory". Harvard. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  10. ^ "The California-Kepler Survey". California Kepler Survey. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Kepler 'rising from the ashes'". The Harvard Gazette. 2014-12-18. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  12. arXiv:1201.2189v1
    .
  13. S2CID 120884022
    . Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Discovery of the Smallest Exoplanets: The Barnard's Star Connection". SpaceRef. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  15. ^ Sokol, Joshua (August 23, 2016). "Why the Universe Needs More Black and Latino Astronomers". Smithsonian. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  16. ^ "Harvard Astronomer, Institute Offer Support for Students of Color in Sciences". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 8 May 2018.

External links

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