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2005 ASP Award Recipients Press Release

ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY OF THE PACIFIC AWARDS PRESTIGIOUS 2005 BRUCE MEDAL TO DR. ROBERT KRAFT; ANNOUNCES SEVEN OTHER AWARD WINNERS

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) announced today that the 2005 Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal has been awarded to Robert Kraft of the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Kraft is professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was Director of Lick Observatory from 1981 to 1991 and Director of the University of California Observatories from 1988-1991. His own research has concentrated on variable stars, novae, stellar rotation, and more recently on stellar abundances.

The prestigious Bruce Medal is the highest honor awarded by the ASP. Honoring a lifetime of fundamental contributions to the field of astronomy, the Medal has been awarded annually since 1898. Nominated by a committee of six observatory directors—three in the United States and three abroad—previous Bruce Medalists include well-known astronomers such as Hans Bethe, Vera Rubin, Fred Hoyle, S. Chandrasekar, Chushiro Hayashi, and Edwin Hubble.

At the same time, the ASP announced the 2005 winners of its other annual awards:

The Klumpke-Roberts Award (for contributing to public understanding of astronomy): Jeff Goldstein, Challenger Center for Space Science Education, Washington, D.C.

The Thomas J. Brennan Award (for teaching of astronomy in grades 9-12): C. Steve Rapp, Linwood Holton Governor's School, Abingdon, Virginia

The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award (for outreach to K-12 students and the public): Mary Lou Whitehorne, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

The Amateur Achievement Award (for significant observational or technological contributions): Tim Hunter, Tucson, Arizona

The Robert J. Trumpler Award (for best recent Ph.D. thesis): Siming Liu, Ph.D. granted by University of Arizona, Department of Physics (now at Stanford University); and Jennifer Scott, Ph.D. granted by University of Arizona, Department of Astronomy (now at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).

The Maria and Eric Muhlmann Award (for developing innovative instruments and techniques): Robert Lupton, Princeton University

The awards will be presented in September at the ASP’s 117th Annual Meeting in Tucson, Arizona.

Founded in northern California in 1889, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific outgrew its regional origins long ago to become a worldwide organization of astronomers and educators. Still headquartered in San Francisco, the ASP is recognized as one of the nation’s leading organizations devoted to improving people’s understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of science. The ASP publishes astronomical technical journals and a variety of educational publications and materials, and develops and conducts astronomy education programs funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, ASP members, and generous donors.

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For background information and past winners of all the ASP awards, see http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/awards.html

For biographies of all Bruce Medalists including Dr. Robert Kraft, see
http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/BruceMedalists/ (site courtesy of Joe Tenn, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California)

For complete information about the ASP, see http://www.astrosociety.org.