Astronomical Society of the Pacific Presents Priscilla and Bart Bok Awards to Two High School Seniors at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
July
21, 2009
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) presented Priscilla
and Bart Bok Awards to two high School Seniors at the Intel International
Science and Engineering Fair held May 10 to 15 in Reno this year.
The first prize of $1,000 went to Keith Austin Hawkins for his project,
"A Time-dependent Impact Parameter Model Sheds light on the
Evolution of Galaxy Morphology in compact Clusters of Galaxies."
Keith is a high school senior who will major in physics and astronomy
at Ohio University next year. He worked on this project with help
from Dr. Steven Cederbloom of Mt. Union College, and they hope to
submit a paper to the Publications of the Astronomical Society of
the Pacific (PASP), a peer-reviewed scientific journal for astronomical
research papers.
The second prize of $500 went to Caroline Julia von Wurden for her
project "Determining the Orbital Elements of Minor Planet 23265."
Caroline, also a senior, will attend the University of California,
Berkeley, next year, majoring in physics. She chose this asteroid,
which she observed through creative access to imaging data, because
it was named for her at the INTEL fair in 2007 when the Lincoln
Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) project named an asteroid
for all of the top winners.
Judges for the awards were Dr. Greg Schultz from the Space Science
Lab at the University of California, Berkeley; and Dr. John Glaspey
and Dr. Katy Garmany, both from the National Optical Astronomy Observatory
in Tucson, Arizona.
According to Dr. Katy Garmany, "The Bok Awards are especially
important for encouraging students as astronomy isn't taught
in most high schools, nor is it an important part of the curriculum
like other science courses. As amateur astronomers know, getting
involved canbe both expensive and time consuming. This make awards
like the Bok Award all the more important for encouraging students.
The projects that these high school students are undertaking are
really spectacular."
The Priscilla and Bart Bok Awards are given jointly by the Astronomical
Society of the Pacific and the American Astronomical Society. The
main criterion for selecting the two annual Bok Awards is scientific
merit. Observational, instrumental, theoretical and interdisciplinary
projects involving physics, mathematics, computer sciences, and
engineering in support of astronomy are eligible. The awarded funds
are intended to be used by the recipients to further their education
and research efforts.
The Bok prize is named for Bart and Priscilla Bok. Bart Bok was
an outstanding research astronomer who made important contributions
to our understanding of the Milky Way and of star formation. He
received the ASP's Bruce Medal in 1977 for lifetime achievement
in astronomy. Throughout his life, and especially as an ASP Board
member, Bok was a strong advocate for outreach and education in
astronomy as was his wife, Priscilla, who was a distinguished astronomer
in her own right. They are co-authors of a celebrated book on the
Milky Way. Upon his death in 1983, the ASP established the Bart
Bok Memorial Fund to support educational projects. About 10 years
ago, at the suggestion of the American Astronomical Society, the
activities supported by the Bok Fund were expanded to include the
joint sponsorship of an astronomy award at Intel Science and Education
Fair.
Founded in 1889 in San Francisco, the Astronomical Society of the
Pacific's mission is to increase the understanding and appreciation
of astronomy by engaging scientists, educators, enthusiasts and
the public to advance science and science literacy. Information
regarding the ASP can be found online at http://www.astrosociety.org/about.html.
Specific information on the Society's array of awards for scientists,
educators and amateur astronomers is located online at http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/awards.html