January 23, 1995 Contact: Robert Irion (408/459-2495)

UC SANTA CRUZ ASTRONOMERS RECEIVE NOTEWORTHY HONORS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--Robert Kraft and Jerry Nelson, astronomers at UCO/Lick Observatory and the University of California, Santa Cruz, have earned two of the top awards in astronomy for their visionary work in the field.

Kraft, a professor emeritus of astronomy and astrophysics, was named Henry Norris Russell Lecturer for 1995 by the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Nelson, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics, received the 1995 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the AAS and the American Institute of Physics. Both men will deliver prize lectures at an upcoming meeting of the AAS. In addition, Nelson's award carries a $7,500 cash prize.

The Russell Lectureship recognizes lifetime achievement in astronomy. The annual award was first given in 1946 to Henry Norris Russell, an astronomer at Princeton University who pioneered modern astrophysics in this country. The AAS award committee chose Kraft for his influential studies of variable stars, exploding stars known as novae, stellar rotation, and the chemical properties of the oldest stars in the Milky Way. Kraft's award citation reads, in part, "His profound insight, together with the rigor and breadth of his research, has greatly advanced our understanding of the history, structure, and content of the galaxy."

Kraft came to UCSC in 1967. He headed Lick Observatory as acting director for brief periods in the late 1960s and early 1970s and as director from 1981 to 1991. He was president of the AAS from 1974 to 1976 and is now president-elect of the International Astronomical Union. Kraft is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He retired from the UCSC faculty in 1992 but maintains an active research program.

The Heineman Prize, first awarded in 1980, recognizes distinguished work in astrophysics. The Heineman Foundation for Research, Educational, Charitable, and Scientific Purposes funds the award. Dannie Heineman was an American engineer and philanthropist who headed SOFINA, a company that developed and managed public utilities in Europe, the Near East, and South America. Nelson's prize certificate cites his leading role in conceiving the W. M. Keck Telescope in Hawaii, the world's largest optical telescope. "His energy, enthusiasm, intelligence, and deep knowledge of all aspects of the physics and engineering were essential to the successful completion of the Keck Telescopes on Mauna Kea, the first of the new generation," the award citation reads.

Nelson joined the UCSC faculty in 1994 after many years at UC Berkeley. He gained renown as the principal designer and project scientist for the Keck Telescope and its twin, Keck II, now under construction. Nelson's design of 36 hexagonal segments aligned to act as one 400-inch mirror has revolutionized ground-based astronomy. Nelson and others are working on an adaptive-optics system for the telescopes, which would cancel the blurring effects of earth's atmosphere.

Editor's note: Photographs of the astronomers are available from the Public Information Office.

This release is also available on UC NewsWire, the University of California's electronic news service. To access by modem, dial (209) 244-6971.

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