February 5, 1996 Contact: Robert Irion (408) 459-2495; irion@ua.ucsc.edu
UC REGENTS ELEVATE ASTRONOMER SANDRA FABER TO PRESTIGIOUS POST OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SANTA CRUZ, CA--The Board of Regents of the University of California has named Sandra M. Faber, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz and one of the world's foremost astronomers, to the small circle of leading scholars and educators known as "university professors." The honor is the highest that UC bestows to recognize the research accomplishments and teaching efforts of its faculty members.
Faber will lecture at other UC campuses, meet with graduate and undergraduate students, give public talks, and confer on issues in higher education with members of government, business, and other segments of the community, while keeping her primary position at UCSC and the UC Observatories/Lick Observatory. Her term will last for five years.
"Professor Faber's scholarly achievements and far-reaching impact have been profound," wrote UCSC Chancellor Karl S. Pister in his letter of nomination to the Regents. "Her teaching is inspirational and her service to the university, to the international academy, and to the world of public policy has been consistently superior."
In announcing the honor, UC President Richard C. Atkinson noted in a letter to Faber, "The title university professor is reserved for scholars of international distinction who are recognized and respected as teachers of exceptional ability. This action reflects the high esteem in which you are held by your colleagues, the university administration, and the members of the Board of Regents."
Faber's appointment brings the current roster of university professors to eighteen, all but two of whom have retired from active teaching. The list includes Hayden White, professor emeritus of history of consciousness, who in 1990 was the first UCSC faculty member selected for the honor. Other university professors include such well-known figures as physicists E. Margaret Burbidge, Edward Teller, and Charles Townes; chemists Melvin Calvin, Donald Cram, and Glenn Seaborg; microbiologist J. Michael Bishop; and sociologist Neil Smelser.
Faber, age 51, is renowned for her research in extragalactic astronomy and cosmology. She has made significant contributions in three areas: the structure and formation of elliptical galaxies; the nature, compositions, and motions of stars within a galaxy as related to their ages; and the streaming motions of large numbers of galaxies. Important concepts such as "cold dark matter" and the "Great Attractor" are direct results of work by Faber and her colleagues.
Faber has worked closely on two of the major optical astronomy ventures of recent years: the Hubble Space Telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory. She is a member of Hubble's wide field/planetary camera team, which directs many of the telescope's most striking observations. She and her coworkers diagnosed the flaw in the telescope's mirror and recommended strategies for its repair. For nearly two decades Faber also has helped plan and develop the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, now home to the world's largest optical and infrared telescope.
Faber's other service to her community has included membership on the California Council on Science and Technology and her current posts on the President's Advisory Panel of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the Committee on Astronomy and Astrophysics of the NAS, and the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Her peers have recognized Faber with several other noteworthy honors, including election to the National Academy of Sciences at age 40 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences four years later. At UCSC she was named Faculty Research Lecturer in 1990, the highest honor given by Santa Cruz faculty members to their colleagues.
Faber earned her B.A. in physics from Swarthmore College and her Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University. She joined the faculty at UCSC and UCO/Lick Observatory in 1972.
Editor's note: You may reach Faber at (408) 459-2944, or call Robert Irion at (408) 459-2495 for assistance. A photograph of Faber is available upon request.
This release is also available on the World Wide Web at UCSC's "Services for Journalists" site (http://www.ucsc.edu/news/journalist.html) or via modem from UC NewsWire (209/244-6971).
Press Releases Home | Search Press Releases | Press Release Archive | Services for Journalists
Maintained by:pioweb@cats.ucsc.edu