May 04, 2008
On May 4, 2008, Nobel Laureate and NASA scientist Dr. John C. Mather announced the endowment of a Hertz Foundation Fellowship using his award from the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics. Dr. Mather, a 1974 Hertz Fellow, credits the Hertz Foundation and its generous Fellowship with helping to launch his early research on the Big Bang that eventually led to the Nobel Prize.
“The Jane and John Mather Fellowship will support the next generation of cosmologists and applied scientists in their research quests for innovations that will change our world for the better, “ stated Dr. Mather. “I am pleased that my Nobel award will help to support the Hertz Foundation whose generous Fellowship enabled my early research in cosmology.”
Dr. Mather’s announcement came during a Hertz Foundation celebration of his scholarly achievements held at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center where he is the Senior Astrophysicist in the Observational Cosmology Laboratory. Dr. Mather shared the 2006 Noble Prize in Physics with Dr. George C. Smoot for their collaborative work that helped cement the Big-Bang theory of the universe by using satellite data from the Cosmic Background Explorer, COBE.
In addition to a tour and presentation by Dr. Mather, Master of Ceremony, Dr. Ruth David, Hertz Director, President and CEO of Analytic Services Inc., introduced Dr. Michael MacCracken, Hertz Fellow 1968 and chief scientist with the Climate Institute, who gave a presentation on global climate change.
