Virginia Trimble to Receive Gemant Award for Championing the Social Perspective of Science

WASHINGTON, D.C., August 19, 2019 -- The American Institute of Physics (AIP) announced astronomer Virginia Trimble has been selected to receive the 2019 Andrew Gemant Award, an annual prize recognizing contributions to the cultural, artistic and humanistic dimension of physics.

 

Trimble is a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine, is a staff astronomer and member of the advisory board for the Las Cumbres Observatory in Goleta, California, and holds an honorary staff position at the Queen Jadwinga Observatory in Rzepiennik Biskupi, Poland. She has published more than 900 works in astronomy, astrophysics, science history and scientometrics and, for many years, wrote a popular yearly review of astronomy and astrophysics research for the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, according to UCI.

 

The Gemant Award recognizes Trimble’s lifelong successes in the physical sciences and “for taking the broader view of how physics and astronomy is accomplished, creatively engaging physical scientists and the public throughout her lifetime, and commitment to establishing science within the social perspective.” The award includes a cash prize of $5,000 and a grant of $3,000 to further the public communication of physics at an institution of Trimble’s choice.

 

“We are extremely honored to present Virginia Trimble with this year’s Gemant award,” said AIP CEO Michael Moloney. “Dr. Trimble has devoted much of her life to exploring the historical and cultural side of physics and astrophysics. Her knowledge and professionalism are highly regarded in the international science community, and she is a most deserving recipient of this award.”