martin a. pomerantz r. allan baker 2 november, 2008
TRANSCRIPT
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Born: 17 December, 1916, New York, New York Died: 25 October, 2008 Field: Physics Institution: Bartol Research Institute, served as president 1959 to1987 Alma mater: Syracuse University (B.A. 1937)
University of Pennsylvania (M.S. 1938) Temple University (Ph.D 1951)
Honors and Awards:– 1970, Centennial Medal from Syracuse University– 1985, Prix de la Belgica– 1987, Distinguished Public Servant Award, NSF– 1990, NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal– 1995, Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory (MAPO) – Pomerantz Tableland, in Usarp Mountains named after him
Martin A. Pomerantz
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Pioneer in solar observations, studying the interior of the sun by a technique known as helioseismology.
Leader in the fields of submillimeter astronomy, cosmic and gamma rays, and measurements of cosmic background radiation.
Led several National Geographic expeditions Worked on eight national and international scientific
communities Member of several prestigious science and space research
organizations Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American
Geophysical Union, and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Martin A. Pomerantz
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Pioneer in balloon-born cosmic ray research in the 1940s and 1950s
1960 installed cosmic ray detector in McMurdo
He first foresaw the potential of the South Pole in 1964 while working on a cosmic ray experiment
Martin A. Pomerantz
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First Solar Observations from Pole
In 1979, he made the first serious solar observations from the Pole. These observations were not formally authorized.
“We had to find a way to convince people that the South pole was the place for astronomy. Sometimes you need to circumvent the rules. Our bootleg experiment enabled us to obtain the clearest pictures of the sun that had ever been obtained from any place on earth. It proved once and for all this was a superb place for astronomy.”
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EMILIE--the first submillimeter astronomy instrument at Pole
Emilie (Emission Millimetrique) was a 1984-85 collaboration between Martin Pomerantz and several French scientists.
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First Cosmic Microwave Background Experiment from the Pole, 1986
Mark Dragovan, Bob Pernic, Martin Pomerantz, Bob Brown, Tony Stark
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Supervised the installation of a stationary cosmic ray detector at Thule Air Base in Greenland
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Comments
"Much of what we currently know about the universe and its formation, we owe to Dr. Pomerantz," President David P. Roselle, UMD
“Pomerantz had developed and operated instruments in Antarctica for observing similar sun-quake signals in the newly emerging field of helioseismology, a discipline in which he was one of the true Pioneers. The Pomerantz legacy is both a spirit of adventure in scientific research, as well as the maintenance of very high standards. ” Bartol President Norman F. Ness