Prof. Jon Lawrence has become the new Chair of the department. We have changed our name to the Department of Physics and Astronomy.We have recruited a new member of the faculty in astronomy and astrophysics, Prof. Tammy Smecker-Hane. She received her Ph. D. from John Hopkins University, and was a researcher at Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, British Columbia. Her main research has been on dwarf spheriodal galaxies and on their star formation history and their dark matter content.
Six professors have made use of the early retirement (VERIP) program in the last two years. They are Profs. Hardy Mayer, Norman Rostoker, Nat Rynn, Gordon Shaw, Gerard Van Hoven, and Dick Wallis. All continue to be actively engaged in research.
Prof. Emeritus Frederick Reines has been elected a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Professors Jonas Schultz and Richard Wallis have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Prof. Schultz was cited for varied contributions to elementary particle physics, including investigations of proton-antiproton interactions, and for is role in graduate education and the support of physics research. Professor Emeritus Richard Wallis was cited for research on atomic vibrations at crystal surfaces and for the discovery of microscopic surface modes in diatomic crystals.
Prof. Virginia Trimble has been elected Vice President of the International Astronomical Union, and President of its Commission on Galaxies for the period 1994-1997. She has also been elected to the board of directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.
Prof. Gregory Benford is the 1995 recipient of the Lord Foundation Award for achievement in the sciences. The Award is given every five years by the Lord Corporation, a technology leader. The 1990 award went to A. Penzias. The winner presents an address at an October 17 symposium at Carnegie Mellon Museum.
Prof. William Heidbrink has been awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award for the U. C. Irvine campus.
John Rosendahl has received the School of Physical Sciences Award for Outstanding Contributions to Undergraduate Educaton.
Prof. Roger McWillams has served as acting Dean of Undergraduate Studies.
The department has received graduate National Needs Fellowships for U.S. citizens and permanent residents. For the two years in 1994-96 the grant is for $356,000.
The total research expenditures for the department averages around $7.8 million a year. The High Energy physics group has received a three year renewal of their Department of Energy research grant. The first year amount is $2.792 million.
The department has a new observatory on which there will be a feature article in a later issue. The department has also created a new instructional computing laboratory with state of the art pentium PCs and Sun workstations. Bill Heidbrink and John Rosendahl conducted a UCI presentation day, including lab tours, for about 20 highly rated freshman applicants in Physics and Astronomy.
Ms. Romana Crnkovic has been honored for her work as the department's Teaching Assistant Consultant for 1994-95. Michael Bantel has received the Department Award for Outstanding Teaching Assistant.
James Danielson has received the Department Award for Outstanding Senior. Thomas Tierney has received the Department Award for Undergraduate Research and Departmental Service.
Honors at Graduation were conferred to: Steve S. Huang, summa cum laude, Christopher Harrington, magna cum laude, James R. Danielson, cum laude, Wen-Yuan Chiang, cum laude, and John P. Kondis, cum laude.