Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

CITA

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Linda Strubbe (third from left) and collaborators at the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (supplied image)

Linda Strubbe, a former post-doctoral fellow in the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Physics (CITA) at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Arts & Science, has received an Astronomy Education Prize from the International Astronomical Union (IAU).

The award honours scientists, science communicators and educators who have made outstanding contributions to astronomy education, outreach or development.

Strubbe and co-recipient Bonaventure Okere, who leads the IAU’s West African Regional Office of Astronomy for Development, were recognized for their contributions as co-founders of the Pan-African School for Emerging Astronomers (PASEA). Since its founding in 2013, PASEA has held summer school programs in Nigeria, Ghana and Zambia, with the next program slated for Tunisia.

“I feel really honoured, grateful, and excited to receive this award from the IAU for PASEA," said Strubbe. "PASEA is truly a team effort, so we celebrate this award with our fellow co-directors, our instructor team and our inspiring students and alumni from around the African continent.

"For me personally, I love helping students follow their curiosity about the universe and collaborate with others to solve astronomy questions they're excited about. I also love helping instructors learn new ways of teaching astronomy.

"I hope this recognition from the IAU may strengthen all efforts working towards astronomy for development in Africa.”

Strubbe’s post-doctoral research at CITA saw her focus on the tidal disruption of stars by massive black holes in the centre of galaxies, before she transitioned to a career in science education and consulting.

Read the CITA story

Read the IAU announcement

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Maya Fishbach awarded 2023 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

rahul.kalvapalle — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 19:04:57 +0000

Maya Fishbach awarded 2023 John Charles Polanyi Prize in physics

Community

rahul.kalvapalle Wed, 02/21/2024 - 14:04

John Charles Polanyi Prize

Polanyi Prize

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Assistant Professor Maya Fishbach (photo by Diana Tyszko)

Maya Fishbach, an assistant professor with the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) in the Faculty of Arts & Science, has been awarded the prestigious John Charles Polanyi Prize for 2023.

The provincial government awards the Polanyi Prize annually to early-career researchers from Ontario universities. Established in 1987, the award is named in honour of John Charles Polanyi, University Professor Emeritus in the department of chemistry and recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize. The winners are nominated by the deans of university graduate schools across Ontario and chosen by a selection committee organized by the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies

A gravitational wave astrophysicist, Fishbach studies collisions of black holes and neutron stars. Through a combination of data analysis and theoretical modeling, her research strives to explain how, where and when black holes and neutron stars form and merge. By combining gravitational wave and electromagnetic radiation observations, Fishbach is advancing knowledge on everything from stars to cosmology.

“I’m incredibly grateful to receive this award in recognition of my past work and the future promise of gravitational-wave astrophysics,” says Fishbach, a member of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA gravitational wave collaboration and the principal investigator of the LIGO scientific collaboration group at CITA.

“I’m especially honoured to join the inspiring cohort of past Polanyi prize recipients whom I greatly admire and for the opportunity to celebrate John Polanyi and his legacy.”

Maya Fishbach, Daniel Litt awarded 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 14:35:08 +0000

Maya Fishbach, Daniel Litt awarded 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships

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rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 02/20/2024 - 09:35

Department of Mathematics

Sloan Research Fellowships

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Assistant Professors Maya Fishbach (L) and Daniel Litt (supplied images)

Maya Fishbach and Daniel Litt from the Faculty of Arts & Science have been awarded prestigious 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The fellowships honour exceptional early-career Canadian and U.S. researchers whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.

Fishbach, an assistant professor with the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, is carrying out gravitational wave research that is helping revolutionize our understanding of how and where black holes are made and how big the universe is.

Her foundational work on bridging the fields of gravitational physics and astrophysics is helping shape the field of multi-messenger astronomy — a new realm of research that draws on observations of both gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation.

“It’s a huge honour to have my research recognized by the Sloan Foundation — especially because so many of my role models are past Sloan fellows, including several U of T physicists and astronomers,” says Fishbach. “I am super grateful for the support of all of my mentors, especially Professor Juna Kollmeier for always believing in me and University Professor Dick Bond for nominating me for this fellowship. I am also thankful to all the wonderful students, post-docs and colleagues around the world without whom my research wouldn’t be anywhere near as productive or fun.”

Litt is an assistant professor with the department of mathematics whose current research focuses on using algebraic-geometric and arithmetic tools to answer classical questions in geometry, topology, number theory and dynamics.

He is emerging as a world leader in using modern algebraic geometry to prove classical results in algebraic geometry.

“I'm honoured to receive the Sloan Research Fellowship, and I deeply appreciate the Sloan Foundation's recognition of my work on the arithmetic and topology of algebraic varieties,” says Litt. “I am excited to continue working towards a deeper understanding of the interrelationships between number theory, low-dimensional topology and algebraic geometry.

“My hope is that this continued work will help us discern answers to some of the fundamental questions in mathematics that lie in the interplay between these areas.”

Read the complete list of 2024 Sloan Research Fellows

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CHIME wins Governor General's Innovation Award

lanthierj — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 15:26:07 +0000

CHIME wins Governor General's Innovation Award

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Wed, 07/29/2020 - 11:26

Students

David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

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Many members of the CHIME collaboration stand in front of the telescope in 2019, at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, British Columbia. (photo by Andre Renard)

The team behind the Canadian-based radio telescope CHIME (the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment) has been awarded the fifth annual Governor General’s Innovation Award.

The award recognizes Canadians who have “developed new or better ways of creating value and who are having a meaningful impact on our quality of life.”

The CHIME team includes almost two dozen scientists and students from the University of Toronto, drawn from the David A. Dunlap Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, and the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), along with scientists from across Canada and internationally.

“The U of T astronomers on the team have played an incredibly important role in the project, and we’re all so proud to have them as our colleagues,” said Professor Roberto Abraham, department chair.

Since it began taking data in 2017, CHIME has made diverse discoveries on fast radio bursts and cosmology.

“It’s exciting to work on CHIME, to be part of the team as different surveys come together and turn on,” said Associate Professor Keith Vanderlinde, CHIME co-investigator. “The instrument has showed itself a revolutionary tool for studying the cosmos, and we’re thrilled to receive this award.”

Read the Faculty of Arts & Science story

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University Professor Dick Bond named a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.

lanthierj — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 17:03:44 +0000

University Professor Dick Bond named a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.

Research & Innovation

lanthierj Thu, 03/05/2020 - 12:03