Fiona A. Harrison facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fiona A. Harrison
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Harrison speaks at the 2016 World Economic Forum
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | Dartmouth College UC Berkeley |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
Fiona A. Harrison is a very important scientist at Caltech. She leads the Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy division. She is also a special professor of physics there. Dr. Harrison is the main scientist for NASA's NuSTAR mission. NuSTAR is a space telescope that studies high-energy X-rays. In 2020, she won the Hans A. Bethe Prize for her amazing work on the NuSTAR project.
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About Fiona Harrison
Fiona Harrison was born in Santa Monica, California. When she was three years old, her family moved to Boulder, Colorado. She loved science and went to Dartmouth College. In 1985, she earned her first degree in physics with high honors.
Education and Early Career
After Dartmouth, Dr. Harrison continued her studies at U.C. Berkeley. She earned her PhD in 1993. A PhD is the highest degree you can get in many fields. Then, she went to Caltech as a special researcher. In 1995, she became an Assistant Professor of Physics at Caltech. She worked hard and became a full professor in 2005. By 2013, she was named the Benjamin M. Rosen Professor of Physics.
Exploring the Universe
Dr. Harrison's work combines two exciting things. She helps create new tools and instruments for space. She also uses these tools to observe and study space. Her research focuses on very energetic objects in space. These include black holes, neutron stars, gamma-ray bursts, and supernova remnants.
The NuSTAR Mission
Dr. Harrison was the main scientist for the NuSTAR mission. NuSTAR is a special telescope in space. It is the first telescope that can focus on high-energy X-rays. These X-rays come from some of the most extreme places in the universe. She led a large team from many countries. Together, they planned, built, and launched the NuSTAR mission.
The special detectors and electronics for NuSTAR were built in Dr. Harrison's labs at Caltech. The mission started its main two-year study in August 2012 and finished in August 2014.
Discoveries from NuSTAR
NuSTAR has helped scientists make many important discoveries. For example, Dr. Harrison's research showed how gamma-ray bursts behave. These are powerful explosions in space. NuSTAR also helped map the leftover material from the Cassieopeia A supernova remnant. This helped scientists understand how stars explode.
Other exciting discoveries from NuSTAR include:
- Measuring how fast supermassive and stellar mass black holes spin.
- Finding a magnetar in the center of our galaxy. A magnetar is a type of neutron star with a super strong magnetic field.
- Discovering a very bright pulsar. Pulsars are spinning neutron stars that send out beams of radiation.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Harrison has received many awards for her important work.
- In 2000, President Clinton gave her the Presidential Early Career Award. This award is for young scientists and engineers.
- U.S. News and the Kennedy School of Government named her one of America's best leaders.
- In 2013, she received a NASA Outstanding Public Leadership medal.
- The American Astronomical Society gave her the Bruno Rossi Prize in 2015.
- In 2020, she was chosen as a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.
- She received the Mohler Prize from the University of Michigan in 2022.
Dr. Harrison is also a member of several important groups. These include the American Physical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. She is also an honorary fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.
See also
In Spanish: Fiona A. Harrison para niños
- List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects
