Persis Drell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Persis Drell
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Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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Persis S. Drell is a very important scientist and professor at Stanford University. She has held many big leadership roles there. She is currently a professor of physics and materials science.
Before becoming a top leader (called a Provost), she was the head of Stanford's engineering school from 2014 to 2017. She also directed the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory from 2007 to 2012. SLAC is a special lab that studies tiny particles.
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Early Life and Education
Persis Drell was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Sidney Drell, was also a famous physicist. When she was six months old, her family moved to Stanford.
She went to Wellesley College and earned her first degree in math and physics in 1977. Later, in 1983, she received her Ph.D. (a very high degree) in atomic physics from the University of California, Berkeley.
Her Amazing Career
Dr. Drell started her science career at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She worked on experiments that studied tiny particles.
In 1988, she became a physics professor at Cornell University. There, she joined a group called the CLEO collaboration. They studied "heavy flavor physics," which is about certain types of particles. At Cornell, she also helped lead the Laboratory of Nuclear Studies.
In 2002, Dr. Drell moved to Stanford University. She became a leader at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. She helped oversee a big experiment called the BaBar experiment. This experiment looked at how particles decay. She also helped build a large telescope for space, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.
In 2007, Persis Drell became the director of SLAC. She was the fourth person to lead this important lab. She stepped down from this role in 2012 to focus on teaching and research.
In 2014, she made history by becoming the first woman to be the dean of the Stanford School of Engineering. This means she was the head of the entire engineering school. Then, in 2017, she became the Provost of Stanford University. The Provost is like the chief academic officer, helping to run the whole university. She left this role in 2023.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Drell has received many important awards for her work. She is a member of several top science groups, including:
- The National Academy of Sciences
- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
She is also a fellow of the American Physical Society. This means her peers recognize her important contributions to physics. She has also won a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Presidential Young Investigator Award.
Personal Life
Persis Drell is married to another physicist. They have three children together.
Images for kids
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Persis Drell
See also
In Spanish: Persis Drell para niños
