Background
Shapiro, Irwin Ira was born on October 10, 1929 in New York City, New York, United States. Son of Samuel and Esther (Feinberg) Shapiro.
Astronomer astrophysicist physicist university professor
Shapiro, Irwin Ira was born on October 10, 1929 in New York City, New York, United States. Son of Samuel and Esther (Feinberg) Shapiro.
Bachelor of Arts, Cornell Univercity, 1950;
A.M., Harvard University, 1951;
Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1955.
He has been a professor at Harvard since 1982. He was the director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics from 1982 to 2004. He later received his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Cornell University, and later a Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from Harvard University.
He joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology"s Lincoln Laboratory in 1954 and became a professor of physics at there in 1967.
In 1982, he took a position as professor and Guggenheim Fellow at his alma mater, Harvard, and also became director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 1997, he became the first Timken University Professor at the university.
Shapiro"s research interests include astrophysics, astrometry, geophysics, gravitation, including the use of gravitational lenses to assess the age of the universe. In 1981, Edward Bowell discovered the 3832 main belt asteroid and it was later named after Shapiro by his former student Steven J. Ostro.
Irwin Ira Shapiro has been listed as a noteworthy Physicist, educator by Marquis Who's Who.
Fellow American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Geophysical Union (Charles A. Whitten medal 1991, William Bowie medal 1993), American Physical Society. Member American Association for the Advancement of Science, NAS (Benjamin Apthorp Gould prize 1979), American Astronomical Society (Dannie Heineman award 1983, Dirk Brouwer award 1987, Gerard Kuiper award 1997), American Philosophical Society, International Astronomical Union, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi.
Married Marian Helen Kaplun, December 20, 1959. Children: Steven, Nancy.
