CITA

Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics

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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.

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Dick Bond elected Foreign Fellow of Indian National Science Academy

lanthierj — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 14:25:42 +0000

Dick Bond elected Foreign Fellow of Indian National Science Academy

lanthierj Wed, 11/01/2023 - 10:25

Faculty

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Dick Bond (supplied image)

University Professor Dick Bond of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA) in the Faculty of Arts & Science has been elected a Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), effective January 1, 2024.

Established in 1935, INSA promotes science in India, harnessing scientific knowledge for the cause of humanity and national welfare. Bond is one of six researchers in the latest cohort of foreign fellows and the only one at a Canadian institution.

Bond is a cosmologist whose theoretical research interests include the physics of the very early universe, the origin and evolution of cosmic structure, and problems presented by dark matter and dark energy. He was cited by INSA for his pioneering work in the field, specifically for demonstrating that slight variations in the cosmic microwave background radiation contain precious information regarding the shape, size, age and composition of the universe.

During his decades-long partnership with the Indian scientific community, Bond helped establish the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Pune and has attracted many Indian postdoctoral researchers to CITA, many of whom are now leaders in the field.

“This is just as much an honour for CITA given its long-standing role in contributing to and supporting the development of Indian science, particularly in the areas of astrophysics and cosmology,” said Bond. “I have had the privilege of building relationships with scientists across India over many years and am grateful for this recognition.

“I’m proud to further cement CITA’s entanglement with the Indian scientific community alongside so many renowned Indian researchers and fellow foreign fellows.”

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Dick Bond honoured by Canadian and American physics communities

lanthierj — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 18:57:26 +0000

Dick Bond honoured by Canadian and American physics communities

lanthierj Tue, 10/24/2023 - 14:57

Faculty

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Dick Bond (supplied image)

University Professor Richard Bond of the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics (CITA), has received prestigious honours from the Canadian and American physics communities.

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) has named Bond a CAP Fellow, a distinction previously bestowed on Canadian Nobel laureates Arthur B. McDonald and Donna Strickland. The distinction recognizes an individual’s contributions to the Canadian physics community and to physics research.

The American Physical Society, meanwhile, awarded Bond the Hans A. Bethe Prize for developing conceptual and quantitative tools that have enabled cosmologists to measure the geometry, content and age of the universe.

“We are very excited to celebrate Professor Bond receiving these honours,” Dean Melanie Woodin says. “CITA has always been a jewel in U of T’s crown and Bond is one of the reasons for the institute’s reputation and achievements. He has helped us better understand the fundamental nature of the universe, so it is no surprise that the physics community is honouring him with these distinctions.”

Throughout his distinguished career, Bond has investigated the physics of the very early universe, dark matter and dark energy, particle and gravitational theory and the origin and evolution of cosmic structure, among other mysteries of the universe. Along with coining the term “cosmic web” to describe the strands of matter connecting galaxies, Bond is perhaps best known for developing the theory and analysis of cosmic microwave background radiation fluctuations into a high precision tool for exploring the cosmos.

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Canadian collaboration including U of T astronomers wins Berkeley prize

lanthierj — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 21:58:18 +0000

Canadian collaboration including U of T astronomers wins Berkeley prize

Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics

lanthierj Mon, 11/22/2021 - 16:58

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(Photo by Andre Renard )

The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment fast radio burst (CHIME/FRB) team will receive the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) 2022 Lancelot M. Berkeley − New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy.

The CHIME/FRB team is being honoured for its progress on fast radio bursts – brief and powerful flashes of radio waves with enigmatic origins – using observations from the CHIME radio telescope. The team is being recognized in particular for an article published in Nature that identified the first known fast radio burst within our own galaxy and tied this flash to its potential source, a known magnetar – a highly magnetized and dense remnant of a massive star.

Paul Scholz, a Dunlap-NSERC Fellow with the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, was a lead author on the paper. In January, Scholz will accept the prize on behalf of the team, along with Victoria Kaspi, professor of astronomy at McGill University and CHIME/FRB principal investigator.

“It’s an honour to be recognized for this work by the AAS,” Scholz says. “It's taken a large team years of work to get here, and I’m proud of what we've accomplished.”

Co-led by the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia, McGill University, the CHIME/FRB team is hosted by the National Research Council of Canada, with collaborating institutions across North America and contributions of dozens of scientists.

“CHIME was unconventional in so many ways,” says Ue-Li Pen, a professor in the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics and a member of the CHIME/FRB team. “Canada provided a unique opportunity for a new, bold idea which has now confirmed us as international leaders.”

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Nine U of T professors named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

lanthierj — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 20:54:53 +0000

Nine U of T professors named Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

lanthierj Tue, 09/07/2021 - 16:54

Faculty

Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada

Scarborough

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering