Professor Eric Blackman Selected as a Member of the National Defense Science Study Group of the Institute for Defense Analyses
Eric G. Blackman, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester, has been selected to join the Defense Science Study Group ( http://dssg.ida.org/ ) which is part of the
Institute for Defense Analyses (4850 Mark Center Drive
Alexandria, VA 22311)
The DSSG selects young professors from many of the nation's top universities, as well as non-university affiliated men and women, all of whom have been nominated by senior academic officials; DSSG alumni, mentors, and advisors; and other officials from various government agencies to take part in DSSG. Over the course of the two-year program, those invited to participate focus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions, and operations of the armed force.
Technological advantage is fundamental to U.S. national security. To keep pace with rapidly evolving technology and defense needs, it is crucial that strong links be developed between the national security community and young, emerging leaders of science and technology, especially in those fields that have not traditionally been associated with defense. The Defense Science Study Group seeks to convey to members an understanding of the technical dimensions of national security issues and an appreciation for the people and operations involved.
For approximately 22 days per year over a two-year period, DSSG members take to the road as they immerse themselves in the issues and policies related to national security. Over the course of 8 sessions, spread out over the two years, members interact with top-level officials from the Defense Department, as well as senior officials of other government organizations such as the Department of Energy, various intelligence agencies, and Congress. Visits to military bases throughout the United States provide members with a unique perspective of operating forces, and allow program members to meet with senior commanders. Tours of defense laboratories and industrial facilities provide further insight into research, development, and manufacturing technologies.
This year, Blackman ( http://spider.pas.rochester.edu/mainFrame/people/pages/Blackman.html) has also been elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. (see: http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=2290) This is an honor accorded each year to less than one half of a percent of the members of the Society, which is the nation's leading professional association in physics.
Prof. Blackman, a theoretical astrophysicist, was elected APS fellow for his contributions to the study of astrophysical plasmas, specifically for the progress he has made in many long-standing and notoriously difficult problems involving the generation and reconnection of astrophysical magnetic fields. These are subjects fundamental and pervasive in astrophysics, 95% of the universe being composed of magnetized plasma, and thus Prof. Blackman's work has underlain progress in a wide variety of astronomical fields, such as star and planet formation, accretion disks around black holes and neutron stars, and the dynamics of interstellar and intergalactic matter.
Article submitted by:
Arie Bodek
10/31/05; 9:17:18 PM