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  Neil Gehrels, Swift investigator (1952-2017)

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Author Topic:   Neil Gehrels, Swift investigator (1952-2017)
Robert Pearlman
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posted 02-08-2017 07:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Neil Gehrels, the the chief of the Astroparticle Physics Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the principal investigator for the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission, died on Monday (Feb. 6). He was 64.

The following is a statement from Goddard Center Director Chris Scolese on Gehrels' death.

Our center has lost a dear friend and astronomy pioneer, and his spirit will always live on in our work. Those of us who were fortunate to work with Neil know of his unwavering enthusiasm for science and unselfish generosity in mentoring others.

Neil arrived at Goddard after earning his doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in 1982, focusing on the field that has defined his career: gamma-ray astronomy. For more than three decades, Neil established himself as a global figure in the study of gamma-ray bursts and the larger gamma-ray universe.

From 1995 up until his death, Neil served as the chief of the Goddard Astroparticle Physics Laboratory. He worked as a project scientist and investigator for several notable missions, including the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, the Swift gamma-ray burst Medium Explorer, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope and the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory.

His accolades are many, and his worked has been published hundreds of times over in science journals and popular science magazines. Neil is the recipient of the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and Goddard’s John C. Lindsay Memorial Award. He has been recognized by the American Astronomical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences and other renowned scientific organizations. More recently in 2016, he was elected an honorary fellow to the Royal Astronomical Society in London, and he was a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration which made the groundbreaking discovery of gravitational waves last February. A few months later, CalTech recognized Neil as one of its most distinguished alumni.

Throughout his success, Neil always found time to share his achievements with others. Following in the footsteps of his father, an astronomer who helped dissident scientists during the Cold War, Neil and his family were active volunteers in disadvantaged communities around Goddard. In 2005, he helped develop an internship program that allowed local high school students with hardships to work in his labs.

Neil leaves behind a legacy only he could have created, and words cannot adequately express our grief for this great loss.

randy
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dss65
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Wehaveliftoff
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Even though I was more in contact with his father, Tom, I do remember Neil on occasions at the U of A. My deepest condolences to the Gehrels family.

cspg
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Lunar rock nut
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David Carey
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Philip
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star51L
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