Sims, David

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices5-19-2003UNH Names Peter T Paul Endowed Chair inSpace ScienceDavid SimsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSims, David, "UNH Names Peter T Paul Endowed Chair in Space Science" (2003). UNH Today. 1929.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/192910/11/17, 11'30 AMUNH Names Peter T. Paul Endowed Chair in Space SciencePage 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/may/ds_20030519bhattacharjee.htmlAmitava BhattacharjeeDownload photo hereRelated LinksUNH Institutefor the Studyof Earth,Oceans, andSpace UNH Names Peter T. Paul Endowed Chairin Space ScienceBy David SimsCommunication and Information Coordinator Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space 603-862-5369May 19, 2003DURHAM, N.H. -- Amitava Bhattacharjee, professor of physics andastronomy at the University of Iowa, has been named the Peter T.Paul Chair of Space Science within the Institute for the Study ofEarth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) and the Department of Physics at theUniversity of New Hampshire.The chair is the result of a gift from Troy,N.H, native and UNH alumnus Peter T. Paul,a 1967 graduate in business administrationand former president and CEO of HeadlandsMortgage Company. Founded by Paul in1986, Headlands became one of the premierwholesale mortgage lending institutions inthe country.The $10 million Paul gift funds both thespace science chair and a chair indevelopmental psychology."With the hiring of Professor Bhattacharjee,the Paul Chair comes full circle," says Berrien Moore III, EOSdirector. "We have honored the visionary generosity of Peter Paul byselecting Amitava Bhattacharjee. His acceptance demonstrates theextraordinary importance of the Paul gift. It creates fundamentalchange and exciting possibilities that will play out in the years tocome."Bhattacharjee is currently a professor and director of the Center forMagnetic Reconnection Studies, a multi-institutional consortiuminvolving the University of Iowa, the University of Chicago and theUniversity of Texas at Austin. He recently was namedCollegiate Fellow at Iowa, and is a Fellow of the American PhysicalSociety and the American Association for the Advancement of10/11/17, 11'30 AMUNH Names Peter T. Paul Endowed Chair in Space SciencePage 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/may/ds_20030519bhattacharjee.html Science.Bhattacharjee received a Ph.D. in theoretical plasma physics fromPrinceton University in 1981, and went on to teach applied physics atColumbia University for nine years. He then joined the physicsfaculty at the University of Iowa, which included now ProfessorEmeritus James Van Allen (discoverer of the Van Allen radiation beltsthat surround the Earth). Among his primary research interests aremagnetohydrodynamics, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence."I foresee unique opportunities for collaboration and growth inprecisely the areas that have been central to my research life. As Ihave done at Columbia and at the University of Iowa, I hope to beable to learn from and collaborate with not only the theory group inspace science, but also with the experimentalists and observers in thediverse areas of auroral, magnetospheric, and solar-terrestrial physicsat the University of New Hampshire," Bhattacharjee says.Chung-Sang Ng, an associate research scientist in Bhattacharjee'stheoretical plasma physics group, also will join EOS and the physicsdepartment at UNH, accompanied by research scientists NaokiBessho, Kai Germaschewski, and Ping Zhu.In addition, in conjunction with Bhattacharjee's appointment, JoachimRaeder of UCLA will join the Space Science Center (SSC) andphysics faculty as associate professor. Raeder, who is widely knownfor his important contributions to global magnetohydrodynamicmodels of the Sun-Earth system, will complement Bhattacharjee's andNg's analytical and computational studies in theoretical plasmaphysics.Plasma, in physics, is a highly ionized gas and is sometimes describedas the "fourth state of matter." Plasmas occur in interstellar space, inthe atmosphere of stars, including the Sun, and can be created in thelaboratory and experimental thermonuclear reactors. A fluorescentlight bulb contains a form of plasma.Understanding magnetic reconnection, a main focus ofBhattacharjee's research, is one of the principal challenges in plasmaphysics. Reconnection is a process by which magnetic fieldsreconfigure themselves and release energy. It is widely believed toplay a crucial role in space and astrophysical phenomena such asmagnetospheric substorms and solar flares."The Bhattacharjee-Raeder-Ng team, coupled with our own Solar-Terrestrial Theory Group, will allow us to start a major new initiativein the computational approach to plasma physical problems, in thelaboratory, in the solar system and in far-away astrophysical objects,"10/11/17, 11'30 AMUNH Names Peter T. Paul Endowed Chair in Space SciencePage 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2003/may/ds_20030519bhattacharjee.htmlMoore says.Roy Torbert, who directs the SSC, says of Bhattacharjee, "He crossesthe boundaries of solar system space physics, astrophysical researchinto exotic objects such as accretion disks and the interstellarmedium, as well as the major national effort in magnetic fusionenergy."Back to UNH News Bureau

UNH Names Peter T Paul Endowed Chair in Space Science

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UNH Names Peter T Paul Endowed Chair in Space Science

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