Michael S. Turner to Become American Physical Society’s First Astrophysicist President

(Originally published by the University of Chicago)

September 20, 2010

The American Physical Society has elected the University of Chicago’s Michael S. Turner vice president as of Jan. 1, 2011. The election puts Turner in line to serve later as president-elect, president, and then past-president in successive years.

Turner, the Bruce V. and Diana M. Rauner Distinguished Service Professor in Astronomy & Astrophysics and Director of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at UChicago, will become the first astrophysicist to serve as APS president.

In his candidate’s statement, Turner wrote that his priority as president will be to ensure that the APS “be a strong and respected voice for the importance of basic research to the long-term health of the country and the world.”

Founded in 1899, the APS is the world’s leading physics organization, representing 48,000 physicists in academia, national laboratories and industry.

Original press release.