Claire Ellen Max (born September 29, 1946) is a

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and Astrophysics at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge of ...

(UCSC) and is affiliated with the Lick Observatory. She is the Director of the Center for Adaptive Optics at UCSC. Max received the E.O. Lawrence Award in Physics.

Biography

In 1972, Max received her

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in Astrophysical Sciences from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, following her

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in

from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, in 1968. Following postdoctoral work at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, Max joined the scientific staff of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1974, working on problems in plasma physics relating to fusion technology. In 1984, she became the founding Director of the Livermore branch of the UC Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and in 1995, she became the Director of University Relations. She joined the faculty at UCSC in 2001. Max is best known for her contributions to the theory of

adaptive optics Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology used to improve the performance of optical systems by reducing the effect of incoming wavefront distortions by deforming a mirror in order to compensate for the distortion. It is used in astronomical tele ...

as a technique for reducing the optical distortions of images taken through the turbulent atmosphere. This work began at the

JASON Defense Advisory Group JASON is an independent group of elite scientists which advises the United States government on matters of science and technology, mostly of a sensitive nature. The group was created in the aftermath of the Sputnik launch as a way to reinvigorate ...

, which she joined in 1983 as its first female member. With her colleagues in JASON, she developed the idea of using an artificial

laser guide star A laser guide star is an artificial star image created for use in astronomical adaptive optics systems, which are employed in large telescopes in order to correct atmospheric distortion of light (called '' astronomical seeing''). Adaptive op ...

to correct astronomical images. In addition to continuing to develop this technology at the Center for Adaptive Optics, she uses adaptive optics to study

active galactic nuclei An active galactic nucleus (AGN) is a compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity over at least some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with characteristics indicating that the luminosity is not prod ...

as well as planets in the

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

Awards and honors

* Fellow, American Physical Society * Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science * Fellow, SPIE *2002, Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

*2003, Woman of the Year in Science, Alameda County (CA) Women's Hall of Fame *2004, E.O. Lawrence Award in Physics, U.S. Department of Energy, for her contributions to the theory of laser adaptive optics and the applications of adaptive optics to ground-based astronomy *2005, Hartnell College, Salinas, CA: “President’s Partnership of Excellence” Award *2006, Science Award, Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland CA * 2008, National Academy of Sciences *2009, James Madison Medal, Princeton University *2015, Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation, American Astronomical Society *2020, Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.

References

External links

Dr. Max's page @ UCSC

UC Santa Cruz article about Claire Max

The Center for Adaptive Optics
*
Claire Max's Non-technical Talk in the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Max, Claire E. 1946 births Living people American women astronomers Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Lick Observatory Harvard University alumni Princeton University alumni University of California, Santa Cruz faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Women planetary scientists Planetary scientists Fellows of the American Astronomical Society

Biography

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links