Giovanni Fazio is an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

at Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. He is an astrophysicist who has initiated and participated in multiple

observation Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The ...

programs.

Career

In 1962 he joined the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the

Harvard College Observatory The Harvard College Observatory (HCO) is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United St ...

. There he started a program in

gamma-ray astronomy Gamma-ray astronomy is the astronomical observation of gamma rays,Astronomical literature generally hyphenates "gamma-ray" when used as an adjective, but uses "gamma ray" without a hyphen for the noun. the most energetic form of electromagneti ...

using balloon-borne and ground-based detectors, and the construction of the 10-meter optical reflector at the F. L. Whipple Observatory, Arizona, for the search of ultra-high-energy cosmic

gamma-rays A gamma ray, also known as gamma radiation (symbol γ or \gamma), is a penetrating form of electromagnetic radiation arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. It consists of the shortest wavelength electromagnetic waves, typically ...

. In 1984 Fazio was selected as Principal Investigator for the

Infrared Array Camera The Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) was an infrared camera system on the ''Spitzer Space Telescope'' which operated in the mid-infrared spectrum. It was composed of four detectors that operated simultaneously at different wavelengths; all four were ...

(IRAC) experiment on the

Spitzer Space Telescope The Spitzer Space Telescope, formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), was an infrared space telescope launched in 2003. Operations ended on 30 January 2020. Spitzer was the third space telescope dedicated to infrared astronomy, f ...

(

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

). The telescope was launched in August 2003, and has since produced multiple discoveries and images of the infrared universe. Fazio is the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''

Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation The ''Journal of Astronomical Instrumentation'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers astronomical instruments and its various components being proposed, developed, under construction, and in use. The journal focuses on as ...

''. He is also the main editor of ''The Encyclopedia of Cosmology''.

Awards

In recognition of his scientific contribution, Fazio has received many international awards. He was awarded the 2015

Henry Norris Russell Lectureship The Henry Norris Russell Lectureship is awarded each year by the American Astronomical Society in recognition of a lifetime of excellence in astronomical research. The idea for the lectureship came from then society President Harlow Shapley in 1945, ...

for "his pioneering work on gamma-ray and infrared instrumentation, which has advanced our understanding in many areas of astronomy, ranging from near-Earth objects to high-redshift galaxies." In 2019, Fazio received the

SPIE SPIE (formerly the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, later the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers) is an international not-for-profit professional society for optics and photonics technology, founded in 1955. It ...

George W. Goddard Award in Space and Airborne Optics "in recognition of exceptional achievements in the area of infrared instruments spanning 40 years including the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) aboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, which has made extraordinary discoveries from measuring the mass of the most distant galaxy (GN-z11) to finding and characterizing seven Earth-sized planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system." He was elected a Legacy Fellow of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

in 2020.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people American astrophysicists St. Mary's University, Texas alumni Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics people MIT Department of Physics alumni Spitzer Space Telescope Academic journal editors Fellows of the American Astronomical Society {{US-physicist-stub