Stefi Baum (born December 11, 1958 in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

) is an American

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

. 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 ...

honored her work by awarding her the Annie J. Cannon Prize in 1993. Baum helped to develop the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most versa ...

and, starting in 2004, was the director of

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

’s Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science.

Early life

Baum was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 11, 1958. She is the daughter of mathematician Leonard Baum. She attended Princeton Public High School in Princeton, New Jersey, and graduated in 1976. Baum received her Bachelor of Arts in physics 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 higher le ...

and graduated with distinction, and a PhD in astronomy from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

. She is currently the dean of the Faculty of Science and professor of physics and astronomy at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.

Career

Baum is the dean of the faculty of science at the University of Manitoba and is a professor of physics and astronomy. Prior to this, Baum accepted the Cashin Fellowship at the

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

from September 2011, to July 2012. In 2002 Baum became the Senior Science/Diplomacy Fellow at the US department of state and the

American Institute of Physics The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...

Diplomacy Fellow program, leaving the position in 2004. Baum served as division head for engineering and software services at the STScl from 1999 to 2002. During her period there she also held the position of deputy, science and engineering support division in 1999. From 1996 to 1998, Baum was the Branch Chief, Spectrographs Team, STScl. From 1991 to 1995 Baum, was an archive scientist at STScl. In 1990 to 1991 Baum had a fellowship at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. From 1987 to 1990 Baum conducted research in Astronomy at the Netherlands' Foundation for Research in Astronomy, Dwingeloo, NL.

Awards

Baum has won many awards throughout her career, including: * 1993: Annie Jump Cannon Award awarded annually to a young female astronomer for Scientific Excellence and Promise * 1993:

Space Telescope Science Institute The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) is the science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), science operations and mission operations center for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and science operations center for th ...

Group Achievement Award, Archive Development/Deployment * 1993: Space Telescope Science Institute Individual Achievement Award, Archive Development/Deployment * 1996: Space Telescope Science Institute Group Achievement Award, Data Quality Project * 1996: Space Telescope Science Institute Individual Achievement Award, Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph * 1996: Space Telescope Science Institute Group Achievement Award, Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Team * 1999:

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 ...

Excellence Award, Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3A * 1999: Rolex Achievement Award- given annually to one female and one male college lacrosse player for career achievements supporting society. * 2002: Space Telescope Science Institute Individual Achievement Award, for Management and Leadership * 2002/2003:

- US State Department Fellowship * 2005: Rochester Institute of Technology Million Dollar Club- for securing more than 1 Million dollars in external grants and contracts * 2020: Elected a Legacy Fellow of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baum, Stefi 1958 births Living people American women astronomers 21st-century Canadian astronomers University of Manitoba faculty Harvard College alumni University of Maryland, College Park alumni Recipients of the Annie J. Cannon Award in Astronomy Fellows of the American Astronomical Society 20th-century American astronomers