George L. Siscoe (June13, 1937April9, 2022) was an American physicist and professor emeritus of

space physics Space physics, also known as solar-terrestrial physics or space-plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (aeronomy) and within the Solar System. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of ...

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. He made major contributions to the understanding of the

Earth's magnetosphere In astronomy and planetary science, a magnetosphere is a region of space surrounding an astronomical object in which charged particles are affected by that object's magnetic field. It is created by a celestial body with an active interior dyn ...

and the

heliosphere The heliosphere is the magnetosphere, astrosphere and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun. It takes the shape of a vast, bubble-like region of space. In plasma physics terms, it is the cavity formed by the Sun in the surrounding interstell ...

, particularly in helping to establishing the field of

space weather Space weather is a branch of space physics and aeronomy, or heliophysics, concerned with the time varying conditions within the Solar System, including the solar wind, emphasizing the space surrounding the Earth, including conditions in the ma ...

and the term ''

heliophysics Heliophysics (from the prefix " helio", from Attic Greek ''hḗlios'', meaning Sun, and the noun "physics": the science of matter and energy and their interactions) is the physics of the Sun and its connection with the Solar System. NASA define ...

'' - a term which is now standard use.

Early life and education

Siscoe was born in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, making ...

, in 1937 and studied at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT), receiving his bachelor's degree in 1960 and his doctorate in 1964, both in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Research career

Siscoe published over 300 peer-reviewed articles (as of 10 October 2019) across a range of topics within space physics. His early career was as a postdoctoral fellow at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

, becoming an assistant professor of physics at MIT in 1966 before moving to the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

(UCLA) as a tenured professor. While at UCLA, he was chair of the Department of Atmospheric Science from 1983 to 1988 and again from 1991 to 1993. In 1993, he made his final move to

as a research professor. Alongside academic papers, Siscoe co-edited a monograph on space weather and several textbooks on

. He was a

fellow of the American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's acti ...

(AGU), where the fellowship program recognizes AGU members who have made exceptional contributions to Earth and space science through a breakthrough, discovery, or innovation in their field. In his retirement he owned and ran the Old Professor's Bookshop in

Belfast, Maine Belfast is a city in Waldo County, Maine, Waldo County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city population was 6,938. Located at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River estuary on Belfast Bay (Main ...

Awards, honors, and scientific citizenship

* Chair, Committee on Space and Solar Physics (CSSP),

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

(NRC), 1997–2000 *Chair, Geospace General Circulation Model (GGCM) Steering Committee,

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

/ Geospace Environment Modeling (NSF/GEM), 1997–2000 *The

James Van Allen James Alfred Van Allen (September 7, 1914August 9, 2006) was an American space scientist at the University of Iowa. He was instrumental in establishing the field of magnetospheric research in space. The Van Allen radiation belts were named afte ...

Lecture is presented two out of every three years to a space scientist who has made significant contributions to the field of magnetospheric science by the American Geophysical Union. Siscoe received this honor in 1991, only the second time it had been awarded * Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (1987) *Chair, Panel on Long-Term Solar-Terrestrial Observations, NRC, 1985–1987 *Chair, Scientific Programs Evaluation Committee,

National Center for Atmospheric Research The US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR ) is a US federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed by the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and funded by the National Science Foundatio ...

(NCAR), 1986–1987 *Chair of NASA's Space Physics Advisory Committee (1985–1991) *Editor of the '' Journal of Geophysical Research (JGR)'' and associate editor of '' Reviews of Geophysics and Space Physics''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siscoe, George 1937 births 2022 deaths Boston University faculty 20th-century American physicists Scientists from Michigan People from Lansing, Michigan Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty University of California, Los Angeles faculty Fellows of the American Geophysical Union American academic journal editors