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Andrea M. Ghez

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Astronomer

The Resume

    (June 16, 1965- )
    Born in New York City, New York
    Pioneer in using adaptive optics to correct for atmospheric effects in telescopic images
    Studied star formation
    By studying the motion of stars near the center of the Milky Way, demonstrated that there is a supermassive object, probably a black hole, at the center of the galaxy
    Co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics

Why she might be annoying:

    When she first expressed interest in space, her parents bought a telescope to encourage her. She discovered that light pollution makes it tough to see much from inside a major city, quickly lost interest and decided she wanted to be... a ballerina.
    She noted about waiting for technology to get to the point needed for her work, 'Nothing panned out for years.'
    She said about the physics of what happens in a black hole, 'As an astronomer, I get to ignore the details of the things that we don't understand.'

Why she might not be annoying:

    While still a graduate student at CalTech, she won a teaching award usually reserved for faculty.
    She said she prefers teaching undergraduate courses: 'It's where I can have the potential for making the greatest impact -- showing that women can do the physical sciences.'
    She was named one of '20 Young Scientists to Watch' by Discover magazine (2008).
    She won a MacArthur Foundation 'Genius Grant.' (2008)

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 8 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 67 Votes: 65.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 19 Votes: 31.58% Annoying