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Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, has been selected to receive the American Physical Society’s 2021 Dwight Nicholson Medal for Outreach, which recognizes the humanitarian aspect of physics and physicists created through public lectures and public media, teaching, research or science-related activities.
Ramirez-Ruiz was recognized “for his innovations in mentoring, such as the Lamat program, which have all demonstrated how members of historically marginalized populations can thrive, lead and advance the scientific enterprise in astronomy and related fields. .
Ramirez-Ruiz, Vera Rubin Presidential Chair for Diversity in Astronomy at UCSC, created the Lamat program to give undergraduates the opportunity to work with faculty and UCSC graduate students on computational astrophysics projects. As the program director, he works vigorously to support the promotion and retention of women and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Two-thirds of Lamat program participants are from groups historically marginalized in STEM, and two-thirds are first-generation students. All of the program participants obtained STEM degrees, and 74 percent went on to graduate school.
The Nicholson Medal was created in 1994 by the Division of Plasma Physics and the Forum on Physics and Society. Previous winners include Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium. The award includes a stipend of $ 2,000, and Ramirez-Ruiz will be honored at an awards ceremony at an upcoming American Physical Society meeting.
