Arno Allan Penzias: Difference between revisions

| image = 32. Tagung 1982 Physiker; Beim Studentenabend Arno A. Penzias - W134Nr.119142 - Willy Pragher (cropped).jpg

| caption = Penzias in 20071982

{{CosmologyPhysical cosmology|scientists}}

Penzias was born in [[Munich]], [[Nazi Germany|Germany]], the son of Justine (née Eisenreich) and Karl Penzias, who ran a leather business.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McMurray |first1=Emily J. |title=Notable twentieth-century scientists |last2=Kosek |first2=Jane Kelly |last3=Valade |first3=Roger M. |date=1995 |publisher=[[Gale (publisher)|Gale Research]] |isbn=978-0-81-039185-7 |volume=3, L-R |location=Detroit, MI |oclc=30781516}}</ref> His grandparents had come to Munich from Poland and were among the leaders of the Reichenbachstrasse [[shul]]. At age six, he and his brother Gunther were among the [[History of the Jews in Germany|Jewish]] children evacuated to Britain as part of the [[Kindertransport]] rescue operation.<ref name=":1">{{CiteQ|Q126004030}}</ref><ref name="npr">{{cite web |last=Neuman |first=Scott |date=January 24, 2024 |title=Arno Penzias, co-discoverer of the Big Bang's afterglow, dies at age 90 |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226572843/arno-penzias-obituary-big-bang-theory |access-date=January 2524, 2024 |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Some time later, his parents also fled [[Nazi Germany]], first for the United Kingdom, and then for the United States, and the family settled in [[the Bronx]], New York City in 1940.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Nobel">{{Nobelprize}} including the Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1978 ''The Origin of Elements''</ref> In 1946, Penzias became a [[naturalized citizen of the United States]].<ref name="wapo">{{Cite news |last=Weil |first=Martin |date=January 23, 2024 |title=Nobel laureate Arno Penzias dies at 90; helped find traces of Big Bang |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/01/23/arno-penzias-big-bang-nobel-died-obituary/ |access-date=January 25, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

He graduated from [[Brooklyn Technical High School]] in 1951 and after enrolling to study chemistry at the [[City College of New York]], he changed majors and graduated 1954 with a degree in physics, ranked near the top of his class.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Dr. Arno Penzias '51 |url=http://www.bths.edu/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=228863&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=443924 |access-date=March 18, 2014 |website=[[Brooklyn Technical High School]] |publisher=}}</ref> Following graduation, Penzias served for two years as a [[radar]] officer in the [[U.S. Army Signal Corps]].<ref name=npr /> This led to a research assistantship in the [[Columbia University]] Radiation Laboratory, which was then heavily involved in microwave physics. Penzias worked under [[Charles H. Townes]], who later invented the [[maser]].<ref name=wapo/> Penzias enrolled as a graduate student at Columbia University in 1956, where he earned a master's degree and a PhD in physics, the latter in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Arno_Allan_Penzias |title=Arno Allan Penzias |work=IEEE Global History Network |publisher=IEEE |access-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707231859/http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/Arno_Allan_Penzias |archive-date=July 7, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Penzias was a resident of [[Highland Park, New Jersey]], in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Horner |first=Shirley |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DD1031F930A35753C1A965958260 |title=About Books |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 3, 1993 |access-date=October 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228205150/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE5DD1031F930A35753C1A965958260 |archive-date=December 28, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1996, Penzias married [[Silicon Valley]] executive Sherry Levit.<ref name=":0" /> He had a son, David, and two daughters, Mindy Penzias Dirks, and Rabbi Shifra (Laurie) Weiss-Penzias.<ref>Schlessinger B., Bernard S. and June H., ''Who's Who of Nobel Prize Winners, 1901-19901901–1990'', (Oryx Press, 1991) p. 203</ref> Penzias also had a stepson, Carson, and a stepdaughter, Victoria.<ref name=":0" />

Penzias died from complications of [[Alzheimer's disease]] at an assisted living facility in San Francisco, on January 22, 2024, at the age of 90.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Hafner |first=Katie |author-link=Katie Hafner |date=January 22, 20142024 |title=Arno A. Penzias, 90, Dies; Nobel Physicist Confirmed Big Bang Theory |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/22/science/space/arno-a-penzias-dead.html |access-date=January 23, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Penzias was elected a Fellow of the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] and the National Academy of Sciences in 1975.<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web |title=Book of Members, 1780-20101780–2010: Chapter P |url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterP.pdf |publisher=[[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] |access-date=April 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515183157/http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterP.pdf |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/51742.html |title=Arno A. Penzias |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]] |access-date=July 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230604001831/http://www.nasonline.org/member-directory/members/51742.html |archive-date=June 4, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1977, Penzias and Wilson received received the [[Henry Draper Medal]] of the [[National Academy of Sciences]].<ref name="Draper">{{cite web|title=Henry Draper Medal |url=http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html |publisher=[[National Academy of Sciences]] |access-date=February 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126003930/http://www.nasonline.org/about-nas/awards/henry-draper-medal.html |archive-date=January 26, 2013 }}</ref><ref name=":1" /> The two were awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation, sharing it with [[Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa]]. Kapitsa's work on [[low-temperature physics]] was unrelated to Penzias' and Wilson's.<ref name=N78>{{cite web | title = The Nobel Prize in Physics 1978 | publisher = Nobel Foundation | url = http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1978/index.html | access-date = 9 October 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081021034833/http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1978/index.html | archive-date = 21 October 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> In 1979, Penzias received the Golden Plate Award of the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org |publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]] |url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration |access-date=July 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032022/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#science-exploration |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> He was also the recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence. In 1998, he was awarded the [[IRI Medal]] from the [[Industrial Research Institute]].

On April 26, 2019, the Nürnberger Astronomische Gesellschaft e.V. (NAG) inaugurated the 3-mmeter [[radio telescope]] at the Regiomontanus-Sternwarte, the [[public observatory]] of [[Nuremberg]], and dedicated this instrument to Arno Penzias.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.agn-ev.org/radioastronomie_einweihung.php|title=Fachgruppe Radioastronomie {{!}} Einweihung des Radioteleskops: Ein Nobelpreisträger steht Pate und der Ministerpräsident gibt das Startsignal|work=Astronomische Gesellschaft in der Metropolregion Nürnberg|accessdate=January 24, 2024}}</ref>

On September 11, 2023, the Radio Club of America said that Penzias would be honored with the inauguration of the “Dr"Dr. Arno A. Penzias Award for Contributions to Basic Research in the Radio Sciences.”" The club said the award recognizes his significant contributions to basic research involving [[radio frequency]] and related subjects and that it would inspire future generations of scientific professionals. The club also announced that the first recipient of the new award will be named in 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://radioclubofamerica.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=500767&item_id=92663 |title=RCA Announces 2023 Award and Fellow Recipients |language=en |access-date=October 7, 2023}}</ref>

* {{Nobelprize}} including the Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1978, ''"The Origin of Elements''"

* [https://www.scribd.com/doc/22155/The-Ideas-of-Arno-Penzias/ The first part of anthe article "Ideas" authored by Arno Penzias that was published in ''Science Reporter'' magazine]

* [https://www.scribd.com/doc/22888/Ideas-of-Arno-Penzias-II/ The second part of anthe article "Ideas" authored by Arno Penzias entitled '''Ideas''']

{{Nobel Prize in Physics Laureates 1976-2000}}

[[Category:NobelAmerican laureates in Physicsastronomers]]

[[Category:MembersBrooklyn ofTechnical theHigh UnitedSchool States National Academy of Sciencesalumni]]

[[Category:PeopleJewish from Highland Park, New Jerseyastronomers]]

[[Category:BrooklynMembers Technicalof Highthe SchoolUnited alumniStates National Academy of Sciences]]

[[Category:FellowsUnited ofStates theArmy American Physical Societyofficers]]

[[Category:DeathsUnited fromStates Alzheimer'sArmy diseasepersonnel of the Korean War]]

[[Category:DeathsUnited fromStates dementiaArmy inSignal CaliforniaCorps personnel]]