Excellence in Research Award, 2018
Physics
It is my honor to recognize Dr. Nathan Schwadron. His studies are important not only for understanding how the sun’s changing magnetism and atmospheric wind impacts our own cosmic neighborhood, which has practical implications for predicting “space weather,” but also for understanding how other stellar environments influence potentially habitable exoplanets.
Dr. Schwadron has been author or coauthor of 313 publications starting when he was a graduate student in 1993. His rate of publishing since coming to UNH has nearly doubled, now averaging more than 24 publications per year. In 2012 he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). By our count, he is one of only six such AAAS Fellows elected from UNH in the history of the university and one of only four elected in this century.
Nathan is the highly effective Chair of the Responsible Conduct of Research and Scholarly Activity Committee and advises the Provost on strategies to recruit and retain diverse faculty members and students. He is also a great teacher. His students in graduate-level classical mechanics gave him a perfect instructor rating of 5.0. Classical mechanics is one of the most demanding courses in physics for students, so this perfect rating is especially meaningful.
Professor Gary Zank, Distinguished Professor of Space Science at the University of Alabama said it best: “Several years ago, Nathan was certainly regarded as one of the outstanding younger theoretical space physicists in the world. Today, he is simply regarded as one of the outstanding space physicists in the world.”
About this Award
This award acknowledges and honors a member of the UNH faculty who has demonstrated superior creativity and success in his/her research. Research is understood to include activities that result in the generation of new ideas or works of art, the solution of fundamental problems in a particular field, or the discovery of important new facts. This award is based on the quality, originality, and significance of the recipient's scholarly work. Since university faculty are expected to be effective transmitters as well as creators of knowledge, the willingness and ability of the recipient to share knowledge and research skills with colleagues and students should be evident. Each year there will be one Award for Excellence in Research. UNH benefits-eligible faculty members are eligible, except those who have received this award within the last five years.
