Top Honors for Professor for Work on World’s Largest Telescopes

The UC astronomy professor responsible for overseeing the construction of the world’s two largest telescopes was recently granted a university award, along with UC Berkeley’s highest honor.

Joseph Miller, a professor of astrophysics and astronomy at UC Santa Cruz, was awarded the UC Citation of Excellence and the Berkeley Medal on Oct. 20 for his contributions to the field of astronomy as director of the UC Observatories/Lick Observatory.

The Berkeley Medal is the top campus honor and is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the UC Berkeley campus and its goals.

Similarly, the UC Citation of Excellence is awarded by the UC President to university employees whose contributions to the university demonstrate excellence, said UC spokesperson Cecile Cuttitta.

The Citation of Excellence has only been awarded to four other employees since its inception in 2004, said Cathie Magowan, director for science and technology research programs for the UC Office of the President.

“It’s an indication of the regard that people have for (Miller) and the importance of his contributions to the UC system that both the campus and UCOP are honoring him in this way,” Magowan said.

Miller oversaw the UC portion of the construction of the world’s two largest telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii during his tenure as director at the observatories from 1991 to 2005.

“They felt that my lead of the observatory in those 14 years had a very positive and significant impact on Berkeley astronomy to rise in international prominence,” Miller said.

Miller’s colleagues said his work on the telescopes, along with his contribution to the development of spectrometers, helped UC Berkeley astronomers make important discoveries in the field.

“You might say we’re leading the world in astronomy, and Joe Miller has done a lot behind the scenes,” said UC Berkeley astronomy professor Geoffrey Marcy.

The two telescopes enabled UC Berkeley astronomers to discover other planetary systems and observe for the first time the acceleration of the expansion of the universe, which Marcy said have been two of the biggest contributions to astrophysics in the last ten years.

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