Claire Ellen Max (born September 29, 1946) is a Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) and is affiliated with the Lick Observatory. She was the Director of the Center for Adaptive Optics at UCSC, 2007–2014. Max received the E.O. Lawrence Award in Physics.
Biography In 1972, Max received her Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University, following her B.A. degree in Astronomy from Harvard University, in 1968. Following postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley, Max joined the scientific staff of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1974, working on problems in plasma physics relating to fusion technology. In 1984, she became the founding Director of the Livermore branch of the UC Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, and in 1995, she became the Director of University Relations. She joined the faculty at UCSC in 2001.
Max is best known for her contributions to the theory of adaptive optics as a technique for reducing the optical distortions of images taken through the turbulent atmosphere. This work began at the JASON Defense Advisory Group, which she joined in 1983 as its first female member. With her colleagues in JASON, she developed the idea of using an artificial laser guide star to correct astronomical images. In addition to continuing to develop this technology at the Center for Adaptive Optics, she uses adaptive optics to study active galactic nuclei as well as planets in the Solar System.
Awards and honors
Fellow, American Physical Society Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, SPIE 2002, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 2003, Woman of the Year in Science, Alameda County (CA) Women's Hall of Fame 2004, E.O. Lawrence Award in Physics, U.S. Department of Energy, for her contributions to the theory of laser adaptive optics and the applications of adaptive optics to ground-based astronomy 2005, Hartnell College, Salinas, CA: “President’s Partnership of Excellence” Award 2006, Science Award, Chabot Space and Science Center, Oakland CA 2008, National Academy of Sciences 2009, James Madison Medal, Princeton University 2015, Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation, American Astronomical Society 2020, Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society.
See also List of women in leadership positions on astronomical instrumentation projects
References
External links Dr. Max's page @ UCSC UC Santa Cruz article about Claire Max The Center for Adaptive Optics Claire Max's Non-technical Talk in the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series