Carl Wieman, PhD

Distinguished Professor of Physics, University of Colorado, a Fellow of the Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics, 2001 Nobel Prize recipient in Physics

Dr. Wieman is the Director of the Carl Weiman Science and Education Initiative (CWSEI) at the University of British Columbia and a Fellow of the Joint Institute of Laboratory Astrophysics, whose research has been recognized by numerous scientific prizes, including the 2001 Noble Prize in Physics for creating a new form of matter at ultralow temperatures, the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). The existence of BEC was predicted by Albert Einstein in 1924, building on the work of Satyendra Nath Bose. Scientists had sought to confirm the existence of BEC for 71 years, until Dr. Wieman and his team did so in 1995. Dr. Wieman's unique combination of contributions to both cutting-edge research and innovations in education have been recognized by the Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award of the American Association of Physics Teachers (1996), the first Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award by the Director of the National Science Foundation (2001), and the National Professor of the Year of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and The Carnegie Foundation (2004).