Astronomical Society of the Pacific Honors UA Astronomer for Excellent Teaching

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Astronomical Society of the Pacific Honors UA Astronomer for Excellent Teaching

Chris Impey

Chris Impey is widely known as one of the nation's top astronomy teachers.

By University Communications
May 2, 2008

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific has awarded its 2008 Richard H. Emmons Award for excellence in college astronomy teaching to Christopher Impey of The University of Arizona.

Impey is a University Distinguished Professor and deputy head of the UA astronomy department. He is nationally known as an astronomy researcher with a commitment to innovative teaching, combining learner-centered interactive techniques with online and classroom instruction.

Impey is the recipient of more than a dozen university, state and national awards for excellence in teaching. These include University Distinguished Professor (2000), the Carnegie Foundation for the Improvement of Teaching's Arizona Professor of the Year (2002) and a National Science Foundation Teaching Scholar award (2002). The latter award is the highest recognition that the National Science Foundation gives for excellence in both teaching and research.

He has written 160 research papers and two astronomy textbooks. His research interests include infrared and optical observations of quasars and galaxies, cosmology, infrared astronomy, extragalactic astronomy, galactic astronomy, active galactic nuclei and astrobiology. He has been lauded for his integration of astronomy with philosophy, literature and the arts.

Impey received a bachelor of science degree in physics from the University of London in 1977 and a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Edinburgh in 1981. He joined the UA Steward Observatory in 1986.

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, founded in 1889 in San Francisco, will present Impey with the prize at its June 3 awards banquet, to be held in St. Louis, in conjunction with the American Astronomical Society summer meeting.