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Evan Skillman
Evan Skillman has been an astronomy professor at the University of
Minnesota since Fall 1989. His primary focus is on dwarf galaxies, but
branches out into other areas because they are useful in the study of
the dwarf galaxies.
Skillman became interested in astrophysics when he took the course in
his senior year at Cornell. “The professor told us to find an area of
interest, read about it, and report back in a few weeks. I found that
the journal articles were written in English and that I could actually
understand them. The keyword was 'empowerment.'”
He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Washington in 1984. Today, he is a professor and the Director of Graduate Students in the Department of Physics. His enthusiasm has not died away.
“I love to teach," he says. "I love it when students surprise me by finding a better way of looking at things.”
He also continues to encourage his students. “Most students don’t think they're ready to contribute to the field, but they really are.” Skillman lives in Eagan with his wife, Kim, an astronomy professor at Macalester College, and their 15-month old daughter, Clare.
Shaul Hanany
Shaul Hanany has been at the University of Minnesota for five months, focusing on cosmology and physics of the early universe. “This is an important area of research," he says. "It tells us a lot about physics.”
Although interested in many areas of science, Hanany chose cosmology because he liked "big things."
"[Cosmology] has the potential to have impact on our state of knowledge about the universe and ourselves,” explains Hanany.
He earned a Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1993. Today, he is an assistant professor of observational cosmology and studies cosmic microwave background radiation using balloons and satellites. Currently, he is working on a project called Planck Surveyor, a satellite mission to study cosmic background radiation which will be launched in 2007 in partnership with the European Space Agency.
Hanany lives in the area with his wife, Niza, a science and education graphic designer.
Keith Olive
Keith Olive has been a professor of theoretical high-energy physics at
the University of Minnesota since 1985. His research is in the area of
particle physics and cosmology, with his main focus on the particle
composition of dark matter.
“I studied math and physics in college and decided that physics was
safer as far as long-term job opportunities,” explains Olive. However,
it was by chance that he got into cosmology. When he was a graduate
student at the University of Chicago, a professor studying cosmology was
looking for a student to help. Olive's interest in relativity led him to
the job.
He earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago in 1981. Today, he develops theories to predict particles and their properties, and interprets the results of observational cosmologists.
He lives in the area with his wife and two children.
