$500,000 fellowship to UCSC astronomer

Dennis Zaritsky (Photo: UCSC Photo Services)

For the fourth consecutive year, a UCSC researcher has captured one of the nation's most prestigious honors for young faculty members: a David and Lucile Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, worth a total of $500,000.

Astronomer Dennis Zaritsky, 33, will receive $100,000 per year for the next five years to support his innovative research on the life histories of stars in two nearby galaxies. He is among 20 scientists and engineers chosen by the Packard Foundation for their exceptional promise and creative abilities.

UCSC is one of just four institutions that have earned at least one Packard Fellowship each year for the last four years. The others are the California Institute of Technology, the University of Chicago, and UC San Francisco.

"These prestigious fellowships to our recently recruited faculty attest to the continuing quality of UC Santa Cruz faculty," said Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood. "These fellowships are exceptionally competitive and indicate that our young researchers are second to none--and their accomplishments enhance the high-quality research and teaching at UCSC."

Zaritsky, an assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics and an assistant astronomer at UC Observatories/Lick Observatory, joined the UCSC faculty in 1994.

Zaritsky's research addresses one of astronomy's fundamental questions: How did galaxies evolve?

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