University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Galactic trainwrecks or a stately waltz? These groups of galaxies hold special meaning because they are present-day laboratories for study of conditions when the universe was young. My first successful Hubble Space Telescope proposal was one to image Group 92, Stephan's Quintet. This galaxy group is a movie star! It was featured as the angels in the beginning of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life".

My greatest pleasure and accomplishment at Penn State has been working with many dedicated and talented undergraduate and graduate students. Some have worked with me to explore the mysteries of galaxy collisions. Others have worked on the other topic I love, quasar absorption line spectra. Together we try to sort of the code of the universe, whose solution remarkably seems to be just at the boundary of present human intellect.