Astrophysicist and Nobel Laureate Andrea Ghez to Receive THE MUSES 2023 Woman of the Year Award

News provided by

California Science Center Foundation

Apr 03, 2023, 14:22 ET

LOS ANGELES, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Renowned astrophysicist, professor, and Nobel Prize winner, Andrea Ghez, will be honored as the 2023 Woman of the Year by THE MUSES of the California Science Center Foundation. The annual luncheon will take place at The Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles on April 17, 2023.

Andrea Ghez, astrophysicist and professor of Physics & Astronomy, recipient of THE MUSES 2023 Woman of the Year Award. Photo credit: Annette Buhl

The annual Woman of the Year event is the major fundraiser that allows THE MUSES to support youth education programs of the California Science Center Foundation. Proceeds help to fund education programming for underserved children through Hands-On Science Camp and Community Youth Programs, as well as the California Science and Engineering Fair.

Ghez, who is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and serves as the Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine chair in Astrophysics, is one of the world's leading experts in observational astrophysics and heads UCLA's Galactic Center Group. Best known for her ground-breaking work on the center of our Galaxy, which has led to the best evidence to date for the existence of supermassive black holes, she has received numerous honors and awards including the Nobel Prize. In 2020, she became the fourth woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, being preceded by Marie Curie (1903), Maria Goeppert Mayer (1963), and Donna Strickland (2018). The Nobel Prize was awarded to Ghez and Reinhard Genzel for their Independent discovery of a supermassive compact object, now generally recognized to be a black hole, in the Milky Way's galactic center.

Throughout her life, she has maintained a steadfast commitment to the communication of science to the general public and inspiring young girls to study science. Ghez has appeared in many television documentaries produced by networks such as the BBC, Discovery Channel, and The History Channel. Her work can be found in many public outlets including NOVA's Monster of the Milky Way, Discovery's Swallowed by a Black Hole, TED, and the Griffith Observatory.

Ghez earned her B.S. from MIT in 1987, and her PhD from Caltech in 1992 and has been on the faculty at UCLA since 1994.

Tickets to the Woman of the Year luncheon are $180.00 each, with tables for 10 beginning at $1,800.00. To RSVP and obtain tickets or for further information, please contact Michelle Conrad via email: [email protected] or phone: 323-465-1261.

About THE MUSES

Like the mythological figures they are named after, THE MUSES strive to be patrons of learning to stimulate innovation in science education. Six decades after the group was established in 1962, their membership and spirit of commitment and fellowship continues to grow. Today, THE MUSES encourage and provide public goodwill as well as financial assistance to the California Science Center's education programs, contributing to the Science Center's role as a world-class learning institution for children, families and educators.

More information about THE MUSES is available at: https://californiasciencecenter.org/themuses

About the California Science Center

The California Science Center is a dynamic destination where families, adults and children can explore the wonders of science through interactive exhibits, live demonstrations, innovative programs and awe-inspiring movies. The California Science Center and IMAX Theater are located in historic Exposition Park, just west of the Harbor (110) Freeway at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles. The Science Center is open daily from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Parking is $15.

Media Contact:
Maria Sosyan
[email protected]

SOURCE California Science Center Foundation