Stairs receives 2017 CASCA Martin Award

Congratulations to Dr. Ingrid Stairs, who recently received the 2017 Martin Award from the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA). She was presented the award on June 1 at the annual CASCA meeting in Edmonton, Alberta.

The Peter G. Martin Award for Mid-Career Achievement recognizes significant contributions to astronomical research by a CASCA member. The award was established in 2009 upon a gift by Peter G. Martin, Past-President of the Society and Professor at the University of Toronto.

CASCA on Ingrid's contributions:

Dr. Stairs is one of world’s experts on pulsars and has made significant contributions to radio astronomy instrumentation. She developed the novel Princeton Mark IV back-end instrument for use at the Arecibo telescope for high-precision timing of relativistic pulsars that was used in the discovery of general-relativistic orbital decay of the binary pulsar PSR B1534+12. She made the first measurement of the Shapiro delay, which continues to enable multiple new tests of General Relativity. She is involved in the development of instrumentation for the upcoming CHIME radio telescope that will observe pulsars as well as the cosmological distribution of hydrogen. She was the Observational Coordinator for the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav).

CASCA congratulates Dr. Stairs on receiving the 2017 Martin Award for her fundamental contributions to radio astronomy instrumentation and the understanding of pulsars that have shed new light on General Relativity.

Congratulations again Ingrid!