{"id":487462,"date":"2021-08-09T14:43:05","date_gmt":"2021-08-09T18:43:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=487462"},"modified":"2022-07-12T12:52:18","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T16:52:18","slug":"adam-frank-carl-sagan-medal-public-communication-487462","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/adam-frank-carl-sagan-medal-public-communication-487462\/","title":{"rendered":"Adam Frank receives Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in public communication"},"content":{"rendered":"

On-air commentary, popular books, advising for Marvel\u2014the award recognizes the Rochester astrophysicist\u2019s \u2018sustained efforts\u2019 to make science broadly accessible.<\/h2>\n

Adam Frank<\/a>, the Helen F. and Fred H. Gowen Professor of Physics and Astronomy<\/a> at the University of Rochester<\/a>, has been awarded the 2021 Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in public communication in planetary science, presented by the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society<\/a>. The award is named in honor of the late Cornell University astrophysicist, astronomer, and educator, who brought science to millions of people worldwide with his PBS series Cosmos<\/em> and the 1980 book of the same name.<\/p>\n

The DPS announcement<\/a> on this year\u2019s Carl Sagan Medal recipients recognizes Frank for \u201cfounding continuously sustained efforts and solid platforms from which science can be distributed to the public in an accessible form.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank cofounded the National Public Radio\u2019s 13.7 Cosmos and Culture<\/em> blog, contributes frequently to the New York Times,<\/em> and created the Coursera course<\/a> \u201cConfronting the Big Questions: Highlights of Modern Astronomy.<\/em>\u201d The 13.7\u00a0<\/em>blog, which Frank maintained for seven years and ended in April 2018, attracted more than 13 million yearly visits. Frank is a regular on-air commentator for NPR\u2019s news show All Things Considered<\/em> and contributes to other publications including The Washington Post, The Atlantic<\/em>, and Scientific American.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cCarl Sagan was my hero and inspiration as a teenager, both as a scientist and science writer,\u201d says Frank. \u201cHis books fueled my passion for astronomy and as I have gotten older I\u2019ve found his imprint on so many of the topics I want to understand. I am deeply honored to be awarded a medal bearing his name.\u201d<\/div>\n

Says University President Sarah C. Mangelsdorf, \u201cAdam Frank is a tremendous ambassador for research, science education, and the University of Rochester. The Sagan Medal is wonderful recognition of his important work to spread scientific knowledge to people of all ages, all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

An \u2018evangelist of science\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A self-described \u201cevangelist of science,\u201d Frank regularly writes and speaks about subjects ranging from intelligent life forms in the universe to climate change, from high-energy-density physics to the importance of science and its funding. He recently appeared on NBC\u2019s Today Show<\/em> to discuss the science behind alien civilizations and UFOs, and authored a New York Times<\/a><\/em> op-ed on the subject. He also appeared on CNN, providing live coverage with Anderson Cooper of Jeff Bezos\u2019s inaugural space flight.<\/p>\n

Frank has been awarded several prestigious honors for his work in communicating about science, including the American Physical Society\u2019s 2020 Joseph A. Burton Forum Award<\/a> for his \u201cmulti-channel promotion of public understanding of physics, of science in general, and of the relationship between science and society, using methods and venues that effectively engage and provoke discussion among policy makers, scientists, and the public regarding important issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has authored four popular books arguing for the beauty of science and against science denial. Frank\u2019s most recent book, Light of the Stars<\/em> (W.W. Norton, 2018), which NPR deemed \u201ca valuable perspective on the most important problem of our time,\u201d received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus Reviews and was awarded the 2019 Phi Beta Kappa Award for Science. In it, he argues that human civilization can survive climate change by learning from the experiences of extraterrestrial civilizations.<\/p>\n

Frank also served as science advisor for Marvel\u2019s Doctor Strange<\/em><\/a> and has appeared on numerous science documentaries such as Netflix\u2019s Alien Worlds<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The 2021 Carl Sagan Medal will be presented to Frank at the organization\u2019s 53rd annual meeting, which will take place virtually in October 2021.<\/p>\n

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\"Portrait<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Astrophysicist Adam Frank<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A self-described \u201cevangelist of science,\u201d Frank regularly writes\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0speaks\u00a0about subjects like intelligent life forms in the universe, high-energy-density physics, space exploration and missions, climate change, and more.<\/p>\n

Explore full profile \u00a0\u00bb<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Read more<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\"Adam Book shines a light on co-evolution of planets and civilizations <\/strong><\/a>
\nIn Light of the Stars<\/em>, astrophysicist Adam Frank poses big questions about alien civilizations, climate change, and what life on other worlds tells us about our own fate.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"scientistsRochester recognized as leader in high-energy-density physics <\/strong><\/a>
\nThe University of Rochester\u2019 Laboratory for Laser Energetics is home to the largest university-based Department of Energy research program in the nation.<\/span><\/div>\n
\"multipleDo aliens exist? Are aliens real? Technosignatures may hold new clues<\/strong><\/a>
\nA NASA grant enables Rochester astrophysicist Adam Frank to search for traces of advanced technology on exoplanets.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The award recognizes the Rochester astrophysicist\u2019s \u2018sustained efforts\u2019 to make science and research broadly accessible through on-air commentary, popular books, Netflix documentaries, Marvel movies, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":405702,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[16792,486,18662,29502,16072,37122],"class_list":["post-487462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sci-tech","tag-adam-frank","tag-awards","tag-department-of-physics-and-astronomy","tag-featured-post-side","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-thought-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAdam Frank receives Carl Sagan Medal for excellence in public communication<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Carl Sagan Medal recognizes the Rochester astrophysicist\u2019s 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