Wen-fai Fong to receive Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize

Wen-fai Fong to receive the 2024 Lancelot M. Berkeley–New York Community Trust Prize

Dearborn Observatory houses the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Samanta Habashy, Assistant Campus Editor

November 7, 2023

Weinberg physics Prof. Wen-fai Fong will receive the 2024 Lancelot M. Berkeley – New York Community Trust Prize for Meritorious Work in Astronomy, according to a Tuesday news release. The award recognizes her work in astrophysical transients, such as gamma-ray bursts, and their host galaxies.

Fong earned double Bachelor’s degrees in physics and biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2008 and went on to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy & astrophysics at Harvard University in 2014. Fong earned a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2017, which she brought to NU, beginning her appointment as faculty in 2018. NU selected her as an AT&T Research Fellow in July of this year.

The American Astronomical Society selects the recipients of the Berkeley Prize each year.

“Dr. Fong’s ongoing research programs have played a critical role in expanding our knowledge of the transient universe,” said Grant Tremblay, American Astronomical Society vice president, in the news release.

The award typically focuses on specific research published within the past year. However, the 2024 Berkeley Prize recognizes Fong’s expansive body of work and contributions to understanding the transient universe over the past year.

Fong’s research involved using various types of telescopes to study short gamma-ray bursts, which can occur when dense remnants of stars collide. Fong has also studied fast radio bursts in an attempt to figure out what triggers them.

“For decades, we did not know exactly what caused short gamma-ray bursts and now, thanks to the nascent era of gravitational wave discovery, we have direct evidence to their origins,” Fong said in the statement.

Fong said she is thrilled to share the honor with her NU colleagues in the news release.

“They are the ones who have taught me the most about our universe,” Fong said in the news release.

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Twitter: @HabashySam

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