Robert Schommer
Encyclopedia
Robert A. Schommer was an American
observational astronomer
. He was a professor at Rutgers University
and later a project scientist for the U.S. office of the Gemini Observatory Project
at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
(CTIO) in Chile
. He was known for his wide range of research interests, from stellar populations to cosmology
.
Robert Schommer was born in Chicago, Illinois to Harvey and Bea Schommer. He received a B.A. in Physics 1970 from the University of Chicago
in 1970 and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Washington
in 1977, where he continued for one year as instructor. Following two years in seminary college in Chicago, he held postdoctoral positions at Caltech (Chaim Weizmann Fellow), the Hale Observatories
, the University of Chicago
, and Cambridge University (NATO Postdoctoral Fellow) before joining the Department of Physics at the State University of New Jersey. He became increasingly unhappy with the Department's unwillingness to support astronomy, and in 1990 he moved to CTIO in Chile where he remained until his death in 2001.
imaging studies of Large Magellanic Cloud
star clusters, published in a paper on what is now called the "short distance" to the LMC. His work on star cluster
s in the Magellanic Clouds
and the galaxy M33
were fundamental in providing a basis for our understanding of the chemical histories of those galaxies.
Schommer was an active member of the High-z Supernova Search Team
and co-authored their 1998 paper arguing that we live in an accelerating universe with a cosmological constant. In honor of this work, he was awarded the AURA Science Achievement Award in 1999.
Schommer also worked on clusters of galaxies and their use in establishing the extragalactic distance scale; dark matter
in dwarf galaxies; and designed and built a Fabry–Pérot interferometer and oversaw its installation at the Cerro-Tololo Observatory.
In his final year at CTIO, Schommer took over the management of the U.S. Gemini Project Office as Project Scientist. He was an advocate for a strong national observatory that would allow U.S. astronomers access to world-class ground based facilities. At the time of his death, Schommer was in the process of moving to Tucson, Arizona
to establish a U.S. Gemini Science Center and a remote observing facility.
Following his death, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
(AURA) established the Schommer Children's Fund to assist the Schommer family in meeting the future educational expenses of their children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
observational astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
. He was a professor at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and later a project scientist for the U.S. office of the Gemini Observatory Project
Gemini Observatory
The Gemini Observatory is an astronomical observatory consisting of two telescopes at sites in Hawai‘i and Chile. Together, the twin Gemini telescopes provide almost complete coverage of both the northern and southern skies...
at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory
The Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory is a complex of astronomical telescopes and instruments located at 30.169 S, 70.804 W, approximately 80 km to the East of La Serena, Chile at an altitude of 2200 metres. The complex is part of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory along with Kitt...
(CTIO) in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. He was known for his wide range of research interests, from stellar populations to cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
.
Robert Schommer was born in Chicago, Illinois to Harvey and Bea Schommer. He received a B.A. in Physics 1970 from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1970 and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in 1977, where he continued for one year as instructor. Following two years in seminary college in Chicago, he held postdoctoral positions at Caltech (Chaim Weizmann Fellow), the Hale Observatories
Hale Observatories
The Hale Observatories refers to observatories set up by George Ellery Hale, including:* Yerkes Observatory* Mount Wilson Observatory* Palomar Observatory...
, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and Cambridge University (NATO Postdoctoral Fellow) before joining the Department of Physics at the State University of New Jersey. He became increasingly unhappy with the Department's unwillingness to support astronomy, and in 1990 he moved to CTIO in Chile where he remained until his death in 2001.
Research
Schommer carried out some of the first CCDCharge-coupled device
A charge-coupled device is a device for the movement of electrical charge, usually from within the device to an area where the charge can be manipulated, for example conversion into a digital value. This is achieved by "shifting" the signals between stages within the device one at a time...
imaging studies of Large Magellanic Cloud
Large Magellanic Cloud
The Large Magellanic Cloud is a nearby irregular galaxy, and is a satellite of the Milky Way. At a distance of slightly less than 50 kiloparsecs , the LMC is the third closest galaxy to the Milky Way, with the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal and Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy lying closer to the center...
star clusters, published in a paper on what is now called the "short distance" to the LMC. His work on star cluster
Star cluster
Star clusters or star clouds are groups of stars. Two types of star clusters can be distinguished: globular clusters are tight groups of hundreds of thousands of very old stars which are gravitationally bound, while open clusters, more loosely clustered groups of stars, generally contain less than...
s in the Magellanic Clouds
Magellanic Clouds
The two Magellanic Clouds are irregular dwarf galaxies visible in the southern hemisphere, which are members of our Local Group and are orbiting our Milky Way galaxy...
and the galaxy M33
M33
M33, M-33, or M.33 may refer to:* M-33 , a state highway in Michigan* M33 cluster bomb, a Cold War-era U.S. biological cluster bomb* HMS M33, an M29-class monitor warship of the Royal Navy...
were fundamental in providing a basis for our understanding of the chemical histories of those galaxies.
Schommer was an active member of the High-z Supernova Search Team
High-z Supernova Search Team
The High-z Supernova Search Team was an international cosmology collaboration which used Type Ia Supernovae to chart the expansion of the Universe. The team was formed in 1994 by Brian P. Schmidt, then a post-doctoral research associate at Harvard University, and Nicholas B. Suntzeff, a staff...
and co-authored their 1998 paper arguing that we live in an accelerating universe with a cosmological constant. In honor of this work, he was awarded the AURA Science Achievement Award in 1999.
Schommer also worked on clusters of galaxies and their use in establishing the extragalactic distance scale; dark matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
in dwarf galaxies; and designed and built a Fabry–Pérot interferometer and oversaw its installation at the Cerro-Tololo Observatory.
In his final year at CTIO, Schommer took over the management of the U.S. Gemini Project Office as Project Scientist. He was an advocate for a strong national observatory that would allow U.S. astronomers access to world-class ground based facilities. At the time of his death, Schommer was in the process of moving to Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to establish a U.S. Gemini Science Center and a remote observing facility.
Death
Schommer committed suicide in La Serena, Chile, on December 12, 2001. He was survived by his wife Iris Labra and three children Paulina, Andrea, and Robert.Following his death, the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy
The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy is a consortium of universities and other institutions that operates astronomical observatories and telescopes...
(AURA) established the Schommer Children's Fund to assist the Schommer family in meeting the future educational expenses of their children.