Wendell Hill III (Credit: Bailey Bedford/JQI)
JQI Fellow Wendell Hill III has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S).
“I am very honored to be recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and humbled to be included in a group of such extraordinary individuals, several of whom are from our campus,” says Hill, who is also an affiliate professor of physics at UMD and the Institute for Physical Sciences and Technology. “I resonate with the purpose to serve and look forward to joining my colleagues in this effort for the common good.”
AAA&S was established in 1780 by charter members who included John Adams and John Hancock. It elects members to honor excellence and leadership in diverse fields and works as an interdisciplinary and independent policy organization.
Hill studies a variety of topics in the field of atomic, molecular, and optical physics. He leads a research group that explores topics including the quantum-correlated electron dynamics in atoms and molecules with femtosecond and attosecond pulses, the quantum physics that emerges when particles and atoms are cooled to ultracold temperatures and precision measurement of ephemeral particle-antiparticle pairs in the quantum vacuum with super-intense laser pulses.
“Professor Hill's election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a remarkable achievement," says UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “His pioneering research and commitment to academic excellence serve as an inspiration to us all and reaffirm the University of Maryland's status as the Capital of Quantum."
Hill is one of 269 individuals to be elected this year, and one of only ten recognized in AAA&S’s physics section. Hill joins an illustrious group that includes George Washington, Albert Einstein, Robert Frost and Stephen Hawking, as wells as fellow UMD physicists, such as Distinguished University Professor of Physics Ellen Williams, Distinguished University Professor and Regents Professor of Physics Sylvester James Gates Jr. and Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Christopher Jarzynski.
“In its earliest days, the Academy sought members who would help address issues and opportunities confronting a young nation,” says Nancy Andrews, the chair of the AAA&S Board of Directors. “We feel a similar urgency and have elected a class that brings diverse expertise to meet the pressing challenges and possibilities that America and the world face today.”
Story by Bailey Bedford