James J. (Jamie) Bock, professor of physics at Caltech and senior research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is the 2014 recipient of the George W. Goddard Award from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.
SPIE selected Bock for the award in recognition of his development of sensitive bolometer arrays for studies of distant, dusty galaxies and the cosmic microwave background radiation, leading to their use on the Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE) on the Herschel Space Observatory and the High Frequency Instrument (HFI) on the Planck Surveyor spacecraft.
Bock is a principal investigator on a collaboration that successfully measured B-mode polarization signals from the period immediately following the Big Bang—a research finding that has been hailed as one of the most significant scientific developments in recent times. Bock and scientists at Caltech and JPL developed and perfected the BICEP1 and BICEP2 instruments, stationed at the South Pole, that were essential to this research project.
"I am honored to receive the 2014 George W. Goddard Award from SPIE," says Bock. "This was only possible thanks to the unique environment we enjoy at JPL and Caltech, a combination of wonderful colleagues, one-of-a-kind facilities, and support for pioneering science experiments."
Bock received his BS from Duke University in 1987 and his PhD from UC Berkeley in 1994. He served as a research scientist at JPL from 1994 to 2012, when he was named senior research scientist. He was a visiting associate at Caltech from 1994 until 2008 and a senior faculty associate from 2008 to 2012, when he was named a professor of physics.
The George W. Goddard Award is given annually in recognition of exceptional achievement in optical or photonic technology or instrumentation for earth, planetary, or astronomical science, reconnaissance, or surveillance from airborne or space platforms. The award is for the invention and development of a new process or technique, technology, instrumentation, or system.
Previous Caltech- and JPL-affiliated winners of the George W. Goddard Award include Lew Allen Jr. (1978), JPL director from 1982 to 1990; James B. Breckinridge (2003), visiting associate in aerospace; Moustafa Chahine (2010), chief scientist at JPL; Bruce Murray (1967), Caltech professor of planetary science, emeritus, and former head of JPL; and Caltech alumni (BS '65) Jerry E. Nelson (1993), currently a Thirty Meter Telescope project scientist.
Written by Brian Bell