Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Space Scientist Honored as AAAS Fellow; Homeric Award Recipient

Dr. Stamatios M. (Tom) Krimigis, head emeritus of the Space Department at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., has been named a "fellow" of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

He will be among the 304 new fellows honored Feb. 19 at the organization's 2005 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., for their efforts to advance science or its applications. Krimigis was cited for playing a crucial role in the birth of NASA's Discovery Program and for leading many successful APL planetary exploration missions. His work included serving as a principal investigator for both the Voyager interstellar mission and the recent Cassini mission to Saturn.

Homeric Award

Krimigis also was recently honored by the Chian Federation of America with the Homeric Award, established 27 years ago to recognize distinguished individuals, advocates of human rights and democratic ideals, and those who have furthered human knowledge. Krimigis is the first scientist to be honored by this award, which traditionally has been given to political figures, including former President Jimmy Carter and Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) The New York-based Chian Federation brings together organizations of Americans descended from the Greek island of Chios, the reputed birthplace of Homer (hence the name of the award).

"For nearly four decades, Dr. Krimigis' dedication to science has earned him a place in the forefront of discovery," the federation's Homeric Awards Committee noted. "His mark has been left on pioneering missions like Voyager 1 and 2, with spacecraft that are just now traveling beyond the grasp of Earth's solar system. His experience has helped form new ventures that include NASA's Discovery Program."

Krimigis — born in Chios, Greece — earned a bachelor's of physics degree from the University of Minnesota (1961) and a master's (1963) and doctorate (1965) in physics from the University of Iowa. He served on the faculty of the Physics and Astronomy Department at Iowa before joining APL in 1968. He headed the Space Physics and Instrumentation Group, became chief scientist in 1980 and head of the Space Department in 1991, directing the activities of about 600 scientists, engineers and other technical and supporting staff.