University of Colorado at Boulder physics Professor Margaret Murnane has been named a Fellow of the Association for Women in Science in recognition of her efforts to recruit, retain and mentor women in the field of physics.
Murnane was one of 10 fellows selected in 2007 for their dedication and commitment to the advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She was the only recipient in the Rocky Mountain region and is one of only 119 fellows named since the program began in 1996.
As an advocate for women in physics, Murnane has chaired the American Physical Society's Committee on the Status of Women, conducted the Climate for Women in Physics site-visit program and authored the report "Best Practices for Recruiting and Retaining Women in Physics."
Murnane and her husband, CU-Boulder physics Professor Henry Kapteyn, are known as world leaders in the field of experimental, ultrafast optical science. Their work on short light pulses from lasers has applications for optical technology, faster computer chips and biological and medical imaging.
In February 2007, Murnane and her team announced the development of a new technique to generate laser-like X-ray beams. The pioneering research removes a major obstacle in the decades-long quest to build a tabletop X-ray laser that could be used to produce super-high resolution in biological and medical imaging.
In 2003, Murnane and her research group co-founded the Engineering Research Center for Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology with researchers from Colorado State University and the University of California at Berkeley. The center receives support from the National Science Foundation.
Murnane is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is one of seven CU-Boulder faculty members to win a prestigious $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship, widely known as the "genius grant." She also is a fellow at JILA, a joint institute of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The Association for Women in Science is the largest multi-disciplinary scientific organization for women in America, with more than 3,000 members. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization has 50 chapters around the country and is considered by many to be the premiere professional association for women in scientific fields.