Peter A. Sturrock

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Peter Andrew Sturrock
Born (1924-03-20) 20 March 1924 (age 100)
NationalityBritish
Alma mater University of Cambridge
Known for Emeritus professor at Stanford University
AwardsArctowski Medal (1990)
Scientific career
Fields Astrophysics, plasma physics, solar physics
Doctoral students Lisa Porter

Peter Andrew Sturrock (born 20 March 1924) is a British scientist. [1] An emeritus professor of applied physics at Stanford University, [2] much of Sturrock's career has been devoted to astrophysics, plasma physics, and solar physics, but Sturrock is interested in other fields, including ufology, scientific inference, the history of science, and the philosophy of science. Sturrock has been awarded many prizes and honors, and has written or co-authored many scientific papers and textbooks.

Contents

Biography

Sturrock began his education studying mathematics at Cambridge University in 1942. During and after World War 2, Sturrock postponed his Cambridge studies in order to help develop radar systems at the Telecommunications Research Establishment, now the Royal Radar Establishment.

After the war, Sturrock resumed his education, and was awarded a scholarship at St John's College in 1947, followed by the University Rayleigh Prize for mathematics in 1949. Sturrock was elected to a fellowship at St John's in 1952. He then pursued work on electron physics at the Cavendish Laboratory, followed by stints at Cambridge, the National Bureau of Standards, and the École Normale Supérieure at the University of Paris.

In 1951, Sturrock earned a Ph.D. in astrophysics. In the 1950s Sturrock researched nuclear physics at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment; plasma physics at St. Johns' College, Cambridge; microwave tubes at Stanford University; accelerator physics at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Also in the 1950s, Sturrock invented a number of implements, including a novel microwave tube later dubbed the "Free electron laser."

In 1961, Sturrock was appointed a professor of applied physics at Stanford University, where he remained until 1998; he is currently an emeritus professor of physics and applied physics at Stanford. In 1990 Sturrock was awarded the Arctowski Medal from the National Academy of Sciences. [3] From 1992 to 1998, he was director of the Center for Space Science and Astrophysics, and from 1981 to 2001 was president of the Society for Scientific Exploration. Sturrock has also served as chairman of the Plasma Physics Division and the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society.

In 2009, Sturrock published his autobiography, A Tale of Two Sciences: Memoirs of a Dissident Scientist, which covered both his research in conventional physics and his less mainstream investigations.

In 2013, Sturrock published AKA Shakespeare: A Scientific Approach to the Authorship Question. In this book, he lays out a method for weighing evidence which he developed for studying pulsars. Sturrock then invites the reader to apply the method to tabulate their own "degree of belief" in three different candidates for authorship of the works usually attributed to Shakespeare. [4]

He was elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020. [5]

Interest in UFOs

Sturrock has been a prominent contemporary scientist to express a keen interest in the subject of unidentified flying objects or UFOs.

Sturrock's interest traces back to the early 1970s when, seeking someone experienced with both computers and astrophysics, he hired Jacques Vallee for a research project. Upon learning that Vallee had written several books about UFOs, Sturrock—previously uninterested in UFOs—felt a professional obligation to at least peruse Vallee's books. Though still largely sceptical, Sturrock's interest was piqued by Vallee's books. Sturrock then turned to the Condon Report (1969), the result of a two-year UFO research project that had been touted as the answer to the UFO question. Sturrock commented that, "The upshot of this was that, far from supporting Condon's conclusions [that there was nothing extraordinary about UFOs], I thought the evidence presented in the report suggested that something was going on that needed study." [6]

At about the same time that the Condon Committee was conducting its investigation, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) in 1967 had set up a subcommittee to bring the UFO phenomenon to the attention of serious scientists. In 1970 this subcommittee published a position paper also highly critical of how the Condon Committee had conducted its investigation and how Condon's written conclusions often didn’t match the cases detailed in the final report. Overall, the AIAA deemed about a third of the cases still unsolved. Unlike Condon, they felt these unsolved cases represented the essential core of the UFO problem and deserving of further scientific scrutiny. [7]

Sturrock was curious what the general attitudes of the members of the AIAA might be and in 1973 surveyed the San Francisco branch of the AIAA, with 423 out of 1175 members responding. Opinions were widespread as to whether UFOs were a scientifically significant problem. Most seemed unsure or neutral on the question. Sturrock was also curious as to whether fellow scientists like the AIAA members ever reported seeing UFOs, i.e., anomalous aerial phenomena that they couldn’t identify. The survey indicated that about 5% had, which is typical for what is usually reported for the general population as a whole. [8]

In 1975, Sturrock did a more comprehensive survey of members of the American Astronomical Society. Of some 2600 questionnaires, over 1300 were returned. Only two members offered to waive anonymity, and Sturrock noted that the UFO subject was obviously a very sensitive one for most of his colleagues. Nonetheless, Sturrock found a strong majority favored continued scientific studies, and over 80% offered to help if they could. Sturrock commented that the AAS members seemed more open to the question than the AIAA members in his previous survey. As in the AIAA survey, about 5% reported puzzling sightings, but skepticism against the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) ran high. Most thought that UFO reports could ultimately be explained conventionally. Sturrock also found that skepticism and opposition to further study was correlated with lack of knowledge and study: only 29% of those who had spent less than an hour reading about the subject favored further study versus 68% who had spent over 300 hours. [9]

In his analysis of the survey results, Sturrock noted that many scientists wished to see UFOs discussed in scientific journals (there was an almost complete absence of such articles in journals). He subsequently helped establish the Society for Scientific Exploration in 1982 to give a scientific forum to subjects that are neglected by the mainstream. Their publication, the Journal of Scientific Exploration , has been published since 1987.[ citation needed ] The Journal has been criticized for catering to pseudoscience. [10]

In 1998, Sturrock organized a scientific panel to review various types of physical evidence associated with UFOs. The panel felt that existing physical evidence that might support the ETH was inconclusive, but also deemed extremely puzzling UFO cases worthy of further scientific study. [11] Sturrock subsequently wrote up the work of the panel in the 2000 book The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unidentified flying object</span> Unusual phenomenon in the sky that is not readily identifiable

An unidentified flying object (UFO), or unidentified anomalous phenomenon (UAP), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. Upon investigation, most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ufology</span> Study of UFOs

Ufology is the investigation of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by people who believe that they may be of extraordinary origins. While there are instances of government, private, and fringe science investigations of UFOs, ufology is generally regarded by skeptics and science educators as an example of pseudoscience.

The extraterrestrial hypothesis (ETH) proposes that some unidentified flying objects (UFOs) are best explained as being physical spacecraft occupied by extraterrestrial intelligence or non-human aliens, or non-occupied alien probes from other planets visiting Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics</span> Professional society for the field of aerospace engineering

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences. In 2015, it had more than 30,000 members among aerospace professionals worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Allen Hynek</span> American astronomer and ufologist (1910–1986)

Josef Allen Hynek was an American astronomer, professor, and ufologist. He is perhaps best remembered for his UFO research. Hynek acted as scientific advisor to UFO studies undertaken by the U.S. Air Force under three projects: Project Sign (1947–1949), Project Grudge (1949–1951) and Project Blue Book (1952–1969).

Burkhard Heim was a German theoretical physicist known for the creation of a unified field theory called Heim theory. He was particularly interested in the application of his theory to the development of hyperspace travel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Parker</span> American solar physicist (1927–2022)

Eugene Newman Parker was an American solar and plasma physicist. In the 1950s he proposed the existence of the solar wind and that the magnetic field in the outer Solar System would be in the shape of a Parker spiral, predictions that were later confirmed by spacecraft measurements. In 1987, Parker proposed the existence of nanoflares, a leading candidate to explain the coronal heating problem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Vallée</span> Computer scientist, ufologist

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Paul D. Spudis (1952–2018) was an American geologist and lunar scientist. His specialty was the study of volcanism and impact processes on the planets, including Mercury and Mars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Condon</span> American nuclear physicist (1902–1974)

Edward Uhler Condon was an American nuclear physicist, a pioneer in quantum mechanics, and a participant during World War II in the development of radar and, very briefly, of nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. The Franck–Condon principle and the Slater–Condon rules are co-named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James E. McDonald</span>

James Edward McDonald was an American physicist. He is best known for his research regarding UFOs. McDonald was a senior physicist at the Institute for Atmospheric Physics and a professor of meteorology at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Condon Committee</span> University of Colorado UFO Project

The Condon Committee was the informal name of the University of Colorado UFO Project, a group funded by the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1968 at the University of Colorado to study unidentified flying objects under the direction of physicist Edward Condon. The result of its work, formally titled Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects, and known as the Condon Report, appeared in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Kenneth Hartmann</span> American novelist

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<i>Society for Scientific Exploration</i> American body to study fringe science

The Society for Scientific Exploration (SSE) is a group committed to studying fringe science. The opinions of the organization in regard to what are the proper limits of scientific exploration are often at odds with those of mainstream science. Critics argue that the SSE is devoted to disreputable ideas far outside the scientific mainstream.

Edward W Ng was an American applied mathematician who had also held the positions of senior scientist, senior engineer and technical manager in the U.S. Space Program. He is noted for his broad variety of mathematical applications in space science and engineering. He has also contributed conscientiously in the spin-off of technology from the space program, with applications in such diverse subjects as Bose–Einstein distribution in mathematical physics, symbolic and algebraic computation, computational physics and biomedical research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Oran</span> American aerospace engineer, computer scientist, physicist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin C. Weisskopf</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rita M. Sambruna</span> Italian astrophysicist

Rita M. Sambruna Commander OMRI (Hon) is an Italian-American astrophysicist and is the Deputy Director of the Astrophysics Science Division at National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center. From September 2022 to May 2023, she was the Acting Deputy Director of the Science Exploration Directorate at Goddard. Rita held the Clare Boothe Luce Professorship in Physics and Astronomy at George Mason University in 2000-2005.

References

  1. ↑ American Men & Women of Science: Q-S . Thomson Gale. 2003. p.  1057. ISBN   978-0787665296.
  2. ↑ "Peter Sturrock: Emeritus Professor of Applied Physics". Stanford, CA: Stanford University . Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Arctowski Medal". Section: Recipients: National Academy of Sciences. 2013. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "How to Quantify the Shakespeare Debate". Stanford Magazine. 42 (3): 29. May–June 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "AAS Fellows". AAS. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  6. ↑ Salisbury, David F. (1 July 1998). "UFO study causes media sensation: 7/1/98". Stanford Report. Stanford, CA: Stanford University . Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  7. ↑ Kuettner, Joachim P. (November 1970). "UFO - An Appraisal of the Problem: A Statement by the UFO Subcommittee of the AIAA". Aeronautics and Astronautics: 49. Archived from the original on 12 December 2000. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. ↑ Sturrock, Peter (May 1974). "UFO Reports from AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics) Members". Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Sturrock, Peter. "Report on a Survey of the Membership of the American Astronomical Society Concerning the UFO Phenomenon - Summary" . Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  10. ↑ Michael D. Lemonick/Gainesville (24 May 2005). "Science on the Fringe". Time magazine. Archived from the original on 25 May 2005. Retrieved 2 June 2008.
  11. ↑ "Physical Evidence Related to UFO Reports". Archived from the original on 18 April 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2006.

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