At the January National Board Meeting. ARCS Foundation Inc. announced radio astronomer and planetary Scientist F. Peter Schloerb, has been selected as the 2021 inductee into theARCS Alumni Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame inductees are ARCS Scholar Alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of science and increased our nations scientific competitiveness. Selection is by a panel comprised of ARCS Foundation national board members and advisors and is based on alumni contributions in the areas of scientific innovation, discovery, economic impact, development of future scientists, and enhancement of US scientific superiority.

Schloerb is theUMassdirector of theLarge Millimeter Telescope (LMT) Alfonso Serrano,a joint project between UMass andInstituto Nacional de Astrofsica, ptica y Electrnicain Mexico. He is also a professor and director of theFive College Radio Astronomy Observatoryat UMass.

ARCS Foundation has recognized Schloerb for his leadership and vision for the concept, design and construction of the LMT, which is a crucial component in a network of eight strategically placed telescopes around the globe known as the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).The international collaboration, which includes hundreds of scientists in twenty countries, forms an Earth-sized virtual telescope with unprecedented sensitivity and resolution.

In April 2019, the EHT partnership, including Schloerb and the LMT, publicly revealed the first ever image of a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy 55 million light-years awayalso marking a powerful confirmation ofAlbert Einsteins theory of general relativity.

The image produced prolific honors for Dr. Schloerb and members of the EHT, including the2020 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.

Schloerb was an ARCS Scholar in 1977 while attending theCalifornia Institute of Technologywhere he received his Ph.D. in planetary science. Upon accepting his induction into the ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame, he thanked ARCS for their encouragement in his scientific studies that culminated into the historic observations he shares with the world today.

ARCS Foundation means a great deal to me because they supported me during my graduate education. The support of young scientists is very important to the advancement of science in the US, and more generally, around the world.

It is truly our pleasure to welcome Dr. F. Peter Schloerb into the distinguished ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame, said Sherry Lundeen, national president of ARCS Foundation. His prolific impact in US planetary space studies embodies ARCS Foundations historic beginnings and our mission to award outstanding scholars who will promote US competitiveness in STEM fields. We are extremely proud of Dr. Schloerbs work, as it continues to provide significant images that will be studied for years to come.

As a member ofARCS Alumni Hall of Fame, Schloerb joins the company of eleven other outstanding alumni who also received ARCS Foundation funding to support their education in past years.

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Radio Astronomer F. Peter Schloerb Named to ARCS Foundation Alumni Hall of Fame - UMass News and Media Relations