Min-Young Lee Wins Stebbins Award

Oct 21, 2011

The 2011 Stebbins Award of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Astronomy Department goes to Graduate Student Min-Young Lee.

The Stebbins Award honors a significant research achievement
made during the previous year. In addition the Stebbins Award
recognizes scientific independence, leadership and creativity;
external recognition in papers and talks; and ability to communicate
research to a scientific audience.

In 2010/2011, Min published a paper that represents an observational
break-through in our understanding of the relative abundances of
neutral and molecular hydrogen in star-forming regions. Specifically
she and her colleagues confirmed a theoretical prediction that
a certain amount of HI is required to shield H_2 against
photodissociation, and thereafter all additional hydrogen is
converted to H_2. Thus total gas surface density determines the
amount of H_2, and thereby controls star formation and galaxy
evolution.