Duke Math Professor Wins Award For Research And Mentoring
Gravitational lensing expert Arlie Petters, a Belize native, is now a frequent speaker at events for minority students from elementary through graduate school
Duke University mathematics professor Arlie Petters has received the first David Blackwell and Richard A. Tapia Prize for contributing significantly to his field of expertise and serving as a role model for both scientists and students who are underrepresented minorities.
Petters, who is Duke University's William and Sue Gross Associate Professor of Mathematics, emigrated from Belize, received his Ph.D. from MIT and taught at Princeton University before coming to Duke, where he is the first tenured African-American professor in mathematics.
He works on problems in mathematical physics, one major focus being "gravitational lensing," a phenomenon whereby the powerful gravitational fields of distant galaxies and other objects deflect light from even more distant celestial objects. Analysis of these deflections offer insights into the structure of such galaxies.
He also co-authored a 2001 book on the subject, "Singularity Theory and Gravitational Lensing" (Birhauser, Boston).
As a popular adviser and mentor to undergraduates at Princeton, Petters received the 1996 Service Award of the Princetonians of Color Network. And at Duke, he is a frequent guest speaker at events for minority students at all levels, from elementary through graduate school.
In 2001, he was co-organizer of the Seventh Conference for African-American Researchers in the Mathematical Sciences, held at Duke.
The Blackwell-Tapia Prize, which will be presented every other year, was established by the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and Cornell University. The prize is named for two distinguished mathematical scientists who have inspired more than a generation of African American and Hispanic American students and professionals in the field.