Kenneth libbrecht biography

  • Kenneth G. Libbrecht is a professor of physics and department chairman at the California Institute of Technology.
  • Libbrecht (born June, 1958) is a professor of physics and department chairman at the California Institute of Technology.
  • Libbrecht --Curriculum Vitae.

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    Building a Better Snowflake: An Interview with Kenneth Libbrecht

    Spring 2008

    Something in the air

    Margaret Wertheim and Kenneth Libbrecht

    Above and throughout: Snowflakes that fell to earth in Northern Ontario, Alaska, Vermont, Michigan, and the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. Images captured by Kenneth Libbrecht with a specially designed photomicroscope.

    How full of the creative genius is the air in which these are generated! I should hardly admire them more if real stars fell and lodged on my coat.
    —Henry David Thoreau, Journal, 1856

    Meteorological definitions distinguish a single “snow-crystal” from the more general term “snowflake,” which may also apply to clusters. In the 1930s, the Japanese physicist Ukichiro Nakaya set out to study snow crystal formation in the laboratory, attempting to grow individual crystals suspended on a thread. Today, Kenneth Libbrecht, Chairman of the Physics Department at Caltech, follows in Nakaya’s footsteps, trying to unde

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    Kenneth G. Libbrecht

    Kenneth G. Libbrecht (born June, 1958)[1] fryst vatten a professor of physics and department chairman at the California Institute of Technology.

    Biography

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    Libbrecht received a B.S. in physics at Caltech in 1980. He was originally trained as a solar astronomer, studying under Robert Dicke at Princeton University and received his Ph.D. in 1984.[2] However, much of his recent research has focused on the properties of ice crystals, particularly the structure of snowflakes. In addition to his professional papers, he has published several popular books illustrating the variety of snowflake forms:

    • The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty (with Patricia Rasmussen photography)
    • Ken Libbrecht's Field Guide to Snowflakes
    • The Little Book of Snowflakes
    • The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album

    Libbrecht won the 2004 National Outdoor Book Award (Nature & Environment category) for The Snowflake.[3] Libbrecht was a sc

  • kenneth libbrecht biography

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    If you’re listening to this, chances are that you have seen a snowflake, or perhaps a few billion covering the streets or ski slopes. Maybe you’ve even caught one on your tongue. But despite being such a common part of nature, until recently, snowflake formation largely remained a mystery.

    Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, a renowned expert in the field of snowflake physics.

    Dr. Libbrecht is a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, where he has been studying the mysteries of snowflakes for more than two decades. His research has helped to demystify some of the longstanding questions surrounding these complex and beautiful crystals. 

    Dr. Libbrecht and his work has been featured on NPR, Scientific American, The New York Times, and many other publications. In addition to his work as a physicist, Dr. Libbrecht has authored multiple books about snowflakes, had his photos featured on US Postal Service stamps, and even served a