Former NIA Post-Doc Unlocking the Universe in Gaza
The remarkable story of astrophysicist Suleiman Baraka and his life’s work to bring astronomy to Gaza was honored as a finalist in the 2021 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).
“In Gaza, Scanning the Sky for Stars, Not Drones,” written by Sarah Sax, was published in March 2020 in Undark, a non-profit, editorially independent digital magazine that describes itself as “covering the complicated and often fractious intersection of science and society.”
According to NASW, the Science in Society awards were established “to provide recognition — without subsidy from any professional or commercial interest — for investigative or interpretive reporting about the sciences and their impact on society. The awards are intended to encourage critical, probing work that would not receive an award from an interest group.”
Sax’s essay explores Baraka’s unique journey as a scientist and educator as he seeks to inspire and equip the next generation of student scientists to explore – despite formidable geopolitical challenges. Among the significant milestones in that journey was his time at the National Institute of Aerospace as a post-doc researcher in 2008 studying the interaction between solar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere.
The NASW announced the recognition at the ScienceWriters2021 meeting on Sept. 29, 2021.
Read about Suleiman Baraka and the promise and challenges of astronomy in Gaza at: https://undark.org/2020/03/02/gaza-astronomy.