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Yervant Terzian is the David C. Duncan Professor
in the Physical Sciences in the Department of Astronomy
and Space Sciences at Cornell
University, where he was Department Chairperson
from 1979 to 1999.
Terzian's fields of expertise include planetary
nebulae, physics of the interstellar medium, galaxies,
and radio astronomy. He has been a Visiting Professor
at various universities including the University
of Montreal (Canada), the University
of Thessaloniki (Greece), and the University
of Florence (Italy). He has been Chairman or
member of numerous national and international scientific
committees affiliated with NASA,
the National Science
Foundation, the U.S.
National Academy of Sciences, and the International
Astronomical Union. He has been President of
Cornell's Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society;
Chairman of Cornell's Research Policies Committee;
and a Research Professor with the National
Astronomy and Ionosphere Center. He is a member
of the International Astronomical Union, the International
Union of Radio Science, the American Astronomical
Society, and the Hellenic Astronomical Society.
He served as a Scientific Editor of The
Astrophysical Journal from 1989 to 1999.
Professor Terzian is also a dedicated teacher.
In 1984, he received the Clark Distinguished Award
for Excellence in Teaching. In 1996, he was appointed
Director of NASA's New
York Space Grant Program to enhance science
education. In a lighter vein, he is famous among
colleagues for his collections of student humor.
One of his favorites is from a student evaluation,
which expressed admiration for the professor's ability
to maintain "a phony Armenian accent for the entire
semester."
Terzian received his Ph.D. in astronomy from Indiana
University. He has been awarded Honorary Doctor
of Science degrees from Indiana University (1989),
the Yerevan
State University in Armenia (1994), the University
of Thessaloniki in Greece (1997), and from Union
College (1999). In 1990, he was elected Foreign
Member of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. He is
the author or co-author of more than 200 scientific
publications and the editor of six books, including
Carl Sagan's
Universe.
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