In the laboratory collisional heating of nuclei is used to probe the properties of nuclei that are far removed from their standard thermodynamic states. This offers the possibility of experimentally delineating the nuclear equation of state (EOS), knowledge of which is essential to our  understanding of a wide range of important physical phenomena. Among these are possible phase transitions in nuclear or nucleonic matter, the properties of neutron stars and supernova evolution. In such studies the EOS information is determined from interpretations of observed product yields and correlations, energies, and angular distributions. Extraction of this information and extrapolation from the mesoscopic scale of two colliding nuclei to the macroscopic scale of neutron stars and supernovae requires a thorough understanding of the collision dynamics and of the subsequent evolution of the excited systems as well as a careful integration of experimental and theoretical insights.  A review of some recent developments in this area will be presented.
 

Dr. Joe Natowitz, Bright Chair Professor in Nuclear Science, Texas A&M University
 (AggieDaily, Office of University Relations, Texas A&M University)

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M University nuclear chemist Joseph B. Natowitz has been  appointed to the Cyclotron Institute Bright Chair in Nuclear Science, effective Sept. 1, 2002, announced H. Joseph Newton, dean of the College of Science. Natowitz, professor of chemistry and director of the Cyclotron Institute, joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1967 and served as head of its Department of Chemistry from 1982-85. He has since built a reputation as one of the world's most prominent nuclear chemists and a leading expert in the field of nuclear reactions. "We have been very fortunate to have a man of Joe Natowitz' stature on our faculty," Newton said. "It's an honor to be able to reward him with this chair." As director of  Texas A&M's internationally recognized Cyclotron Institute, a post he has held since 1991, Natowitz oversees operations for one of four university facilities in the country supported by the United States Department of Energy. The Institute, which was founded as a division of the College of Science in 1967, features one of only four K500   superconducting cyclotrons in the world and serves as a major technical and educational resource for the State of Texas and the nation. With state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, it attracts government and industry researchers and supports a variety of research projects by Texas A&M faculty and graduate students as well as their counterparts at other universities. Natowitz is the inaugural holder of the nuclear science chair, one of 30 endowed chairs established at Texas A&M through the H.R. "Bum" Bright Chair Matching Program. University, College of Science, Department of Chemistry and   Cyclotron Institute funds will be matched by the Bright Chair Program to create a permanent $1 million endowment fund in support of the chair.
       "Dr. Natowitz is a leading expert in the field of heavy ion nuclear chemistry and physics," said Emile A. Schweikert, professor and head of the Department of Chemistry. "He is among the most renowned nuclear scientists in the United States." A native of Saranac Lake, N. Y., Natowitz received a bachelor of science in chemistry in 1958 from the University of Florida, where he was a Winn-Lovett Undergraduate Fellow. He also obtained a certificate in meteorology in 1959 from the University of California at Los Angeles. Prior to earning a doctorate in nuclear chemistry in 1965 from the University of Pittsburgh, Natowitz served three years as staff meteorologist in the United States Air  Force. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook from 1965-67 prior to coming to Texas A&M. During his tenure on the Texas A&M faculty, Natowitz also has served as a visiting professor and researcher at universities and national laboratories in France, Belgium, Japan and Germany. In addition, he has been affiliated with several prestigious U.S. laboratories, ranging from his initial stint as researcher with New Mexico's Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in 1973 to his present-day association as a collaborator with Brookhaven National Laboratory.  Natowitz' current research programs boast extensive partnerships that span the globe, with connections in Mexico, Italy, Poland, France, Belgium and China.
       A fellow of the American Physical Society since 1981, Natowitz is a member of the American Chemical Society, the Chemical Institute of Canada, Sigma Xi and Phi Lambda Upsilon. His many research achievements have been recognized by prestigious awards, such as the Alexander Von Humboldt Foundation Senior Scientist Award, the American Chemical Society Award in Nuclear Chemistry, the ACS Southwest Regional Award and the Association of Former Students' Distinguished Achievement Award for Research.