IMSA alumnus and internationally acclaimed Astronomer Dr. Scott Gaudi ’91 has received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor given by the U.S. Government for science and engineering professionals in their early research careers.

“Discoveries in science and technology not only strengthen our economy, they inspire us as a people,” President Obama said in a White House press release. “The impressive accomplishments of today’s awardees so early in their careers promise even greater advances in the years ahead.”
Dr. Gaudia 1991 IMSA graduate, was among 96 researchers named by the President as a recipient of the award, coordinated by the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the Executive Office of the President. Awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative reserach at the frontiers of science and technology and their commitment to community service as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education or community outreach.
Dr. Gaudi, the recipient of the 2007 IMSA Board of Trustees Alumni Award, is an associate professor in the Department of Astronomy at Ohio State University.
He has received worldwide media attention for leading a team of 69 international astronomers in discovering a solar system similar to our own. Gaudi also was awarded the Helen B. Warner Prize for “significant contribution to observational or theoretical astronomy” by the American Astronomical Society and was named one of the “10 Rising Stars of Astronomy” by Astronomy Magazine and “one of the 20 scientists to watch in the next 20 years” by DISCOVER magazine.
During the White House ceremony for the awardees, Gaudi credited his family, friends and others for their support and spoke about what an exciting time it is for science discovery.
“Finally, I, along with everyone in this room, am incredibly fortunate and privileged to live in a completely unique time in human history. For the first time, the scientific pursuit of some of our oldest and most profound questions is possible: Are there other solar systems? Do they look like our own? Are we alone? I am incredibly grateful and honored to be able to participate in the effort to find answers to these questions.” And