William B. Hubbard papers
Collection area: History of Science
Collection dates: 1972 to 2007
The papers are a curated subset of planetary scientist William B Hubbard and include research notes, proposals, copies of news stories and popular publications, and relevant correspondence, accumulated over the course of his research career mostly at the UA Lunar and Planetary Lab from 1972 to 2007. His career at the University of Arizona comprises about 50% observational planetary astronomy (primarily stellar occultations by planetary bodies) and 50% theoretical research on planetary atmospheres and interiors, and exoplanets. Born digital material found on floppy disks can be found in Series III.
William B. Hubbard was born on November 14, 1940 in Liberty, Texas. He received a B.A. in Physics from Rice University in 1962 and received a Ph.D. in Astronomy from University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Hubbard joined Department of Planetary Sciences and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona in 1972 as an Associate Professor and later became the Director of LPL from 1977-1981.
In regards to his research, originally as a Co-Investigator with the proposed INSIDE Jupiter orbiter and now as a Juno Co-Investigator, Dr. Hubbard showed how high-precision gravity data from a close-range Jupiter orbiter can be used to determine the depths to which Jupiter's extraordinary zonal wind patterns penetrate. Hubbard contributed to the 2013-2022 Planetary Sciences Decadal Survey of the US National Research Council as a member of the Giant Planet Panel.
Dr. Hubbard has recevied many awards and honors throughout his career. He is a Fellow of the American Astronomical Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was awarded the 2005 Gerard P. Kuiper Prize in Planetary Sciences by the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society. He also has an astroid named after him, main-belt asteroid 11216 Billhubbard.
He is currently Professor Emeritus of the Department of Planetary Sciences and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory.
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