David Blair (physicist)

David G. Blair (born 1946) is an Australian physicist and professor at the University of Western Australia and Director of the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre. Blair works on methods for the detection of gravitational waves.^[1] He developed the niobium bar gravitational wave detector NIOBE,^[2] which achieved the lowest observed noise temperature, and participated in a worldwide collaboration that set the best limit on the burst events in 2001. He has been responsible for numerous innovations including the 1984 invention of the first sapphire clock, a super-precise timepiece designed for space, as well as underpinning the research of the Frequency Stability Group at The University of Western Australia.

David Blair giving a seminar about gravitational waves search in ICRANet, Pescara, 22-04-2014

In 2003, together with Prof. John de Laeter, Blair founded the Gravity Discovery Centre, a major centre for the promotion of science in Western Australia.^[3] In 2010, Blair and collaborating partners developed an educational research program called the Science Education Enrichment Project,^[4] to research the benefits of specialist exhibition centres such as the Gravity Discovery Centre. In 2014, Blair led the Einstein-First Project which aims to introduce Einsteinian Physics at an early age. The project partners included Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation, U.S. Air Force Academy and the Gravity Discovery Centre.

Honours and recognition

In 2013 Blair was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society; 2007 Western Australian (WA) Premier's Science Award for Scientist of the Year; 2005 World Year of Physics, Blair was awarded the ANZAAS Medal^[5] as well as a WA Government Centre of Excellence Grant to develop the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre; 2004 Learning Links Certificate, Minister for Education and Training; 2003 National Medal for Community Service; 2003 Centenary Medal (for Promotion of Science); 2003 Clunies Ross Medal for Science and Technology and in 1995 Blair won the Walter Boas Medal of the Australian Institute of Physics.^[6] In 2018 Blair was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.^[7]

Publications

Professor Blair is the co-author of Ripples on a Cosmic Sea: The Search for Gravitational Waves,^[8] and the editor of the book The Detection of Gravitational Waves.^[9]

References

• Presentation of the ANZAAS medal to Professor David Blair Archived 23 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine

1. "Researchers in new gravity measurement breakthrough". University of Western Australia. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
2. Blair, D.; Ivanov, E.; Tobar, M.; Turner, P.; Van Kann, F.; Heng, I. (1995). "High Sensitivity Gravitational Wave Antenna with Parametric Transducer Readout". Physical Review Letters. 74 (11): 1908–1911. Bibcode:1995PhRvL..74.1908B. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.1908. PMID 10057794.
3. "The Gravity Discovery Centre Discover a new Universe". Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
4. "The Science Education Enrichment Project". Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
5. "Search for "ANZAAS Medal" « ANZAASANZAAS".
6. "Walter Boas Medal". Australian Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
7. "Emeritus Professor David Blair | Australian Academy of Science". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
8. Blair, David; McNamara, Geoff (7 April 1999). Ripples on a Cosmic Sea: The Search for Gravitational Waves. Basic Books. ISBN 9780738201375. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
9. "The Detection of Gravitational Waves" (PDF). Retrieved 11 May 2012.^{[permanent dead link‍]}