Donald G. York

donald-g-york

Assistant Chairman for Academic Affairs; Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the College; Enrico Fermi Institute

Education: BS 1966 (Physics) MIT; PhD 1971 (Astrophysics) University of Chicago; Research astronomer on the Copernicus satellite project at Princeton University, 1970-1982

Contact Information

Phone: (773) 702-8930
Location: TAAC 4
Email: donoddjob.uchicago.edu

Research

York's current research interests include: discerning the location of the gas absorption lines seen in high redshift QSOs, determining the element abundances as a function of cosmic time and searching for very large molecules in local interstellar material.

York's research deals with the dust and gas between the stars (the Galactic interstellar medium) and the same material in high redshift galaxies (the intergalactic medium, so called because we cannot see the galaxies themselves). Studies of local, Galactic material, where the physics can be studied in more detail, are used to develop techniques for studying galaxies at high redshifts.

Research Fields: Cosmology; Extragalactic Astronomy; Galactic Astronomy

Affiliations: Enrico Fermi Institute

Member of Scientific Groups: Don York's group

Scientific Projects

Current Projects: Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Graduate Students

Past Students: Christoforos Mallouris (2002); Constance M. Rockosi (2001); Gordon T. Richards (2000); Scott A. Severson (2000)

Teaching

Current & Future Courses

  • ASTR 38000, History of the Telescope: 2012 - 2013 (Winter)

Past Courses

  • ASTR 36100, Interstellar Medium: 2011 - 2012 (Winter); 2007 - 2008 (Autumn); 2005 - 2006 (Winter)
  • ASTR 39900, Reading/Research in Astrophysics: 2010 - 2011 (Winter, Spring)
  • ASTR 49400, Postcandidacy Research in Astrophysics: 2010 - 2011 (Winter, Spring)
  • ASTR 37100, Pre-Candidacy Research: 2010 - 2011 (Spring, Winter)
  • ASTR 38000, History of the Telescope: 2009 - 2010 (Spring)
  • ASTR 31300, Extragalactic Studies: 2008 - 2009 (Spring); 2004 - 2005 (Winter)
  • ASTR 29700, Participation In Research: Astronomy and Astrophysics: 2010 - 2011 (Spring, Winter)
  • ASTR 20000, Tutorial in Astronomy and Astrophysics: 2010 - 2011 (Winter, Spring)
  • ASTR 23000, Looking for Ourselves Elsewhere: 2010 - 2011 (Autumn)
  • PHSC 11900, Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics (Lab): 2009 - 2010 (Autumn); 2006 - 2007 (Winter)
  • PHSC 12000, Origin of the Universe and How We Know (Lab): 2008 - 2009 (Winter); 2006 - 2007 (Winter)
  • PHSC 11900, Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics: 2006 - 2007 (Autumn)

Department Committees

Current & Future

Past


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