DDA/AAS Raynor L. Duncombe Prize for Student Research

 [DDA]
The Division on Dynamical Astronomy of the American Astronomical Society makes a small number of awards to students, on a competitive basis, to help defray the cost of attending the DDA Annual Meeting. In addition to a monetary award, meeting registration and banquet fees are waived for award winners. Formerly known as the Student Stipend Awards, these have been renamed in memory of Ray Duncombe, one of the founding members of the division and its first Chairman, in recognition of his many significant contributions to the field of dynamical astronomy, and his hearty support of the division he helped to create. Ray Duncombe was, throughout his career, extremely interested in and supportive of students in the field of dynamical astronomy.

The competition is open to all students currently enrolled in an academic program at any college or university and doing research in the area of dynamical astronomy. Such research areas include, but are not limited to:

  • the dynamics of planetary systems (small bodies, planetary rings, natural and artificial satellites, extrasolar planets, etc.)
  • star and planet formation
  • star cluster dynamics
  • hydro- and plasma dynamics
  • galactic and extragalactic dynamics
  • cosmology
  • coordinate systems
  • astrometry

The 2013 Winners:

Audrey Compère
Namur Centre for Complex Systems, University of Namur
Advisor: Anne Lemaitre, University of Namur
Dynamical explanation for the lack of binary asteroids among the Plutinos

Katherine Deck
Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Advisor: Matthew J. Holman, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Rapid Dynamical Chaos in an Exoplanetary System

Aaron Rosengren
University of Colorado, Boulder
Advisor: Daniel Scheeres, University of Colorado, Boulder
The Milankovitch orbital elements and their application to the long-term orbit evolution of planetary satellites subject to radiation and gravitational perturbations


Ray Duncombe in 2011