
Adrian Lucy has been awarded the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship on the basis of his potential and intent to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences or engineering.
Lucy, a sophomore majoring in astrophysics and the history of science, technology and medicine, is from Blue Bell, Pa. He is working with Karen M. Leighly, OU associate professor of physics and astronomy, as a research assistant on quasars, extraordinarily luminous objects powered by the whirling in-fall of matter onto supermassive black holes. Specifically, he studies clouds of light-absorbing gas that emerge from these objects at thousands of kilometers per second, and that may influence the evolution of galaxies. Last summer, he participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates internship and has presented his research at an American Astronomical Society conference. Currently, he is working on a paper to be submitted to the Astrophysical Journal. This summer, Lucy will work as an intern for the Undergraduate Student Research Program at NASA Goddard in the X-ray galaxies group with Ann E. Hornschemeier and Bret Lehmer. Upon graduation, he plans to pursue a doctoral degree in astrophysics and develop a career in research.
Lucy has a 3.84 grade-point average and is a student in the Joe C. and Carole Kerr McClendon Honors College at OU. He is co-founder and president of the OU chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, has participated in the Sooner Elementary Engineering and Science outreach program and has served on the History of Science Department Student Advisory Committee. A National Merit Scholar, Lucy’s honors and awards include the J. Clarence Karcher Scholarship for academic merit in physics, a third-place award in the 2011 History of Science Undergraduate Essay Contest, and listing on the President’s and Dean’s honor rolls.