Prof. Wendy Freedman has been awarded the National Medal of Science, recognized for her significant contributions to cosmology. As the John and Marion Sullivan University Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Freedman's work has included measuring the expansion and evolution of the universe.
Freedman was honored on January 3rd at a ceremony held in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House. The award citation highlighted her research on the Hubble constant, stating: “Wendy Freedman’s groundbreaking research on the Hubble constant, the rate at which the universe is expanding, tackles one of the greatest puzzles in astrophysics.” Her work with both the Hubble Space Telescope and Giant Magellan Telescope has furthered understanding of outer space.
In 2001, Freedman led a team that made a landmark measurement of the Hubble constant. She developed two additional methods to verify these measurements using different types of stars. Additionally, she spearheaded efforts to build the Giant Magellan Telescope, one of the largest optical telescopes worldwide.
Prof. Ka Yee C. Lee, interim dean of the Physical Sciences Division at UChicago, commented: “The National Medal of Science is a well-deserved recognition of Prof. Wendy Freedman’s invaluable contributions to our understanding of the cosmos through the measurement of the universe's expansion rate as well as her founding leadership of the Giant Magellan Telescope—an international effort to build an extremely powerful telescope capable of answering some of humanity’s biggest questions.”
Freedman's accolades include receiving awards such as the Magellanic Premium, Gruber Cosmology Prize, and Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics. In 2024, she was named among Nature’s 10 by editors recognizing key scientific developments over that year.
The National Medal of Science was established by Congress in 1959 as a presidential award for outstanding contributions across various scientific fields.