NJIT in the News

Louis J. Lanzerotti, PhD, distinguished research professor of physics at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), has spent four decades contributing to research that includes studies of space plasmas and geophysics, and engineering problems related to the impact of atmospheric and space processes on terrestrial technologies, and those in space. Prior to joining NJIT in 2003, Lanzerotti spent more than two decades at Bell Laboratories-Lucent Technologies, Murray Hill, NJ. Today, he is a consulting physicist to that organization.

U.S. President George W. Bush recently nominated Lanzerotti to the 24-member governing body of the National Science Foundation. Since July of 2004, Lanzerotti has chaired the blue-ribbon panel to study whether to prolong the mission of the Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA has twice recognized Lanzerotti’s contributions to science with the agency’s Distinguished Scientific Achievement Medal. The esteemed physicist has also received the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and the William Nordberg Medal for space science from the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Lanzerotti is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics and the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Lanzerotti’s key research interests date back to the 1970s, when he began geophysical research in the Antarctic and the Arctic, directed toward understanding Earth’s upper atmosphere and space environments. Minor Planet 5504 Lanzerotti recognizes his space and planetary research, and Mount Lanzerotti (74.50° S, 70.33° W) recognizes his research in the Antarctic. In 2003, the American Geophysical Union named Lanzerotti the first editor of a new publication: Space Weather, The International Journal of Research and Applications. The journal has been the first to focus on the emerging field of space weather and its impact on technical systems.

Lanzerotti has been principal investigator or co-investigator on several NASA interplanetary and planetary missions including Voyager, Ulysses, Galileo, and Cassini.  On these missions, his interests were measuring the plasma environment of the inter-planetary medium as it affects Earth and the plasma and atmospheric environments of the outer planets.

Lanzerotti has co-authored one book, co-edited two books, and is an author of more than 500 refereed engineering and science papers. He is a member of the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research at NJIT. The Center is associated with Big Bear Solar Observatory, Calif.

Lanzerotti holds a BS in engineering physics from the University of Illinois and master's and doctoral degrees in physics from Harvard University.