Dr. Matt Caplan of Illinois State University has been awarded the prestigious Cottrell Scholar Award to support his research on nuclear astrophysics and nuclear weapons.
Awarded by the Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement, the Cottrell Scholar Award recognizes outstanding early-career scientists in chemistry, physics, and astronomy, and promotes their development as innovative leaders and researchers. Scholars are chosen through a rigorous peer-review process and award proposals incorporate both research and science education.
First awarded in 1994, the Cottrell Scholars now number over 500. “The Cottrell Scholars I’ve met are among the most brilliant and accomplished scientists I know and it’s a privilege to now be counted among them,” said Caplan, who is one of 25 scholars in the United States and Canada chosen to receive the $100,000 award. “The future of science depends on innovation, diversity, and commitment to student success,” said RCSA President & CEO Daniel Linzer. “These new awardees have been selected as much for their research and teaching excellence as for their potential to become change-makers at their institutions, in science, and society at large.”
A theoretical physicist at Illinois State University, Caplan will use support of the Cottrell Scholar Award to pursue his studies on the mysteries surrounding the origin and continued existence of dark matter. “More than 80 percent of the universe is made of a completely invisible and unexplained kind of matter, called ‘dark matter,’ which is among the biggest unanswered questions in physics,” said Caplan, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics.
Caplan proposes that tiny black holes could explain our universe’s dark matter. Some might even reside in our solar system. “Black holes may have been produced in enormous numbers in the first seconds of the universe,” he said. “These ‘primordial’ black holes could come in any size, with some as small as atoms that are as massive as asteroids.” In some rare instances, a black hole may even be captured and sink to the center of a star, noted Caplan. The black hole would slowly consume the star from the inside over billions of years. “My research will explore the impact of these types of black holes on the evolution of nearby stars, including our sun,” said Caplan.
In addition to his research, Caplan is active in nuclear weapons policy and will use the award to support his teaching activities in raising awareness of the dangers posed by nuclear weapons. He noted there are currently 13,000 nuclear weapons, owned by nine nations. “Physicists invented these weapons 80 years ago, and recent events make it clear that their dangers did not end with the Cold War,” said Caplan.
An inaugural fellow of the Physicists Coalition for Nuclear Threat Reduction in 2021, Caplan was recognized by the American Physical Society with the Five Sigma Physicist Award for his congressional advocacy. With the support of the Cottrell Scholar Award, he plans to develop a new interdisciplinary course on nuclear weapons and nuclear war at ISU. “Scientists have a continued responsibility for the existence of nuclear weapons,” said Caplan. “It’s time to train a new generation of scientists to be voices for disarmament and non-proliferation.”
Past Illinois State University recipients of the Cottrell Scholar Award include University Professor of Chemistry Lisa Szczepura, Distinguished Professor of Physics Q. Charles Su, and Distinguished Professor of Physics Rainer Grobe.
