The American Physical Society recognized Raymond Frey and Richard Taylor, two University of Oregon physicists within the College of Arts and Sciences, as 2022 APS Fellows for their innovative work.

Frey, a physics professor with the UO since 1989, was recognized for his leading role in gravitational wave detection. His work has been nationally acclaimed, as his team’s identification of gravitational waves at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, commonly called LIGO, was named Science's 2016 Breakthrough of the Year.

He is now studying environmental influences on detectors at LIGO, as well as searching for gravitational waves associated with astrophysical events.

Taylor, physics professor and head of the Department of Physics, has been with the UO since 1999. Taylor was recognized for his creative and innovative use of physics in developing applications of natural patterns, known as fractals, that impact society.

His recent feature in Sierra explains how people’s separation from shapes in nature may cause them to lose their sense of place and home. Taylor is the director of Fractals Research LLC and also heads the Fractals Research Laboratory at the UO.

Fellows are chosen based on their exceptional contributions to the field of physics, and the honor is given to no more than 0.5 percent of the society’s membership per year. Fellows are nominated and chosen by their peers within the American Physical Society.

—By Alyson Johnston, College of Arts and Sciences