[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14899-14900]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING DR. ADAM G. RIESS, THE 2011 PHYSICS NOBEL PRIZE WINNER, FOR 
                      HIS OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Adam G. 
Riess, who was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for his outstanding 
contributions to the field of physics. Dr. Riess is a constituent of 
mine living in Baltimore, Maryland.
  The Nobel Prize is awarded each year to recipients for outstanding 
achievement in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. 
These prestigious awards, which were established through the generosity 
and vision of Albert Nobel, are reserved for the most important 
discoveries and inventions.

[[Page 14900]]

  Dr. Riess, who is a professor of physics and astronomy at Johns 
Hopkins University and a senior staff member at the Space Telescope 
Science Institute, shares the 2011 physics award with two other 
scientists for their combined discovery that the universe is expanding 
at an accelerated rate--a concept that Albert Einstein first introduced 
but could never fully explain or prove. This discovery was made through 
extensive years of studying the explosions of supernova stars.
  Johns Hopkins University is a Maryland institution second to none in 
the world and Dr. Riess is the fourth member of the faculty to receive 
the Nobel Prize. Hopkins, the affiliated Applied Physics Lab, the 
National Institutes of Health, and other premier scientific 
institutions in our state showcase the best of public-private 
partnerships and have produced innovations that change the world and 
power our local economy. Dr. Riess' discoveries, and the many 
breakthroughs and innovations that are accomplished in partnership with 
the federal government, underscore the importance of federal funding 
for scientific research. Dr. Riess indicated that the Hubble Space 
Telescope, in particular, was critical to his research.
  I applaud Dr. Riess' outstanding achievement as it reflects many 
years of study and hard work and a deep commitment to scientific 
innovation. Congratulations to Dr. Riess and his colleagues for their 
groundbreaking work in the field of physics and for their extraordinary 
contributions to science.

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