Fermi-GBM Collaboration Awarded Prestigious Cocconi Prize for Advancing Gamma-Ray Astronomy

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) Collaboration, which includes a team at Universities Space Research Association's Science and Technology Institute, has been awarded the 2025 Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize by the European Physical Society (EPS). The prize recognizes the team's pioneering contributions to multimessenger astrophysics. The prize was also awarded to the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT Collaboration) for its achievements in gamma-ray astronomy.

The EPS cited the Fermi-GBM team "for its groundbreaking contributions to the study of transient gamma-ray phenomena and multimessenger astronomy…. The Fermi-GBM has also played a central role in cataloging and understanding GRBs, contributing essential data for unveiling the physics of these powerful cosmic explosions."

The Fermi-GBM has significantly advanced the study of transient gamma-ray phenomena. Since its launch, it has detected over 3,000 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), enabling key discoveries about both short and long-duration bursts. A defining milestone was the 2017 detection of the electromagnetic counterpart to the gravitational wave event GW170817. This event confirmed that neutron star mergers can produce short GRBs, opening a new era in multimessenger astrophysics by linking gravitational wave and gamma-ray observations for the first time.

"This recognition by the European Physical Society is a powerful testament to the impact of collaborative science," said Dr. Elsayed Talaat, President and CEO of Universities Space Research Association. "The Fermi-GBM team's achievements represent not only a technological triumph, but a transformational shift in how we observe and understand the universe. We are proud of the USRA scientists who played such a vital role in this international effort."

The Cocconi Prize is the EPS's highest honor in astroparticle physics and is comparable in prestige to the American Astronomical Society's Rossi Prize.

EPS also awarded the honor to the Fermi-LAT Collaboration for "its exceptional achievements in gamma-ray astronomy" including the first ever detection of "an electromagnetic counterpart to a high-energy neutrino, emitted by the blazar TXS 0506+056, marking a cornerstone in the era of multi-messenger astronomy."

The award will be presented at the European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics (EPS-HEP 2025), taking place July 7–11 in Marseille, France. USRA astrophysicist Dr. Adam Goldstein will accept the award on behalf of the collaboration during the ceremony at the historic Palais du Pharo.

The success of the Fermi mission, including both the GBM and the LAT reflects the dedication of scientists and engineers from across Europe, the United States, and beyond. Their collaborative efforts in instrument development, operations, and data analysis have transformed our understanding of the high-energy universe.

USRA FERMI-GBM Team Members: Dr. Suman Bala, Mr. Bill Cleveland, Dr. +Cori Fletcher, Dr. Adam Goldstein, Dr. Rachel Hamburg, Dr. Oindabi Mukherjee, Dr. Oliver Roberts

ABOUT USRA

Universities Space Research Association operates scientific institutes and facilities and conducts major research and educational programs under federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise.

Founded in 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology, and engineering.

More information about USRA is available at www.usra.edu.

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SOURCE Universities Space Research Association