Steve Price (March 3, 1949 – November 26, 2014) was not a scientist, but his impact on CCAPP and the field of astrophysics endures.
In 2004, Steve sought out Ohio State’s astronomy department and CCAPP after the landing of the Spirit and Curiosity rovers on Mars piqued his longstanding curiosity about the universe. What he went on to learn at Ohio State about black holes, dark matter, and stellar populations inspired Steve and his wife, Jill Levy, to invest in CCAPP’s mission and the future of scientific inquiry. Five years later, with a generous gift of $127,000 in honor of Steve’s parents, the couple created the Dr. Pliny A. and Margaret H. Price Prize for a graduate student at Ohio State or elsewhere whose work in cosmology or astrophysics shows exceptional promise.
Because of Steve and Jill’s generosity to endow the Prize, CCAPP is able to award two Price Prizes per year and host each recipient for a week in which they give a seminar on their research, establish long-term collaborative relationships, and receive a $2,000 honorarium.
Previous to creating the Price Prize, Steve and Jill also funded the renovation of what is now known as Price Place—a popular gathering space with state-of-the-art technology for CCAPP faculty, postdocs, students, and visitors like the Price Prize recipients to share and discuss ideas.
Steve’s friends at CCAPP are humbled and grateful to carry on his legacy through our work. We will long celebrate his visionary thinking, his insightful feedback on new research ideas, the encouragement he offered young scientists, and his inspiration for outreach to the public. And we will forever be thankful to Steve and Jill for their belief in our mission and their inspiring generosity.