For over 50 years, Dr. Kaplan has played an integral role in helping the United States understand how to harness the stars to its advantage.
COLORA, MD, August 04, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present George Harry Kaplan, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. Kaplan celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
For over 50 years, Dr. Kaplan has played an integral role in helping the United States understand how to harness the stars to its advantage. In 1969, he earned a Bachelor of Science with high honors in physics from the University of Maryland, College Park, while working at the university as a research assistant. He was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa at that time. From 1969 to 1971 he served as a science teacher for Baltimore City Public Schools. In 1971, he was appointed as a staff astronomer at the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) in Washington, D.C., where he served in both research and management positions until his retirement in 2005. While at USNO, Dr. Kaplan earned a Master of Science as well as a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Maryland, College Park. Since retirement, he has remained as a part-time independent consultant to USNO.
Dr. Kaplan has been married to Carol Zyskowski Kaplan since 1972.
In his career at the Naval Observatory, Dr. Kaplan worked in a wide variety of projects related to dynamical astronomy—the branch of astronomy that deals with the positions and motions of celestial objects and the practical applications of such data. His experience included work in planetary orbit computations, observing techniques and instrumentation, Earth rotation measurements, the calculation of celestial phenomena, the mathematics of celestial navigation, and the design of computer almanacs and similar software tools. His Ph.D. dissertation involved measuring the Earth's nutation (a small wobbling motion of the Earth's axis driven by the Moon's gravity) using radio astronomy, the first time that was done.
From 2002 to 2008, Dr. Kaplan served as a technical consultant for several projects, funded by the Navy and other defense components, to develop devices for navigation and geopositioning that would work by autonomously observing stars both day and night. U.S. patent 8,260,567 covers a specific navigational method that he developed as part of this work.
Dr. Kaplan has an extensive publication record in both astronomy and navigation. The Naval Observatory previously honored his research achievements with the Simon Newcomb Award and his service to the observatory with the James M. Gilliss Award. He remains actively affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Astronomical Society, the Institute of Navigation, and the International Astronomical Union—where he served in several official roles. Since his retirement, Dr. Kaplan has also become actively involved in environmental initiatives near his home in northeast Maryland.
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