Terrence Rettig, retired professor of astrophysics in the Department of Physics at the University of Notre Dame, died Aug 22, 2021. In addition to teaching, Rettig served as a program director with the National Science Foundation and helped to establish the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Notre Dame — the longest-running REU program for physics in the country. “I view him as the founder of astronomy at Notre Dame,” said Peter Garnavich, professor of physics and chair of the Department of Physics. “Terry started as a teaching professor and his work was so impressive he was put on the tenure track. That shows how excellent he was at both teaching and research.” Rettig was instrumental in coordinating Notre Dame’s partnership with the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory. His research primarily focused on understanding the collapse of proto-planetary disks and the conditions and constraints under which planets form. Rettig’s work to understand comets and planet formation gained unique recognition in 2000 when the International Astronomical Union named an asteroid after Rettig.
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3 Oct 2021