Press Releases

LIVERMORE, Calif. – November 28, 2007 – “PhD” runs in the blood of the Marti family of Los Angeles.  The youngest, 23-year-old Edward Marti, is next in line, as he recently won a full five-year graduate fellowship from the prestigious Fannie and John Hertz Foundation to pursue a PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley.

“Every step of the way, my parents have been supportive of me and I’ve had great teachers who inspired me in science,” the future physicist says.  “Now with the Hertz support, I have tremendous flexibility to pursue the projects that interest me.”  For Marti, that means continuing his innovative research of “ultracold” atoms – atoms that are placed in extreme temperatures, within one millionth of a degree from absolute zero.

Marti is one of 15 graduate students selected from more than 580 across the country to receive the Hertz graduate fellowship.  Hertz Fellows each receive up to $240,000 over five years to pursue their own scientific interests at top universities in the United States.  This no-strings-attached support gives Hertz Fellows financial independence and freedom to conduct innovative research because, unlike many other grants, university and study choices are not limited by strict funding requirements.

“Hertz Fellows represent the very best young scientific talent in our nation,” says John Holzrichter, PhD, Hertz Foundation president.  “These students embody the drive and curiosity to solve the most difficult problems our world faces, and we are pleased to support them as they grow in their chosen disciplines.”

As an undergraduate at Berkeley, Marti became interested in physics because of its potential to have immediate applicability to many scientific problems.  He will continue his work in building a magnetic ring trap for ultracold atoms, an experimental technique that could be used to build more compact, accurate and faster gyroscopes, for example. 

“Studying ultracold atoms in a ring trap will give us a better understanding of how to perform precision measurements on a compact scale. For starters, we will focus on measuring rotations, like a gyroscope, which could improve the guidance systems of submarines and satellites,” Marti says.

As part of his graduate program, Marti will soon depart for a year to continue his research at the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel in Paris, which is affiliated with the prestigous École Normale Supérieure (ENS).  Aspiring to one day become a university professor, Marti already has an abundance of research experience and also enjoys tutoring.  In his free time, Marti may be seen shutter bugging around campus with his digital camera, or trying out a new recipe at home. 

Marti graduated in 2003 from North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, where he was a member of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Team.  He received a double major in physics and math from UC Berkeley, where he graduated with high honors in 2007.  In addition to the Hertz Fellowship, he received the Chancellor’s Fellowship for graduate research.  Marti was also inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa physics honor society.  His parents, Oscar and Judith Marti, are both professors at California State University, Northridge.  His sister, Alethea Marti, 28, is an anthropology doctoral student at UCLA.

About the Hertz Foundation