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A Generational Gift for the Future

Fifty Years After his First Research Talk at a Conference of Legendary Physicists, LIGO Champion Richard Isaacson (Ph.D. ’67, physics) is Paying it Forward with his New Graduate Student Travel Award.

August 28, 2026

Richard Isaacson smiling for the camera in an office space.

Fifty years ago, long before he gained international recognition and “hero” status for his contributions to gravitational wave theory and the game-changing Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), Richard Isaacson (Ph.D. ’67, physics) had one of his most memorable adventures as a Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland: traveling to his first scientific conference and “surviving the experience” of giving his first research talk to an audience of legendary scientists.

Meet Richard Isaacson