Wieman

Carl Edwin Wieman (born 1951 in Corvallis, Oregon) is an American physicist. He is best known for his role in the creation of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in dilute atomic gases, a landmark achievement in quantum physics. In 1995, at JILA, a collaboration between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Wieman and Eric A. Cornell produced the first BEC in rubidium-87, using laser cooling and evaporative cooling techniques. This observation confirmed predictions of quantum statistics for macroscopic systems and opened new areas of study in quantum phenomena at ultracold temperatures. For this work, Carl Wieman, Cornell, and Wolfgang Ketterle of MIT were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001.

In later years, Wieman has focused on science education reform, advocating evidence-based teaching methods and the use of rigorous evaluation to improve undergraduate physics education. He has been involved in initiatives to train and support instructors, and has held academic appointments aimed at bridging physics research and science education. His work in education has been influential in the broader movement to modernize science teaching and to make physics learning more effective.