Freeman Named Director of Rice MLS Program

John W. Freeman, Rice professor emeritus and research professor of physics and astronomy, has been named the first director of the Master of Liberal Studies (MLS) degree program at the School of Continuing Studies.

John W. Freeman

Freeman came to Rice in 1965 as assistant professor of space physics and astronomy after one year as a staff scientist at NASA in Washington, D.C. He retired as a full professor in 2000. As emeritus professor, Freeman continues to pursue his research interests, which include computer modeling of Earth’s magnetosphere for space weather specification and prediction, neural network and other artificial intelligence applications to forecasting geophysical parameters, and solar wind modeling and data analysis with emphasis on heating and acceleration processes in the solar wind.

At Rice, he has directed a number of satellite instrumentation projects, including an experiment deployed on the moon by the Apollo astronauts. For this effort, he was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement.

Freeman is no stranger to the MLS program. He has served as the program’s student advisor since its inception earlier this year and is one of its strongest supporters.