Public Lectures

Speaker: Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, The University of Texas at Austin
Topic: McDonald Observatory Celebrates 70 Years of History in The International Year of Astronomy
Date & Time: Saturday, July 1, 2009, Noon
Location: Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress Ave., Austin, Texas

An expert on variable stars and observatory management, Tom Barnes came to The University of Texas at Austin in 1970 as a post-doctoral fellow. He held several positions over the years, including 21 years as chief operating officer of McDonald Observatory, where he is currently a Senior Research Scientist. In the early 1990s, he led planning for the staffing, budgeting and operation of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), and later served as its Commissioning Manager. He has served by election on the governing commission for variable star research of the International Astronomical Union. He also served as a peer reviewer on the first panel to evaluate proposals to use the Hubble Space Telescope. He has served on review panels for various national agencies including the National Science Foundation and NASA. He is a referee for publications submitted to international journals including The Astrophysical Journal, Nature, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and The Astronomical Journal. From 2006 to 2008, he served as a Program Manager at the National Science Foundation responsible for the management of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and the National Solar Observatory. Since 1991, he has been Technical Editor for StarDate radio and StarDate magazine.

Sunnyvale Public Library
665 West Olive Ave
Sunnyvale, CA

Speaker: Andrew Fraknoi
Topic: The Top Tourist Sights of the Solar System: Where Bill Gates' Great-Granddaughter Might Go on Her Honeymoon
Date & Time: Thursday, July 9, 2009, 6:30 pm
Location: 665 West Olive Ave, Sunnyvale, CA

Free Public Lecture at Sunnyvale Library (tickets required)

Astronomer and popular lecturer Andrew Fraknoi will explore the most intriguing future tourist destinations among the planets and moons in our cosmic neighborhood in a program on Thursday, July 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Sunnyvale Library program room. A limited number of tickets are available free on a first-come, first-served basis at the Adult Reference Desk.

The illustrated tour will include the 4,000 mile lava channel on Venus, the towering Mount Olympus volcano on Mars (three times the height of Mount Everest), the awesome Verona Cliffs on the moon Miranda (which are the tallest "lover's leap" in the solar system), and the mysterious ice-cracks of the moon Europa, under which may be a global ocean. No background in science will be required for this non-technical talk.

The Sunnyvale Public Library is located at 665 West Olive Ave., across from City Hall. Free parking is always available, and VTA line 54 serves the Library. For more information about Library services and activities, visit www.sunnyvalelibrary.org or call the Reference Desk at (408) 730-7300.

Andrew Fraknoi is the Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College and the former Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. He was selected as the 2007 California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Endowment. He is a frequent guest on KGO radio and on the Forum program on KQED. His children's book, Disney's Wonderful World of Space, is coming out in paperback in July 2009. Asteroid 4859 has been named Asteroid Fraknoi to recognize his contributions to the public understanding of science (but he wants to reassure everyone that it is a very boring asteroid, and not one that could hit the Earth.)

This talk is part of the celebrations of the International Year of Astronomy and the International Year of Science.

Static Limit

Dr. Steven Beckwith will be the next guest on Static Limit, KUSF (90.3 FM), Saturday, July 11, 9:35-11:00 pm. The producer of the program, David Reffkin, will speak with Dr. Beckwith about his former work with the Space Telescope Science Institute, where he pioneered the Hubble Ultra-Deep Field images, and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. Dr. Beckwith has been directly involved with many major scientific organizations in the US and abroad. He is currently the Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies for the entire University of California system.

KUSF is streamed through kusf.org, live365.com, lala.com and the iTunes radio playlist.

Pennsylvania State - Erie

Lectures by a faculty member or visitor are followed by astronomical observing, weather permitting. Most of the talks are about astronomy, although sometimes there is another science topic. Access the Full Schedule.

The Schedule is at http://www.pserie.psu.edu/science/Seminars.htm under "Open House Nights In Astronomy."

Steward Observatory Public Evening Series

Monday night public astronomy lectures
Location: Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona - Tucson

For more information on the lectures go to their website - Steward Observatory Public Evening Series.

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