Former Editor, Jay White, says goodbye
April 2, 2025
Dear Mercury Reader,
Embracing change doesn’t always mean it’s easy to hug.
As a graduate student in the 1980s, I came to know the ASP. A decade later, following some time as an occasional Mercury writer and while climbing the tenure path as a university professor, I stepped for the first time into the role of Editor. Mercury then was already an important fixture within the astronomy community for news, information, and reflection on matters at the intersection of science, education, and culture.
In the thirty years since, Mercury has retained its stature and voice. It has also changed from a bimonthly, three-color magazine to a full-color, seasonal magazine to, most recently, a fully online, dynamic news and resource portal. When the ASP asked in 2024 if I might see Mercury through several months as Interim Editor while the ASP conducted a strategic planning process, I was delighted to work again with it (for the third time!) and with a community of talented, insightful scientists and science writers.
The recent announcement of a temporary hold in work on Mercury might cause anxiety, but I understand why it’s happening. In our digital, AI-assisted age, each of us wonders how to be more effective—as scientists, as teachers, as thoughtful, creative creatures. How Mercury can be used to help is something the ASP wants to get right. Indeed, the organization wants to ensure Mercury is what we need: a resource, a tool, even an inspiration.
I am sorry to leave Mercury yet again, but my time is done. And these last months gave me opportunity to work again with a talented group of scientists and writers. It has also given me a chance to reconnect with something that has been important to me while my sons grew from infants to men. In my office I’ve a photo of me with my older son, Sebastian, when he was mere months old. He rests against my chest but looks forward with me into the pages of an issue of Mercury.
The ASP is strong and intends to continue to be important for our science community. Mercury is essential to that, and I look forward to seeing what wonders it will [continue] to bring.
ASPecially yours,
Jay White, Ph.D.
Former Mercury Editor (x3), former ASP Executive Director
