Speakers Bios
2008 Guest Speakers Bios
More info to follow. The talk descriptions are currently listed on the Adult Program page
| Dr. David Brooks |
Dr. Brooks is an amateur astronomer from
Seattle who moved to Arizona for clearer skies and to take a job at the
Steward Observatory.
The Observatory includes Roger Angel's spinning mirror lab and is
responsible for building the
Large
Binocular Telescope and under contract to supply primary mirrors to
the Large
Synoptic Survey Telescope and the
Giant Magellan Telescope. |
| Dr. Monika Kress |
Dr. Kress is a member of the
NASA
Astrobiology Institute and the
Virtual Planetary Laboratory. She received her PhD in physics
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in 1997. From 1997-2000, she was a National Research Council
postdoctoral research associate at
NASA Ames Research Center.
From 2000-2004, she was a research associate with the
University of Washington's
Center for
Astrobiology and Early Evolution. She served on the 2003-2004
Antarctic Search for Meteorites. She joined the faculty of
the Physics Department at San Jose State University in August
2004.
|
| Jonathan Fay | Jonathan Fay is a Principal Research Software Design Engineer in the Next Media Research group at Microsoft. Jonathan's professional background is in software development, specializing in network based imaging and visualization. Jonathan is also an avid amateur astronomer who has designed and built his own robotic domed observatory and he has created software that many DSLR owners use for astrophotography. |
| Tim Puckett | Tim Puckett started construction of his 60cm telescope observatory in 1988 and completed it nine years later. Two years after that he decided to start a dedicated search for supernovae. He work has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, BBC, Good Morning America, Discovery and the Learning Channel. His work has been published in books and magazines in 20+ countries. A 25+ year veteran in the field, Puckett has operated and tested numerous telescopes and CCD cameras since 1978. He is currently consulting for the U.S. Space Command and other professional institutions. |
| Roger Ressmeyer |
Roger
Ressmeyer’s brilliant career as a photojournalist has its roots in his
childhood fascination with space exploration. In 1962, when Roger was
eight years old, John Glenn became America’s first man in orbit and
captured young Ressmeyer’s imagination. By the age of eleven, Roger was
building elaborate model rockets, polishing optics for telescopes he built
by hand, and photographing the stars from his backyard at night. In the
years since that time, Roger’s diverse subjects have included musicians,
authors, earthquakes, and volcanoes. However, his chronicling of the
heavens and human endeavors in space remains the work for which he is best
known and to which he brings unparalleled originality and beauty. |
| Bruce Weertman | Bruce grew up in a suburb of Chicago. He became interested in amateur astronomy as a teenager while spending summers in New Mexico. He has degrees from the University of Wisconsin (BS, applied math) and the University of Washington (PhD, geophysics). Bruce has spent five summers in Antarctica studying ice sheets and glaciers and he is currently a programmer at the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (http://www.iris.edu), data center in Seattle where he helps collect and analyze real-time seismic data from stations around the world. He became involved in anti-light pollution efforts when a 85 million candle power "skybeam" light was placed on the top of Seattle Space Needle in 1999. He is a lifetime member of the International Darksky Association and is involved in its local chapter Darkskies Northwest. |
| Dave Ingram |
During his teenager years in Florida, Dave's interest in
science, space and astronomy was fueled by the NASA Mercury, Gemini and
Apollo programs. Since then, with 30 year at the Boeing Company, Dave's
business, engineering backgrounds have helped him form a lifelong network
among those credited with many of the aerospace industries and NASA's
greatest achievements.
Now a resident of Kent, WA, Dave serves as an officer for the Boeing Employees' Astronomical Society. He also has active memberships with the Seattle Astronomical and Eastside Astronomical Societies and has recently become active in the IDA Dark Skies Northwest chapter. Dave regularly travels to the US Southwest for star parties, Messier Marathons and observing on Kitt Peak National Observatory. He has established contacts with clubs and individuals including a number of comet hunters, astroimagers and manufacturers. In addition to amateur astronomy and telescope making, Dave's hobbies include photography, baseball, travel, flying, fishing, and amusing two active young grandchildren. |
| Joe Rottmann | Joe built his first telescope while in high school using a tube made out of stove pipe and a stand out of galvanized pluming. He is a member of the Rose City Astronomers in Portland Oregon and a representative of the Northwest Region of the Astronomical League. He has been a major contributor to the Table Mountain Star Party over the past several years and loves to teach astronomy to the beginners. In his spare time he flies jets for a major Northwest Airline. |
| Tom Colwell | Tom is a past Chairman of the Northwest Region of the Astronomical League and a Founder of the Table Mountain NW Region Astronomical League Star Party. He is an educator and lecturer for various planetariums, observatories and colleges. He is also a graduate of Yale University and in Tom's spare time he is a Executive/Corporate Coach. |
Page last edited 07/10/2008