speakers
One of the most important aspects of any Astronomical League convention is the quality of the guest speakers; the best conventions give you the opportunity to hear from true luminaries in the field. The Northern Cross Science Foundation is honored to present a fantastic group of talented and inspiring guest speakers for NCRAL 2008 — all with Wisconsin ties!
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Dave Eicher, Editor In Chief of Astronomy Magazine is one of the most widely recognized astronomy enthusiasts in the world. He has been with Astronomy magazine for 25 years, beginning as an assistant editor and working through associate, senior, and managing positions. He has been the magazine's editor since 2002. Dave has spoken widely to amateur astronomy groups, logged hundreds of hours at the eyepiece, and written seven books on astronomical observing. Among the most used by amateur astronomers are The Universe from Your Backyard (Cambridge University Press), Deep-Sky Observing with Small Telescopes (Enslow), and Stars and Galaxies (Kalmbach Books). More... |
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Michael Bakich, Senior Editor of Astronomy Magazine has been fascinated by the stars all his life. His astronomical journey began when he was in third grade, after his parents bought him a set of constellation flash cards. From that day forward, Michael's goal was to become an astronomer. That goal was realized in 1975, when Michael graduated with a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the Ohio State University. Rather than continuing on a research-oriented track, Michael attended Michigan State University, where he received a Master of Arts degree in planetarium education (one of only six such degrees ever awarded) in 1977. During the last two decades, Michael has worked in seven planetaria and has served as a consultant in the planetarium field. He joined Astronomy in February 2003. More... |
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Harald Schenk, Associate Lecturer of Astronomy at University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan was born in Berlin, Germany. He has lived in the United States since 1954. Between 1966 and 1969, he served in the US ARMY with the Strategic Communications Command. After graduating from UW-Green Bay, he was selected as a finalist in the 'Competition for Amateur Use of the Hubble Space Telescope'. Since that time, he has done research on select asteroids with the HST five times. Harald is currently in his fifth year as a JPL Solar System Ambassador, and is on a committee to place an amateur telescope on the International Space Station (ISS-AT). He is married, and has six children. More... |
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Dave Oesper, former Board Member of the International Dark-Sky Association and Founder of Outdoor Lighting Associates, has provided telescopic viewing and constellation identification activities for the public, school, and community groups. Dave has also championed astronomy and dark-sky issues via television, radio, and newspaper interviews. He was on the committee that developed Iowa’s first outdoor lighting code, and was awarded a 1999 Conservation Award by the Iowa Division of the Isaac Walton League for his dark-sky preservation efforts. Dave was a Teaching Assistant at Iowa State University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, from 2000-2004. He is currently a computer programmer at Land's End in Dodgeville, WI, and also teaches Introduction to Astronomy at Dodgeville High School. More... |
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Bob Manske, former President of both the Madison Astronomical Society and the Milwaukee Astronomical Society, and honored longtime member of the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Bob has many thousands of variable star observations to his credit, using visual and electronic techniques. Bob has also been instrumental in supporting the lunar grazing occultation observation and timing programs in the MAS (both of them!) |
Speakers
