Affiliations

Written Biography

I am Professor of Physics at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory, and the author of the books Starlight Detectives: How Astronomers, Inventors, and Eccentrics Discovered the Modern Universe; Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos; The Electric Life of Michael Faraday; Eureka Man: The Life and Legacy of Archimedes; and the Astronomy Activity & Laboratory Manual. I am also a regular book reviewer for the Wall Street Journal, and have written about the history of astronomy for Sky & Telescope. In addition to writing, my professional interests focus on public outreach and the effective integration of the history of astronomy into my college courses for liberal arts students. I received my BS in astrophysics from Princeton (1973) and my PhD in astronomy from Yale (1978).

Candidate Statement

As a conventionally-trained astronomer and self-taught educator/writer/enthusiast in the history of astronomy, I have pursued a personal program to convey the inspiring saga of the development of astronomical ideas to a wide audience. Now nominated for the position of Vice-Chair, I propose that, in tandem with its ongoing scholarly activities, the HAD explore outreach opportunities to our fellow AAS colleagues as well as to amateur astronomers and the broader public. The HAD’s recently inaugurated website post “This Month in Astronomical History” is an excellent beginning. I would seek to create additional online resources for high-school and college educators, that they might present their classroom subject matter within a historical context. In my experience, amateur astronomers are eager to hear the stories of the people and the events leading to the great discoveries in our field; therefore, I would also assess interest among HAD members to form an HAD public speaker’s bureau, which we could promote to members’ regional astronomy clubs. Astronomy is a fertile area for historical research and for the exchange of views on how our field has evolved. I believe the HAD should add to its mission the task of demonstrating to the outside (non-HAD) audience how history interfaces with modern discovery.

Affiliations

Written Biography

Dr. Terry D. Oswalt is Chair of the Physical Sciences Department at the Daytona Beach campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). He earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy at The Ohio State University specializing in studies of binary star systems, stellar evolution, minor planets, and comets. During his career Oswalt has taught a wide variety of physics and astronomy courses and served in several administrative posts, while continuing his primary research interest in studies of collapsed stars called white dwarfs.

Oswalt is the founding Chairman of the Southeast Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA), a consortium of thirteen institutions lead by ERAU that operates remote-access telescopes at that Kitt Peak National Observatory (near Tucson, Arizona), Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in Chile, and Roque de los Muchachos in the Canary Islands. He also has been director of the SARA summer internship program, which brought undergraduate students from around the U.S. to do research at the SARA facility at Kitt Peak each summer. In recognition of his astronomical research and work in founding the SARA consortium, Dr. Oswalt was named the 2010 Florida Academy of Science Medalist.

Oswalt has been a Harlow Shapley Lecturer for over twenty years and has served on numerous AAS committees. He is currently a member of the IAU Commission C.G1 Binary & Multiple Stars scientific organizing committee and has been an elected councilor for the Physics and Astronomy Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research for several consecutive terms. He also has been a program officer for the Astronomical Sciences Division at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Oswalt is author or co-author of over 220 scientific articles and has edited nine astronomy books including, most recently, a six-volume series of astronomy reference books Planets, Stars & Stellar Systems, which was an updated version of the classic Stars & Stellar Systems series.

Candidate Statement

If elected V.P. of the HAD, I will work hard to increase our membership and to cultivate an appreciation for the history of our discipline among the general AAS membership, students and the public. I will also seek to engage more early career astronomers (especially those in “nontraditional” positions) in HAD activities and to increase our Division’s interaction with the AAS Council. I have a special interest in the preservation of astronomical data and would like our Division to expand our leadership role in this area by helping to preserve the most historically and scientifically important documents of former astronomers. We should also seek collaborations with other astronomical organizations, historical societies, media, and funding agencies that have interests in the history of astronomy. Finally, as the astronomical community prepares for a new generation of ground- and space-based facilities and a decadal study of scientific priorities, our Commission can provide a useful historical perspective to the relevant planning committees. I am willing to serve if elected for office in the American Astronomical Society.

Professional Title/Position

Affiliations

Written Biography

Robert Stencel is the William Herschel Womble Professor of Astronomy at Denver University (DU). Following graduate study in astronomy at the University of Michigan, Dr. Stencel worked at NASA Houston and Greenbelt sites and NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, prior to joining Denver University in 1993 where he teaches astronomy and astrophysics. He is also the Director of the DU Observatories: Chamberlin (1894) and Mount Evans (at 4,303m). In addition to ground based and space based research about interacting binary stars, he has published on historical astronomy topics and archaeoastronomical ones.

Candidate Statement

I'd like to self-nominate for a committee member position. My credentials include membership in HAD, 20-plus years as director of Denver's 1894 vintage Chamberlin Observatory (including its restoration), professor of astronomy at U of Denver, author of numerous astronomy research articles, and a few Denver astronomy history articles, some archaeoastronomy items, light pollution solution tirades, etc. HAD should continue leadership in promoting awareness of the rich history of astronomy, working with interested groups (Antique Telescope Society, Astronomical League, etc.) and engage younger members of the AAS and IAU in recognizing their role in the continuing tradition of astronomy.

Professional Title/Position

Affiliations

Written Biography

Pedro M. P. Raposo, DPhil, is a curator at Adler Planetarium, Chicago. He holds a doctoral degree in History of Science by the University of Oxford. Prior to joining the Adler, Raposo was an education and outreach officer at the Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon; a Magellan Scholar at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford; a post-doctoral fellow and associate lecturer at the University of Lisbon; and a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin. Raposo’s current research interests include the history of celestial cartography, the history of modern planetaria, and the material culture of timekeeping.

Candidate Statement

For more than a decade now, my professional life has been developing in the intersection between the realms of academic research in the history of astronomy (and related fields), museums, science communication, and outreach. In the capacity of curator at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, I currently work with a world-class collection of historic scientific instruments, rare books, star charts, and other items that constitute a precious resource not only for historical research, but also to engage the public with astronomical science and its history. I believe that astronomers and historians must work together in order to achieve a better understanding of how astronomy evolves and how it connects with societal challenges and changes. And I strongly believe in the potential of communicating historical research to engage the public with astronomy in its various dimensions. As a member of the HAD committee of the AAS, I will work with the committee to build bridges between astronomical and historical research as well as promote public engagement with astronomy through a meaningful use of its history and heritage.