Guest Speaker Biographies

Speaker Biographies

More info to follow. The talk descriptions are currently listed on the Adult Program page.

2010 Speakers

Tom Gwilym	Tom has been interested in the sky since he was a drooling 1 year old watching the Apollo 11 landing (Tom is proud to say that he did watch the landing, but remembers nothing of it!) . Mom said that one of his first complete sentences spoken was "See the moon!" as his little finger pointed at the sky. A wobbly Tasco refractor was his first telescope which was outgrown by high school, money was short and he could never get one of those fancy dream telescopes that had a "clock-drive" and camera mount that he always saw advertised in the magazines. Many years later, the little ETX 90 was purchased and soon aperture fever hit. The Meade LX90 arrived, followed by the Orion 80ED, and a few others. Tom was assigned the job of president of the Eastside Astronomical Society, and is caretaker of the club's donated Meade 12" LX200 which was taken to a few star parties, but was just too heavy to be called "portable". With assistance of his girlfriend, her digging and construction skills, a permanent home for the scope was constructed in the backyard of his light polluted Renton home - The Highlands Astro-Shack Observatory. (http://tegwilym.zenfolio.com) When not observing the skies (usually because of clouds or full moon), Tom works his day job as a System Administrator for a non-profit company in Seattle, works part time as a flight instructor, collects astronaut autographs, sailing, bicycling, making sawdust with a table saw, and many other hobbies.
David 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.
John Wisniewski	Dr John Wisniewski is a National Science Foundation Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington. He received his PhD in physics from the University of Toledo and previously served as a NPP Fellow at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Dr Wisniewski is an observational astronomer who studies circumstellar disk systems of all ages, ranging from young planet-forming disks to gaseous disks blown off of older stars. He uses a wise variety of ground- (KPNO, CTIO, Gemini, UKIRT, Subaru, VLT, Keck) and space-based (FUSE, Chandra, Spitzer, Kepler, Hubble Space Telescope) telescopes to pursue this research.
Linda Khandro	Linda Khandro is something of a self-described "mixed salad!" She is a geologist with a Masters Degree in Teaching Earth Science and Washington State Teaching Certificate, and has been teaching college earth and space sciences (geology, astronomy, oceanography, meteorology, environmental science) since 1991. Interest in Project AstroBio (www.astro.washington.edu/projastrobio/) as an astronomer volunteer, and interest in Astrobiology (http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/) brought her to the University of Washington, Seattle as an Education/Public Outreach specialist from 2000-2006. In 2007 she moved back home to BC, Canada, and along with her work as a musician (harps & percussion), can be found at www.lindakhandro.com.

2009 Speakers

Terence Dickinson	Terence Dickinson is the author 14 astronomy books, including "NightWatch," one of the world's best-selling stargazing guides, and co-author with Alan Dyer of "The Backyard Astronomer's Guide." A former planetarium staff astronomer, he was the first editor of Astronomy magazine. Following that for more than 20 years he was a professional science writer freelancing for Science Digest, Popular Mechanics, the Gannett news service, and CBC radio and the Canadian Discovery Channel. For the past 15 years he has been the editor of SkyNews, the Canadian magazine of astronomy and stargazing.
Steve Coe	Steve Coe has written two books published by Springer. He has also written many articles on deep sky observing for Astronomy Magazine, Deep Sky Magazine and Amateur Astronomy Magazine. He has been a guest speaker at RTMC, the Texas Star Party and many other events. Currently he is writing a monthly column for the Cloudy Nights website.
Joe Rottman	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.
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.
Linda Khandro	Linda Khandro is something of a self-described "mixed salad!" She is a geologist with a Masters Degree in Teaching Earth Science and Washington State Teaching Certificate, and has been teaching college earth and space sciences (geology, astronomy, oceanography, meteorology, environmental science) since 1991. Interest in Project AstroBio (www.astro.washington.edu/projastrobio/) as an astronomer volunteer, and interest in Astrobiology (http://depts.washington.edu/astrobio/) brought her to the University of Washington, Seattle as an Education/Public Outreach specialist from 2000-2006. In 2007 she moved back home to BC, Canada, and along with her work as a musician (harps & percussion), can be found at www.lindakhandro.com.

2008 Speakers

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 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.