Mel Bartels

The I.A.U. named asteroid 17823 Bartels in recognition of Mel's contributions to amateur astronomy. His articles about telescope making and observations have appeared in a dozen Sky and Telescope articles. He created the first popular computerized control of telescopes using stepper motors that was among the first open source software and hardware projects. Mel's invented new mirror tests and pioneered telescopes using highly curved and very thin meniscus mirrors. Mel uses his novel telescopes to discover extremely faint objects, recording his observations by sketching. He ran the first ATM listserv for six years which served as a meeting place for amateurs worldwide. Now retired in Central Oregon, Mel had careers in IT management and software development and architecture. He began his professional life as a trumpet player in orchestras and jazz bands. And he holds a pilot's license.

Erik Aver, PhD

Dr. Erik Aver is a physics professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane. He is originally from northwest Montana, and studied at Montana State University and the University of Minnesota. His research is in astrophysics and cosmology, and he works on determining the primordial helium abundance—the helium produced in the first seconds and minutes after the big bang—using spectral observations of galaxies. As you might guess, he is a huge nerd, and loves movies and comic books, as well as going for walks along the river.