Behind the Science: an Interview with Our Planetarium Director Emeritus

Q: What do you do at The Lawrence?

A: Since I retired in 2013, I’ve done volunteer work at The Lawrence for the Planetarium and for the Global Systems Science high school curriculum project, with a smattering of part-time paid work for The Lawrence Full Option Science System (FOSS) middle and elementary school curriculum project.

Q: What is your favorite exhibit at The Lawrence and why?

A: My favorite exhibit is in the Planetarium when it’s in the Planetarium Pilots mode. When I was Planetarium Director, we had applied for National Science Foundation grants to develop the planetarium-as-an-exhibit concept a few times, but each time the proposals were not funded. In 2022, under the Directorship of Rena Dorph, and with the technical design work of Ellen Thompson, Planetarium Pilots was developed. In my humble opinion it’s on the cutting edge of novel planetarium programming in the planetarium world at at large. For the time being, I know of no other planetarium with a comparable program where the dome becomes a walk-in exhibit that allows visitors to control and operate the planetarium themselves.

Q: Describe your path to science/education

A: When I was in elementary school, my mom bought me a really nice telescope that ignited my interest in astronomy. In junior high school I built two telescopes and really enjoyed the challenge of not only creating the optical elements, but building the mountings for them. I developed a passion for what I expected would become a career in engineering. In high school I had a really great Physics teacher, Mr. Robinson, who sparked my interest in Physics. In college, I majored in Physics because I thought that would be a good basis for any type of engineering I chose to engage in. I graduated college with BA in Physics at UC Berkeley. The part-time job I got at Lawrence Hall of Science led me to alter my trajectory from engineering to science education.

Q: What was your first aha moment at The Lawrence?

A: The first planetarium show that I learned to present was Stonehenge. While learning that show, I gained unusual insight into the annual apparent movements of the Sun, including where the sun rises and sets on different dates throughout the year. One of the best moments during the show is where the audience observes a sunrise and then is invited to guess where the Sun will set that day. The result is almost always a surprise for most people. What I learned in more depth was how the extremes of northerly and southerly sunrise/sunset positions depends critically on what latitude the observer is at on Earth. The planetarium is a perfect model for showing this phenomenon since it can act like a time machine, positioned anywhere on Earth at any desired time. I felt and still feel privileged to have access to such a powerful model.

Q: What is one unexpected place/thing/topic that you’ve connected to science?

A: I can’t say this was exactly unexpected, but in the early days of the Global Systems Science project, the 1990s, I was a cautionary voice to say we should not be making unfounded claims that the average temperature of the Earth was clearly rising. Evidence at that time was only that the carbon dioxide levels were increasing, but actual increase in average global temperatures were not yet apparent or proven. Understanding of the greenhouse effect allowed us to predict that temperatures would increase and that many global and local systems would be affected. But it wasn’t until the 2000s that average global temperature increases were clearly measured and that the consequences were much more serious than most of us had imagined.

Q: Who is your favorite fictional character, and why?

A: Oddly enough, one of my favorite fictional characters was and is Bret Maverick, played by James Garner in the TV series Maverick. The show was a western and Maverick was a gambler who was, as described in wikipedia, “… quick to claim [to be]  motivated by money, and made a point of humorously emphasizing …supposed belief in cowardice and avoiding hard work, in many episodes …weighing a financial windfall against a moral dilemma. [His] conscience always trumped [his] wallet since [he was] intrinsically ethical, although …not above trying to fleece someone who had clearly proven themselves to be fundamentally dishonest or corrupt.” I always like heroes who mostly avoid violence and solve problems or meet threats that arise by ingenious nonviolent means.

Q: What do you do in your free time that no one would expect?

A: Since junior high school I have played the French horn, but only after finishing college did I meet up with some folk rock musicians and learn how to improvise parts for songs and even sing some. For some years I was in different folk rock bands as well as playing in orchestras and quintets. But more recently I still enjoy playing French horn improvisations to songs that are playing on the stereo in my living room.

Q: If you could amplify one thing at The Lawrence, what would it be?

A: There is a lot of room for creativitiy and new capabilities in the Planetarium Pilots program. I would very much like to see more options provided to planetarium visitors for controlling the amazing functions of our digital planetarium system. For example, they should have full control of the time machine capabilities of the planetarium to see the sky as it would appear anyplace on Earth, any time of night, any time of year. A planetarium time machine can quickly show sunrise/sunset positions, seasonal changes in which constellations are visible, and changes in phases of the Moon.