Projects

3DAstronomy: This project a collaboration with A. Nota (STScI/ESA), Jonathan Eisenhamer, Larry Bradley and Perry Greenfield (STScI) and Noreen Grice (YouCanDoAstronomy) to name a few. We created a process to produce tactile representations of HST images and data for indivisuals with blindness and visual impairement (B/VI). Our project webpage has a description and a gallery.

The scientific data that forms the basis of the 3D tactile prints is first, an HST program to study the star cluster Westerlund 2 and oter star clusters, and secondly, the LEGUS study of cluster populations in nearby galaxies of varied morphology.

The applicabiity of the materials is to instroduce students and other individuals to astronomical data and the technology of 3D printing to stimulate an interest in STEM. Other people can benefit from the materials as well, but the focus to date has been to support STEM summer camps at several institutions that build life skils and experience for students with B/VI.

Prior Projects

Google Sky: a collaboration with A. Conti (STScI) and Google to bring HST data to the public and create a portal to astronomical resources for science research using the GoogleEarth technology. See the gSky page.

SkyWatch: was a weekly radio vignette on Baltimore's NPR, WYPR, FM station (88.1) discussing the latest astronomy news. This eventually evolved to a podcast and for many years, I co-hosted the Hubble Hangouts series on Google and available through YouTube. The model for the Hangouts is robust and is adaptable and copied by many other podcasts, netcasts, radio programs and television.

Department of State Satellite Image of the Week: A website devloted to bringing examples of the use of commercial, unclassified satellite imagery for foreign policy and diplomacy.

Development, Technology, & Innovation: a Division I created and headed in 2001 to look at innovative and distruptive ways to improve our processes and operations.

SharkCage Innovation Project: I invented this methodology to take advantage of numermous innovation and process improvement strategies to critically look at was to improve our service to users. An example is the "where is my data" project or Hubble DataTracker.

Our VERY FIRST webcast of the STScI Spring Symposium (Dark Matter) was in 2001. We published a report on webcasting and and the rest, as they say, is digital history.

The travel project (ask for report) was aprecursor to using online travel services when all our processes were restricted to paper. It was more than 10 years before the Institute actuall adopted a more-or-less online or at least digital travel service.

Public Outreach

• Over 15 years ago, we created the Hubblesite, which still is a center of information and outreach for the public
  
  

Office of Public Outreach - 1995-2000Visit OPO website

HST Mission Office - Outreach Project Scientist -2012+

This office strives to provide an environment making science research as broadly accessible and relevant to the public through projects that engage the astronomy and astrophysics communities of researchers, engineers and technologists both at STScI and nation-wide. During my tenure as Head of the Office, OPO investigated methods that sensibly integrated the astrophysics community into public programs and dissemination networks. The staff in OPO, backed by the Institute, was strongly supporting evolution of the research culture so that scientists and engineers are motivated to take an active role in science communication. Specific activities included:

• Showcasing results from HST through News and Journalist services.
• Supporting pilot programs and evaluation
• Fostering the creation of raw materials, resources and tools for educational use
• Employing emerging technology in experimental programs
• Supporting Teacher professional development
• Pursuing strategic partnerships to support national programs

Nancy Grace Mission Telescope - Science Engagement Scientist -2020+

The Roman Telescope, set to launch in 2025+, strives to engage the science community in the planning of the mission. STScI is providing information, materials and events to bring the science community into the Roman research arena so that the best observations can be acquired and a robust rich archive is made available for astrophysics.