This article appeared in The Free Lance-Star It’s the year 2100. Do you know where your children are? The question may sound facetious, but it’s actually quite important as you ponder who to vote for and what policies to support here in 2008. You can see why with some simple math: If medical science is […]
This article appeared on Space.com Note: The object referred to in this article as “Xena” is now officially named Eris. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has spoken on the status of Pluto. The only thing missing when they announced the decision at their press conference was the “Mission Accomplished” banners. Yes, I’m afraid this matter […]
Reprinted in the Denver Post, Feb. 15, 2004 The Bush administration’s plan for a return to the Moon is drawing skepticism from many quarters. Some think we can’t afford the cost, and that the money would be better spent on problems here at home. Others look at the spectacular success of the Spirit rover on […]
It’s not an official name, but I think we can safely say that 2004 will qualify as Interplanetary Space Year. The new year is but a few days old, and already we have spectacular new images of a comet and the surface of Mars. Before the year is out, we will have much more from […]
“Provide ships or sails adapted to the heavenly breezes, and there will be some who will not fear even that void…” – Johannes Kepler (in a letter to Galileo), 1593 It was a pleasant Saturday morning. I was with my family in our rental car, headed to the Challenger Center at the Houston […]
A few months back I did a column on classroom careers for scientists. Several readers have suggested a follow-up on what astronomy departments can do for teachers, especially elementary teachers. I’ve participated in many discussions concerning this issue, and even joined colleagues in writing a couple of proposals to the National Science Foundation. Neither proposal […]
Written for Mercury magazine. You can use the 2000 presidential election morass to teach your students lessons in astronomy and science. It was my fervent hope that astronomy could provide an outlet for escaping the media circus of Election 2000, but personal experience showed that it was not to be. Months ago, my publicist scheduled […]
Written for Mercury magazine. Do you believe in creation or evolution? Take your time, because incorrect answers exacerbate the battle over teaching evolution in the school. Creationists can truthfully answer that they believe in creation. But for those of us who practice or teach science, the correct answer is neither. That is, the question presents […]
Written for Mercury magazine. It’s that time of academic year when colleges and universities begin thinking about faculty hiring for next year. So, continuing my habit of throwing myself into debates where I really don’t belong, I will offer some suggestions about hiring decisions. (Full disclosure: I do not currently have a tenure-track faculty position […]
Written for Mercury magazine. It was during “sharing” time in my first week as a teacher’s aide at Sunset View Elementary School (San Diego). Mike, a second-grader, shared a newspaper article about black holes. The teacher, Anne Earlywine, is one of the best I’ve ever seen, and I learned much of what I know about […]
