Astronomy

Interviewed by
David Zierler
Interview date
Location
Video conference
Abstract

This is an interview with Claire Max, Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, and Director of University of California Observatories. Max recounts her childhood in Manhattan, and she describes the formative influence of her father’s work in science on her blossoming academic interests. She describes her undergraduate education at Radcliffe where she pursued a degree in astronomy, and the opportunities leading to her graduate degree at Princeton where she studied pulsars under the direction of Francis Perkins. Max discusses her postdoctoral research at Berkeley working with Allan Kaufman and her subsequent work at Livermore Lab on laser plasma interactions, and where she did formative work developing laser guide stars for adaptive optics in astronomy. She describes her entrée into the JASON advisory group, and what it was like as the first woman to become a JASON. Max explains her decision to join the faculty at Santa Cruz, the opportunities leading to her directorship of the Observatory, and her interest in leading research in extrasolar planets. She reflects on some of the budgetary and administrative challenges she has faced at the Observatory, and she discusses some of the characteristics that her most successful graduate students have shared over the years. At the end of the interview, Max discusses the controversy over the Thirty Meter Telescope site in Hawaii, she explains why promoting diversity in the field is personally important to her, and why future advances in galaxy merger research are so promising.

Interviewed by
Montserrat Zeron
Interview date
Location
Vero Beach, Florida
Abstract

This is an interview with Edward Weiler, who served as chief scientist of the Hubble Space Telescope from 1979 to 1998, as NASA Associate Administrator for science activities from 1998 to 2004 and again from 2008 to 2011, and as director of the Goddard Space Flight Center from 2004 to 2008. The interview focuses primarily on his work relating to Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope. Subjects addressed include his work developing international collaboration, and he explains the value of his strong working relationship with David Southwood of the European Space Agency. Weiler details his involvement with the correction of the spherical aberration afflicting Hubble’s primary mirror. He highlights NASA Administrator Dan Goldin’s role in establishing the scope of the Webb telescope, and he offers his views on the project’s troubles and the 2010 review chaired by John Casani that diagnosed sources of its cost growth and schedule slippage. Weiler also recounts his motivations for retiring from NASA in 2011, his activities since then, and he expresses his perspective on matters such as human space flight, lunar exploration, and the value of international partnerships in space science.

Interviewed by
Jaco de Swart
Interview dates
November 12 and December 4, 2014
Location
Princeton, New Jersey
Abstract

Interview with James Gunn, American astronomer and Emeritus Eugene Higgins Professor of Astronomy at Princeton University. Gunn discusses his graduate work at Caltech where he worked with Guido Munch. He describes his graduate thesis on the correlation function of galaxies and recalls his growing interest in cosmology at the time. Gunn traces the development of dark matter research during the 1970s and 1980s, reflecting on the important contributions of his peers as well as his own. He discusses his other research interests such as Omega matter and virial discrepancy. Gunn also describes his role in the growth of the cosmology department at Caltech. 

Interviewed by
Montserrat Zeron
Interview date
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
Abstract

Interview with Matt Mountain, President of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), and Telescope Scientist & Science Working Group member for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Mountain recounts growing up in the UK and his early interest in science. He reflects on his time at Imperial College London, where his interest in astronomy suited his background in physics and his work on the infrared. He describes drifting away from theoretical physics and moving towards building instruments, later building one of the first infrared spectrographs for his PhD dissertation. He recounts his recruitment to the Royal Observatory Edinburgh by the Astronomer Royal Malcolm Longair, where he would help build CGS4 for the UKIRT telescope. Mountain recalls working with Tim Hawarden on his idea of passive cooling, which would later be used JWST. He describes being appointed as the project scientist for the Gemini project, leading to his move to the U.S. He explains having to learn and understand the US political system in relation to science, particularly the way astronomy is funded. He credits his time in Edinburgh with teaching him the importance of effective communication between engineers and scientists, which would prove crucial for his role as Gemini director and later projects. Mountain discusses his later role as director of the Space Telescope Science Institute and the early conversations on a next generation space telescope. He details his role as telescope scientist for the Webb telescope and his perspective on international space science partnerships. He reflects on the budget concerns and schedule delays surrounding the Webb telescope and the later working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Towards the end of the interview, Mountain discusses some of the science from JWST, his current role at AURA, and the future of astronomy.

Interviewed by
Jarita Holbrook
Interview date
Location
IAU Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii
Abstract

Interview with Alejandro López, Argentinian cultural astronomer and anthropologist. The interview begins with López recounting his childhood in Argentina and his undergraduate studies in astronomy and cosmology at University of La Plata. He describes meeting anthropologist Pedro Parodi, who introduced him to indigenous astronomy. López discusses his decision to pursue graduate studies in anthropology at the University of Cordoba (Argentina), as well as his PhD work at the University of Buenos Aires. López describes the development of La Sociedad Interamericana de Astronomía en la Cultura (SIAC) and his involvement in the group. He shares his thoughts on ethnoastronomy as a field, its interdisciplinary nature, and the social science aspects of the field. López discusses his field work in the Chaco region of Argentina and shares key research findings. The interview concludes with López’s reflections on the hierarchies of science in western academia, and he shares advice for astronomy students.  

Interviewed by
Montserrat Zeron
Interview date
Location
Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract

In this interview, astronomer Peter Jakobsen discusses his involvement with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes during his life-long career at the European Space Agency (ESA). He recounts his early childhood growing up in Cincinnati and later returning to his hometown in Denmark, where he attended the University of Copenhagen. He reflects on his time at the Laboratoire d’Astronomie Spatiale in Marseille during his Master’s degree and his time at Berkeley working in the Space Astrophysics Group led by Stu Bowyer. Jakobsen discusses his job as Project Scientist for the European involvement in the Hubble Space Telescope, the development of ESA’s Faint Object Camera, and the discovery of the spherical aberration. He details his role in the development of COSTAR and Hubble’s repair missions. Jakobsen recalls being skeptical of the initial talks for the Next Generation Space Telescope, but later taking on a key role for the European side of the project. He also recalls the competition between the contractors working on the initial design phase for NIRSpec. Jakobsen gives an account of his last years at ESA and the conditions that led to his retirement from the agency in 2011. He gives his perspective on Webb’s launch and reflects on the budget and schedule delay concerns. He discusses his post-retirement technical work and the guaranteed observing time program for JWST. Towards the end of the interview, Jakobsen describes his current focus with NIRSpec and his reflections on the future of astronomy.

Interviewed by
Rebecca Charbonneau
Interview date
Location
Sternberg Astronomical Institute (Moscow State University) in Moscow, Russia
Abstract

Interview with Lev Gindilis, Russian astronomer and a pioneer of modern SETI research. Leonid Gurvits translated this interview in real-time. Gindilis discusses his studies in optical astronomy at Moscow State University. He describes how the work of his friend Nikolai Kardashev inspired him to switch his area of focus and join the radio astronomy department. Gindilis recounts helping to build the RATAN 600 telescope, as well as his work organizing meetings on SETI topics, including the First Soviet-American Conference on Communication with Extraterrestrial Intelligence in 1971. Gindilis reflects on the philosophical aspects of extraterrestrial communication, such as the question of mutual understanding. He discusses Kardashev’s investigations into CTA-21 and CTA-102 and the importance of the discovery of variability. The interview concludes with Gindilis’ reflections on international collaboration in SETI research and the effects of the Cold War.

Interviewed by
Jarita Holbrook
Interview date
Abstract

Interview with Kenneth I. Kellermann, emeritus Chief Scientist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), the 2024 Jansky Lecturer, and a pioneer in American radio astronomy. The interview begins with Kellermann recounting his childhood in New York, highlighting his early education and the influences that led him to pursue a career in science. He shares his experiences at MIT, discussing the pivotal moments that sparked his interest in physics and radio astronomy. Kellermann then describes his transition to Caltech, where he studied under the mentorship of John Bolton, and his significant graduate work on the spectra of radio sources. Kellermann details his postdoctoral experiences at the Parkes Observatory in Australia, where he conducted groundbreaking observations of Mercury, Venus, and Mars. He explains the collaborative nature of early radio astronomy, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and his hands-on approach to research. Kellermann also discusses his time as the director at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, reflecting on the professional networks and opportunities that shaped his career. At the end of the interview, Kellermann highlights the challenges and rewards of working in astronomy, emphasizing the role of serendipitous scientific discovery.

Interviewed by
Montserrat Zeron
Interview date
Location
Johns Hopkins University
Abstract

In this interview, astronomer Massimo Stiavelli discusses his involvement with the Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes. He recounts his early childhood growing up in Italy, higher education at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, and his interest in elliptical galaxies. He reflects on his time as a postdoctoral researcher at Rutgers University, his time at the European Southern Observatory, and his role deriving signs from the Hubble Space Telescope’s aberrated data. Stiavelli discusses his position with the European Space Agency in Baltimore, along with the initial developments of the Next Generation Space Telescope. He also offers his perception on the Space Telescope Science Institute and the scientists working there. He recalls his early involvement with the NGST’s Science Working Group, his role as Project Scientist, and his perspective on the growing schedule and budget delays that led to Congressional hearings. Stiavelli also recalls the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the final stages of Webb’s development, the launch, and its current operation. The interview concludes with an overview of Stiavelli’s views on the future of cosmology and the impact of JWST.

Interviewed by
Jim Lattis
Interview date
Location
Kissimmee, Florida
Abstract

Interview with Mehmet Alpaslan, NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow. The interview begins with Alpaslan recounting his childhood in Turkey and several other countries, as his parents worked for the Turkish Foreign Ministry. He recalls reading Carl Sagan’s Cosmos as a teen, which sparked his intereste in astronomy. Alpaslan discusses his decision to attend the University of St. Andrews where he studied physics and astronomy. He describes his undergraduate research in modified Newtonian dynamics, as well as his introduction to extragalactic astronomy by Simon Driver, who eventually became his PhD advisor. Alpaslan discusses his PhD work with the Galaxy and Mass Assembly Survey (GAMA), including his time at the Anglo-Australian Telescope and his work writing code for data analysis. He then explains the connections which led him to the NASA Postdoctoral Program where he is a fellow at NASA Ames Research Center. Alpaslan describes the joys of observation and working with telescopes, as well as the benefits and challenges of writing your own code from scratch. At the end of the interview, he shares that although careers in academia can be difficult, the ability to work on exciting science makes it worthwhile.