Tippy D'Auria

WSP Founder

Monday, Feb 28th @ 3pm at the Firepit

Wednesday, March 2nd @ 1:30pm in the Wheelhouse

 

 

Please Note: Tippy will welcome you to the WSP at the Firepit on opening day, weather permitting.

Tippy D'Auria is the founder of the Winter Star Party which is sponsored by the Southern Cross Astronomical Society, and he has been the Chairman of that star party for thirteen of its twenty-four years.  Tippy is also a founding board member of Astronomy Outreach network and an advisor for the Meade 4M Community.

In January 2001, Tippy received recognition for his contributions to amateur astronomy, as he was honored by the International Astronomical Union, when an asteroid was given the name "11378 DAuria" in his honor.  That same year, Tippy led an expedition to the volcanoes of Costa Rica, to film a National Geographic documentary called Volcano Hunters.

Tippy joined an elite group of some of the world's best planetary astronomers in 2001 on a mission to record a predicted flash on the Mars in a region called Edom.

In August 2007, Tippy received the 2007 Astronomical League Award for his many contributions to the Astronomical Community.
 
In February 2008, Tippy received an Astronomy Outreach Award – in recognition for his contributions in outreach and public education in Astronomy.

He is a noted astrophotographer who uses cold camera photography for his work and has taught Creative Photography at the college level. Tippy is a writer and an international lecturer as well as an avid volcano hunter.  He has contributed to the section on darkroom techniques for the book Introduction to Observing and Photographing the Solar System as well as co-authoring with Vic Menard, the definite book on telescope collimation, titled Perspectives on Collimation - Principles and Procedures.

Tippy's  Astronomical Vitae

 

 

Tim Khan WSP Director Imaging Panel Instructor

 

Taimur (Tim) Khan, P.E. – Vice President, Southern Cross Astronomical Society / Winter Star Party Director & WSP Speaker Coordinator

Mr. Khan was born and raised in South Florida and has had a passion for astronomy since first being introduce to a telescope in his mid teens. His educational background includes a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the University of Miami. He is a licensed Structural Engineer in the State of Florida and is an active member in the following professional organizations: Structural Engineering Certification Board, Florida Structural Engineer’s Association, Structural Engineer Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers and American Concrete Institute. Mr. Khan is currently vice president of a family owned engineering firm in Miami, Florida, where he has specialized in structural engineering ranging from large high-rise construction and large scale custom homes, commercial projects, Schools, and tract homes. Mr. Khan carries his astronomy knowledge into his professional career by advocating proper lighting techniques to his clients. In addition, Mr. Khan has designed and constructed a hurricane resistant roll off roof observatory to resist both hurricanes and tornadic winds.

During his stay at University of Miami in the mid 90’s, Mr. Khan became President of the University of Miami Astronomy Club as well as an active member of the Southern Cross Astronomical Society.  Mr. Khan has been serving as an officer and board member of Southern Cross for several years, and has been appointed director of the prestigious annual Winter Star Party, held annually in the Florida Keys during February.

Currently, Mr. Khan enjoys heading out to dark skies to observe and photograph the night sky. He has been an active astro-photographer since the mid 1990’s, shooting with both film and CCD cameras.

 

Alan Friedman Speaker TBD Tuesday, March 1st  @ 12:30pm -1:30pm

By day, Alan Friedman is an artist, award winning greeting card designer and president of Great Arrow Graphics. By night he is an avid astro-photographer, recording the solar system from his backyard in Buffalo, NY. His images of the sun, moon and planets are featured frequently on NASA's popular websites Spaceweather.com and Astronomy Picture of the Day. and in exhibitions, including the touring show for the International Year of Astronomy, From the Earth to the Universe. His techniques for planetary imaging have been the subject of articles in Sky and Telescope magazine and a column at Space.com. Alan enjoys sharing his love for the night sky through public outreach. He is currently president of the Buffalo Astronomical Association and holds the title of Research Associate in Astronomy at the Buffalo Museum of Science. To find out more about Alan, visit his astronomy website, avertedimagination.com.

 

Warren Keller Speaker TBD Thursday, March 3rd @ 12:30pm - 1:30pm

2001: a Space Odyssey, Star Trek, Apollo launches at dawn. Along with his heroes, Warren boldly went where no man had gone before. As a boy, he was gifted with Fred Hoyle's Astronomy. On the cover was the glossiest, color photo of M27- the Dumbbell Nebula in the blackest, velvet sky. He knew from that moment he would someday photograph the heavens’ wonders.

Artistic by nature, it’s less about Cosmology and more about the thrill of the hunt for the myriad of beautiful shapes and colors throughout the universe. Warren has the ability to reduce the difficult concepts of Astro-Imaging to the essentials and effectively teach it to others. His Astrophoto tutorial business IP4AP (http://www.IP4AP.com) was named a Sky & Telescope Magazine ‘Hot Product’ in 2007, and he has given hundreds of clients the world over, a 'quick start' to taking their own great photos. It is his desire to convince new imagers that they can accomplish anything they want in amateur Astrophotography, while emphasizing the importance of artfulness in a largely left-brained hobby.

Warren is proud to have been published as a photographer and author in: SKY & Telescope, Astronomy, AstroPhoto Insight, and Amateur Astronomy magazines, and many places on the World Wide Web, most prestigiously- NASA’s APOD. In 2009, he became Atik CCD’s US representative.

Warren has presented at the Advanced, the North East, and the Midwest Astro-Imaging Conferences, the Black Forest, Texas, Okie-Tex, and Hidden Hollow Star Parties, and to groups as varied as Boy and Girl Scouts, Chambers of Commerce, Rotaries, and camera clubs.

Donald C. Parker, M.D.

TBD

Wednesday, March 2nd @ 2:30pm - 3:30pm

 

Don Parker, a retired physician from Coral Gables, Florida has had a life-long interest in astronomy and, since 1953, has built a number of telescopes ranging in diameter from three to sixteen inches. Over the years Dr. Parker came to specialize in Solar System research and planetary photography. He has taken over 20,000 photographs and electronic images of Mars and Jupiter, as support for professional astronomers at NASA, JPL, and various observatories.

As a Mars Recorder for the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers, Dr. Parker has  done extensive research on the climate and meteorology of the planet Mars. He has authored or co-authored over 150 papers on the Solar System and on planetary photography. These have been pub­lished in both amateur and profession­al journals, such as Science, Nature, Icarus, the Astronomical Journal, and the Journal of Geophysical Research. Parker’s photographs and electronic images of the planets have appeared in numerous books and magazines throughout the world, including Encyclopedia Britannica’s 1996 Science and the Future. He is co-author of the book, Introduction to Observing and Photographing the Solar System.

He is a member of many professional and amateur astronomical organizations, including Miami’s Southern Cross Astronomical Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomical Society, and the British Astronomical Association. He is past director of the Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers.
           
In recognition of his contributions to planetary astronomy, Dr. Parker was honored by the International Astronomical Union in 1994, when an asteroid was given the name “5392 Parker”. In 2004 he was awarded the Oriental Astronomical Association’s Gold Medal for his work on Mars.

Dr. Mike Reynolds

TBD

Wednesday, March 2nd @ 12:30pm - 1:30pm

Dr. Mike Reynolds has spent thirty-four years in astronomy and space sciences in the gamut of a high school and university instructor, planetarium and museum director, researcher, writer, and lecturer. He earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy and Science Education from the University of Florida. Reynolds has received numerous recognition for his work, including the 1986 Florida State Teacher of the Year, NASA Teacher-in-Space National Finalist, and the G. Bruce Blair Medal. He has written a number of astronomy books and articles and is a Consulting Editor for Astronomy Magazine. Reynolds has led numerous astronomical expeditions worldwide, and has also served as an invited speaker internationally. Mike is Executive Director Emeritus of the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California and is currently Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences and teaches Astronomy at Florida Community College in Jacksonville, Florida.

Dr. Russell Romanella Speaker TBD Thursday, March 3rd @ 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Dr. Romanella is the Director of the International Space Station (ISS) and Spacecraft Processing Directorate at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida where he is responsible for all ground processing of Space Station elements getting ready to fly in the Space Shuttle. Dr. Romanella joined NASA in 1981 as a co-op student while attending Florida State University where he received his degree in Mathematics and computer Science. Dr. Romanella’s broad range of experiences include Space Shuttle processing, the International Space Station, and future NASA Exploration programs including the return of humans to the Moon and the first human landing on Mars. Dr. Romanella has received numerous achievement and performance awards, including NASA's Exceptional Service Medal and the Center Director Award for his leadership in preparing Space Station elements for launch from the Kennedy Space Center.

Dr. Romanella's talk is titled " NASA's Exploration Mission". His talk is about the current Exploration Mission within NASA - where we are and where we are heading with the Space Shuttle and Space Station programs as well as the United States' robotic exploration of the solar system and our plan to return to the moon, on to mars

For more information, please go to the following web page to see Dr. Romanella's NASA biography page:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/biographies/romanella.html

 

 

Bob Summerfield Speaker TBD

 

Better known to most as "The T-shirt Guy," "The Meteorite Guy," "Crazy Bob," or "Everyone's Favorite Pain In The A**," Bob Summerfield is the Founder and Director of Astronomy To Go, a Philadelphia-based, nonprofit educational outreach organization, formally begun in 1990. A life long amateur who's passion for Astronomy began with his first lessons in Space Science in 3rd grade, he has been teaching an adult school class at Cheltenham High School for 27 years, starting before he was a graduate. Bob has worked with Astronomy Clubs, schools, camps, scout troops, museums, and all sorts of civic organizations across the country. The goal is to encourage people to look up, and get to better understand our neighbors and happenings in the Universe, near and far. While most Star Party attendees think of Astronomy To Go's Vendor Booth as a unique Astronomical Gift Shoppe (not to mention a fun place to visit) most don't realize that it's just the fundraising side that supports their real mission of educational and public outreach. Working together with his wife, Lisa, Bob presents hundreds of programs each year for thousands of students of all ages. Their programs range from lectures and slide shows to hands on presentations, planetarium shows, and outdoor observing sessions, night and day. They are also the owners/caretakers of The Yard Scope (36"/f 5) and invite everyone to stop by for some time at the eyepiece.

Bob has appeared on numerous TV programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Discovery Channel and NASA-TV, as well as many radio programs, and in print media, from newspapers nationwide to Sky & Telescope magazine. He has become a regular outreach presenter at the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences annual conference. Bob and Lisa were honored by the International Astronomical Union in 1997 when an Asteroid was named "7344 Summerfield" in recognition of their educational efforts. They were also honored to receive The Omega Centauri Award at the 2002 Texas Star Party for "bringing Astronomy to the public."

You can visit Bob's web site at http://www.astronomytogo.com