ASP Annual Report 2022

Edward Holden, the first director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), described a unique vision for the Society at its inaugural meeting in 1889. He described the creation of a new kind of professional science society that would welcome anyone with the desire to learn astronomy and the desire to share their passion for the cosmos with others. Holden’s vision has guided the work of the Society and has informed the ASP’s mission - to promote science literacy through the awe and wonder of astronomy.  In this annual report, we focus on some of the most important work the ASP has ever done in developing tools, resources, and training programs to help astronomers and educators improve how they engage audiences and increase public interest, curiosity, and participation in science. With the existential threats posed by the global climate crisis, destruction of dark skies, and emergent pandemic, there has never been a more important time for astronomers to be advocates for science - and the ASP is here to help.

Finances

The year in numbers: Statement of activities and financial position for the year ending September 30, 2022 will be available soon

Acknowledgments

A community dedicated to helping people everywhere explore the wonders of the universe

The year in numbers: Statement of activities and financial position for the year ending September 30, 2022 will be available soon

Board of Directors - Board Officers

* served in 2022, + serves in 2023, *+ served in 2022 and serves in 2023

President
Sunil Nagaraj*+

Vice President & Treasurer
Derrick Pitts*+

Co-Treasurer
Chris Lewicki*+

Past President
Kelsey Johnson*+

Secretary
Edna DeVore*+

Board Members
Rachael Beaton*+
Jeffrey Bennett*+
Katy Caouette*+
Abdul Dremali*+
John Keller*+
David Krasny*+
James Negus*+
Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz*+
Renee Rashid*
M. Katy Rodriguez Wimberly*+
Sabrina Stierwalt*+

Advisory Council in 2021

Bruce Carney
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Edna DeVore
SETI Institute (retired)

Lynn D. Dierking
Oregon State University and Institute for Learning Innovation

Timothy Ferris
University of California, Berkeley

Richard Fienberg
American Astronomical Society

Alex Filippenko
University of California, Berkeley

Christopher Ford
Prezi Inc.

Andrew Fraknoi
Foothill College (retired)

Catharine D. Garmany
National Optical Astronomy Observatory (retired)

Marc Gineris
Incyte Capital Holdings, Dallas, Texas

Mary Kay Hemenway
University of Texas at Austin (retired)

Jim Hesser
Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and Strategic Advisor, Herzberg Astronomy and
Astrophysics Programs, National Research Council of Canada

Catherine Langridge
Recology

Gordon Myers
IBM (retired)

Schyleen Qualls
Arkeon Entertainment & Arkeon Education

Ron Rosano
Astronomy Educator, Virgin Galactic Spaceflight Participant

Jeffrey D. Rosendhal
NASA (retired) Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at George Mason University

Wayne Rosing
Las Cumbres Observatory

Dennis Schatz
Pacific Science Center

Constance Walker
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory

Al Whaley
Internet Travel Network (retired)

 Our Partners

 Meet the Team

ASP Conference Series Office
Utah Valley University, Orem, Utah
Joseph Jensen, Managing Editor
Jonathan Barnes, Associate Editor
Beth Wardell, Publication Manager
Pepita Ridgeway, Editorial Consultant
Micah Laing, e-Book Specialist

Publications of the ASP
Jeff Mangum, Editor (National Radio Astronomy Observatory)
Daniel G. Fabricant, Associate Editor (Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Chief Executive Officer
Linda Shore 

Project Manager
Joycelin Craig 

Editor
Joycelin Craig
Pablo Nelson

Designer
Mando Daniel 

Image Credits (top to bottom)

WELCOME:
Main Image I The Orion Bar

The Orion Bar is a diagonal, ridge-like feature of gas and dust in the lower left quadrant of this HUBBLE image of the Orion Nebula. Sculpted by the intense radiation from nearby hot, young stars, the Orion Bar at first glance appears to be shaped like a bar.
Credit: NASA, ESA, Massimo Robberto (STScI, ESA), Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

FINANCES:
Main Image I Cliffs of Ice on Mars
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft
High Resolution Imagine Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
Main Image I Mysterious Crater Deposits
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft
High Resolution Imagine Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, December 2022

ECLIPSE AMBASSADORS:
Main Image I Solar Eclipse - Aug 21 2017
Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

ON THE SPOT FEEDBACK:  
Main Image I Sunset: December 20, 2020, Brooks Park, San Francisco, CA. Green flash sunset over the Pacific Ocean. 
Nikon D780 + VR 70-300mm zoom. ISO 180 1/30 second at f 32
Credit: Brian Kruse

BIG ASTRONOMY FOR THE BLIND AND LOW VISION:
Main Image I Antennas of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array above the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama Desert (ALMA) keep watch over the skies. ALMA, of which ESO is a partner, is the largest ground-based astronomical project in existence
Credit: Y. Beletsky (LCO)/ESO

PUBLICATIONS:
Main Image I Sedimentary Rocks inside Terby Crater (Mars)
Spacecraft: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)
Instrument: High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Figure 1. An overview of the Argus Array concept, a thermally-controlled, weather-sealed
hemisphere mounting hundreds of telescopes on a single tracking mount. From “Low-cost
Access to the Deep, High-cadence Sky: the Argus Optical Array” by Nicholas M. Law et.al. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 134, 035003. © 2022 The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Mercury magazine; 2022, Vol. 51, Issue 2 [NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Webb ERO Production Team]

ASP Conference Series Volume #533© 2023 The Astronomical Society of the Pacific

2022 ASP AWARDS:
Main Image I Aurora
Credit:  ESA

OUR DONORS:
Main Image I Astronaut Matthias Maurer of ESA (European Space Agency) is pictured on the International Space Station's truss structure during a spacewalk to install thermal gear and electronics components on the orbiting lab. The space station was 268 miles above the Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Zealand. Expedition 66, March 24, 2022
Credit: NASA

WAYS TO GIVE:
Main Image I Dust Rings in the Wolf Rayet 140 System. Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI)
Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScl/JPL-Caltech

Eclipse Ambassadors off the Paths

Partnerships between college students and amateur astronomers to reach thousands of visitors at eclipse outreach events

North America will be treated to two spectacular solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024. If you are on the paths of the shadow, you will see either an annular (Oct 14, 2023) or a total (April 8, 2024), but most of the US will be treated to two partial eclipses. In partnership with NASA Science Activation, the ASP is recruiting, training, and equipping 500 partnerships across the United States with the resources needed to prepare their communities.

The Eclipse Ambassadors partnership consists of a college student and an amateur astronomer, often an intergenerational partnership by design. Amateur astronomers tend to have a lot of experience with public engagement and many undergraduates are coming out of a unique pandemic high school experience. The partnership draws on the expertise of both communities to engage their local underserved audiences in ways both tried-and-true and innovative. Eclipse Ambassadors are expected to reach more than 100,000 visitors at informal outreach events, with at least half coming from underserved communities. Training has begun, and applications will be open throughout 2023, so join the fun and share this opportunity with your community.

On the Spot Feedback

Offering early career astronomers’ techniques to engage their audiences at their events

On the Spot Video Series

For a decade, the ASP has helped research astronomers be better science communicators. A common question we got from astronomers we support was, “but how do I know if my audiences are with me?” Through our NSF-funded On The Spot Feedback (OTSF) Project, early career astronomers are learning novel ways to find out what people are thinking and feeling in the moment, while at the same time, sparking audience curiosity. Scientists are also learning to modify their public engagement “on the spot” - tailoring what they say and do in direct response to audience feedback.

Hundreds of scientists have received training in On The Spot Feedback techniques and have successfully applied what they have learned to their public events. A suite of eight OTSF training videos and an extensive On The Spot Feedback Guide will soon be available for anyone to use.

Big Astronomy: Blind and Low Vision Kits

"Nothing about us without us"

ASP’s Big Astronomy is a collaborative project between multiple international observatories and several Science Centers offering a planetarium show, live educational webinars, and the Big Astronomy Kit, created by ASP, offering a variety of hands-on activities.

The Big Astronomy Kit was released to over 300 museum educators and amateur astronomers in 2020, prior to the planetarium show’s release. It features information about telescopes, how multiwavelength detectors are used, and emphasizes that astronomy is about all cultures.

In 2022, the ASP and Big Astronomy teamed up once again to make the kits more accessible with materials developed specifically for blind or low vision audiences. The goal was to give a host at a museum or astronomy event a Big Astronomy Kit and training with best practices for being a welcoming host to Blind and Low Vision Visitors.

Blind and Low Vision Testing Day, October 2022

In October 2022, ASP educators invited over 25 blind or low-vision participants to the California Academy of Sciences, Golden Gate Park, California, to participate and test various educational tools and materials on the topic of solar eclipses and big astronomy.

Our guests investigated the differences between city and rural views of the night sky to communicate the importance of dark skies for astronomers. Additional concepts included how light pollution affects stars’ visibility, how solar eclipses work, and how multiwavelength telescopes are used.

Two additional testing sessions, with a total of more than 60 participants, were held with our partners at the Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired as well as the National Federation of the Blind of Connecticut State Convention.

Ultimately, 100 kits were distributed to museums and informal science centers in preparation for a Big Astronomy Community Day on April 29, 2023.

Publications

The ASP reaches out with a wide variety of publications for amateur and professional astronomers alike

PASP—the technical journal of the ASP—publishes refereed manuscripts on astronomical research by scientists worldwide, this year serving authors in 28 countries.

In 2022 the PASP continued to expand its impact by providing researchers with more seamless publication and article access. PASP’s publisher, the Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP), has negotiated an increasing number of agreements with global research institutes to make their work available to PASP on an open-access basis. PASP has also expanded the number of articles that it publishes using an open-access model, allowing for immediate access by researchers all over the world. As open-publishing models become increasingly popular, PASP is excited about the prospect of making the research it publishes available to a wider audience.

Mercury update

The year 2022 included several exciting astronomy discoveries and space missions, and Mercury focused on those developments. One feature article told the long history of the newest large space telescope, JWST, which launched on December 25, 2021. Another feature dove into the mission’s first incredible images, pointing out the details that astronomers had not seen until this observatory could collect these infrared data. (And the article and its detailed images have already been used in astronomy presentations.) That article also included an interview with the first person to see some of those images. 

The year 2022 was also the year scientists finally saw an image of the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, and one Mercury feature story introduces the reader to that image’s importance and complexity and also to astronomers’ excitement about the data.

In addition, Mercury Editor Liz Kruesi began extensive research into a forthcoming change to Mercury — notably concerning its publication format and a way to bring the magazine and its historical content to a larger community.

ASP Conference Series for Professional Astronomers and Space Scientists

The ASP Conference Series was proud to help promote science literacy by publishing our 533rd volume, the proceedings of the ASP’s second virtual conference “Sharing Best Practices: Astronomy Teaching and Public Engagement.” The 134th annual meeting of the ASP included over 250 college astronomy instructors, K-12 educators, scientists, science communicators, and public engagement professionals who all have the common goal of making our world a better place through science education. The Conference Series also serves the professional astronomical community by disseminating the latest results from astronomy conferences globally through our distinctive and widely-recognized electronic and print volumes. 

2022 ASP Awards

ASP Recognized 2022 Award Recipients for Astronomy Research and Education

Through our prestigious annual awards, the ASP recognizes significant achievements in astronomy research, education, and public outreach. Recipients of our awards have included luminaries such as Edwin Hubble, Vera Rubin, Isaac Asimov, and Katherine Johnson. The ASP held its Annual Awards Gala on November 19, 2022, back in person after 3 years. It was a special evening with awardees both present and live virtually to accept their award.

The Catherine Wolfe Bruce Gold Medal, our most prestigious, was established by Catherine Wolfe Bruce, an American philanthropist and patroness of astronomy and awarded annually through the ASP since 1898 to a professional astronomer in recognition of a lifetime of outstanding achievement and contributions to astrophysics research.

Dr. Ellen Zweibel, William L. Kraushaar Professor of Astronomy and Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison received the 2022 Bruce Gold Medal in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of astrophysical plasmas, especially those associated with the Sun, stars, galaxies, and galactic clusters. Zweibel’s research has focused on plasma effects in astrophysical systems. Most of these effects are due to an embedded magnetic field, and many of them can be grouped into a small number of basic physical processes: how magnetic fields are generated, how they exchange energy with their environments (sometimes on explosively fast timescales), their role in global instabilities, how they cause a tiny fraction of thermal particles to be accelerated to relativistic energies, and how they mediate the interaction of these relativistic particles (cosmic rays) with their gaseous environments through waves and instabilities on microscales.

Zweibel has authored over 242 refereed publications with over 8,000 citations. In 2016 she was awarded the American Physical Society’s James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics "For seminal research on the energetics, stability, and dynamics of astrophysical plasmas, including those related to stars and galaxies, and for leadership in linking plasma and other astrophysical phenomena." She is currently the William L. Kraushaar Professor of Astronomy and Physics. University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Robert J. Trumpler Award is given each year to a recent recipient of the PhD degree in North America whose research is considered unusually important to astronomy.

Ariadna Murguia-Berthier, who completed her doctorate in astronomy from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2021 is the recipient of the 2022 Robert J. Trumpler Award. Her dissertation, “Binary Neutron Star Mergers,” was integral in interpreting and analyzing one of the most important recent astrophysical events – the first detection of both gravitation waves and electromagnetic radiation coming from the same astronomical object. Named GW/GRB170817, this multi-messenger event engaged the astronomical community in intense research efforts and helped solve some key mysteries, including the origin of heavy elements (like gold and platinum) and the source of the short gamma-ray bursts detected in the cosmos. Although early in her career, Murguia-Berthier already has an impressive publications record. By the time she had completed her doctorate, her 18 peer-reviewed articles had already been cited over 4,500 times. Her work appears in some of the most prestigious journals in science, including Nature, Science, and the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Murguia-Berthier is currently a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University, where her main research interest continues to focus on studying the merger of compact objects through numerical simulations.

The Arthur B.C. Walker II Award honors an African-American scientist whose research has substantially contributed to astronomy or related fields, and who has demonstrated a substantial commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM.

Jedidah C. Isler, Principal Assistant Director for STEM Opportunity & Engagement at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, where she currently leads the Science & Society division is the recipient of the 2022 Arthur B.C. Walker II Award. Isler was formerly an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics at Dartmouth College where she studied hyperactive, supermassive black holes. Her research explores the physics of blazars – supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies that create particle jets moving at nearly the speed of light. Isler is equally dedicated to improving the public’s understanding of science and has become an important public voice in astronomy. The nonprofit organization she founded, The STEM en Route to Change Foundation, uses STEM as a pathway for social justice and has developed the #VanguardSTEM online platform, providing women of color with mentoring, support, and peer community that welcomes both new and would-be scientists.

The Richard H. Emmons Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors.

George Greenstein, Sidney Dillon Professor of Astronomy, Amherst College, Emeritus, is the recipient of the 2022 Richard H. Emmons Award for his innovative methods of mentoring students and other educators, and for his textbook and other writings that explain astronomical developments and ways of thinking. His innovative teaching methods extended to his role as an inspirational mentor to undergraduate research students. Greenstein’s approach to science and astronomy has always reached beyond the expected and predictable. An eloquent writer, Greenstein is the sole author of Understanding the Universe: An Inquiry Approach to Astronomy and the Nature of Scientific Research, an unconventional textbook that helps students think and act like scientists. Greenstein also contributed at the national level to the teaching of introductory astronomy.

The Klumpke-Roberts Award is given for outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.

Suzanne Gurton, Director of Education and Public Outreach at National Radio Astronomy Observatory is the recipient of the 2022 Klumpke-Roberts Award. Her dedication to public outreach has spanned almost 40 years of leading, organizing, developing, and training educators for astronomy outreach programs that have become permanent fixtures in the outreach community, lasting long beyond her involvement. Her longtime work at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is where she left a major imprint on signature programs such as Project ASTRO, Night Sky Network, and My Sky Tonight. There is no doubt Gurton’s style of public engagement is infectious, but it has also inspired young professionals. She spent years as lead educator training early career astronomers through yearly American Astronomical Society (AAS) Ambassadors Workshops. Her current work at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) leading the Education and Public Outreach (EPO), News and Public Information, multimedia, and Very Large Array (VLA) Visitor Center, has raised the Observatory’s public profile, fostering local community relations, and broadening participation and diversity in science and science education.

The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award honors outstanding outreach by an amateur astronomer to children and the public.

Billy Hix, member of the Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) in Huntsville, Alabama, and founder/director of the Motlow College Foundation STEM Outreach Program in Tennessee is the recipient of the 2022 Last. His dedicated volunteer time and passion for astronomy introducing teachers and children about the night sky through his home and portable planetariums has given thousands exposure to the night sky and the opportunity to dream big. He integrated astronomy into teaching standards and has woven the night sky into every discipline of instructional curriculum, giving teachers professional development in the process. His outreach efforts using his portable planetarium dome have reached over 72,000 students and teachers. His tireless efforts after early retirement allowed him just this past school year to visit over 130 schools and conduct programs with over 13,000 students and teachers, many who are looking into a telescope for the first time.  

The Gordon Myers Amateur Achievement Award recognizes significant observational or technological contributions to astronomy or amateur astronomy by an individual not employed in the field of astronomy in a professional capacity.

Paul D. Maley who has demonstrated an extraordinary record of accomplishment for an amateur astronomer, contributing serious professional quality work at the highest levels is the recipient of the 2022 Gordon Myers Amateur Achievement Award. Dedicating nearly 60 years of his life to his craft, Maley is a passionate amateur astronomer, not just in his love for observing, but also traveling around the world encouraging, advising, and enabling others to chase solar eclipses, stellar occultations, and the Northern Lights. His skills as an amateur astronomer, sharing this enthusiasm with the public through his solar eclipse, occultation travels, viewing the Northern Lights, and ultimately through discovery, observation, and collaboration have impacted the professional world of astronomy. Maley’s tireless efforts include his commitment to public outreach as a longtime member of the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society (JSCAS). He has organized almost 50 solar eclipse expeditions around the world, two Transit of Venus expeditions, three Transit of Mercury ventures, and personally observed 80 solar eclipses of all types through 2022.

Our Donors

Our sincere thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their generosity during the 2022 calendar year

Thank You for Believing in the ASP
Funds raised support our ongoing mission to foster curiosity, advance scientific literacy, share the joy of exploration and discovery, and encourage the development of tomorrow’s science, technology, and academic leaders.

Robert Matcovich
Cherilyn Morrow
Robert Nelson 
Deanna Nielsen  
Derrick Pitts+  
Leslie Proudfit 
Angela Putney
Richard Rairden
S. Christian Simonson III
Janet Simpson
Evan Skillman in honor of Jason Cardelli
W. Thomas “Bud” Stalker III 
William Stein
Robert Stewart
Martin Storksdieck
Robert Wing
Susan Wyatt in memory of Alan Wyatt 

Supporter’s Circle Membership 

Michael Beckage
Jeffrey Bennett+
Robert Branch
Stephen Burroughs 
Brian Casey
William Cochran
Lynn Cominsky
Edward Conklin
Andrea Dobson 
Kenneth & Linda Dulaney
Mary Dussault
Alice Enevoldsen
Alexei & Noelle Filippenko
Catharine (Katy) Garmany  
Marc Gineris
Alan Gould
Thomas Greene
Victor & Katharina Grossi
Jessica Harris
Lynne Hillenbrand
Richard Hose
Alan Jaroslovsky  
David Jenner
Richard Joyce
Donald Knapp
Patricia Lawton & Joel Offenberg
Patrick Manley
Claire Max
Chuck McPartlin
Richard Messina
Robert O’Dell
Laura Peticolas
Derrick Pitts+
Stephen Pompea
Richard Rairden
Ron Rosano
Dennis Schatz
Andrew & Danielle Schlei
Mike Sowle
Angela Speck
Sabrina Stierwalt
Melita Thorpe
Victoria Walker in honor of Arthur B.C. Walker, Jr., PhD
René Walterbos
CL Weeks
Don & Grace Wheeler

The ASP thanks our donors who participated in their Employers Matching Donation Program  

Andrew Martin, General Electric Foundation
Miriam Mendoza-Moody, James Irvine Foundation, The  

Program Support 

Harold L. Wyman Foundation
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
NASA
National Science Foundation

ASP2022 Conference Sponsor 

SETI Institute – links to: https://www.seti.org/
W.W. Norton and Company – links to https://wwnorton.com/catalog/textbooks/college/astronomy

+ ASP Board Member and/or Officer
** ASP Staff Member  

Our Partners

Ways to Give

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