Key Staff
Jeff Goldstein, Ph.D.
Institute Director, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Dr. Jeff Goldstein is a U.S. nationally recognized science educator, and planetary scientist, who has dedicated his career to the public understanding of science and the joys of learning.
As Clarke Institute Director, he is responsible for overseeing the creation and delivery of international science education initiatives with a focus on earth and space. These include programs for schools, families, and the public; professional development for grade K-12 educators; and exhibitions for museums and science centers. Initiatives are meant to provide a window on the nature of science and the lives of modern-day explorers, with special emphasis on not just what is known about Earth and space but how it has come to be known. Programs embrace a Learning Community Model for science education.
Jeff oversaw the creation of the Institute’s national science education initiatives, including the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP), which immerses hundreds of students across each participating community in real science. As Director of the Voyage National Program, he led the inter-organizational team that permanently installed the Voyage model Solar System on the National Mall in Washington, DC, in front of the Smithsonian and is author of the storyboards. The exhibition is dedicated to an understanding of Earth’s place in space. The Institute is now permanently installing replicas in communities world-wide (see Voyage in DC, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Kansas City.)
In the U.S., Jeff is Director for the Institute’s parent organization, the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) where he oversees activities supporting NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft mission to Mercury, which includes establishment of the MESSENGER Educator Fellows, a corps of master science teachers that are providing training for 27,000 teachers on Solar System science and exploration content. He also oversees Journey through the Universe—a national science education initiative that engages entire communities—students, teachers, families, and the public. He also directs the Family Science Night program at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Jeff is also a blogger at the Huffington Post, and writes Blog on the Universe which is dedicated to science education.
Jeff’s planetary science research includes the development of techniques for measuring global winds on other planets using large telescopes on Earth. His research has produced the first direct measurement of the global winds above the clouds on Venus, and the first measurement of the global winds on Mars.
Program Director: Voyage National Program, Journey through the Universe, MESSENGER Educator Fellowship Program, Family Science Night at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, Student Spaceflight Experiments Program
Blogger: Dr. Jeff’s Blog on the Universe
Contributing Blogger: Huffington Post
Contributing Blogger: The Climate Community
Full Bio at Blog on the Universe; CV on LinkedIn
Prior: EVP for Space Science Education and Research, Challenger Center (1996-2005); Astrophysicist, Laboratory for Astrophysics, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum (1989-1996), departing as Acting Chair
Degrees: B.A., Physics, Queens College, City University of New York; M.S. and Ph.D., Astrophysics, University of Pennsylvania; recipient of the 1990 Outstanding Ph.D. Thesis Award, U. Penn Chapter, Sigma Xi
Notable: Ph.D. research as NASA Graduate Student Researcher, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; attended the Bronx High School of Science; recipient of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s 2005 Klumpke-Roberts Award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Public Understanding and Appreciation of Astronomy”; recipient of the 1995 Barry M. Goldwater Educator of the Year Award from the National Capital Section of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics for “an individual of national stature who has supported the advancement of science and technology in commerce and education at all levels”.
Highlight: Symphony of Science Music Video We’ve Got To Be That Light
A remix of Dr. Goldstein’s keynote address to 6,000 teachers at the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference, March 2011.
Highlight: Jeff Goldstein Interview on Human Exploration with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Interview with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation’s Kauffman Conversations – ”highlight interviews with guests whose ideas and insights are changing society. We are privileged to talk to these thought leaders, innovators, experts and authors and share their observations about their work, lives, and fields of expertise.” The interview addresses the nature of human existence in the greater universe using the context of the Voyage 1 to 10 billion scale model Solar System installed in Kansas City, MO, which is a replica of Voyage on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
Twitter: http//twitter.com/doctorjeff
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drjeff
Email: jeffgoldstein@ncesse.org
Stacy Hamel
Education Program Manager, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Stacy Hamel is the Education Program Manager for the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. Her previous experience at the Center included directing the Voyage National Program – a national public education and outreach program that is installing replicas of the Voyage Scale Model Solar System located on the National Mall in Washington, DC in communities worldwide. It is also designed as a focal point for community-wide science education in Solar System science and exploration.
Stacy also co-directed many of the Center’s other Educational Programs including Journey through the Universe – a national science education initiative that engages entire communities—students, teachers, families, and the public—using education programs in the Earth and space sciences and space exploration that inspire and educate. Over 200,000 grade preK-12 students have participated in Journey through the Universe.
Stacy currently manages the MESSENGER Educator Fellowship Program, the Center’s nationwide professional development initiative for educators in support of NASA’s MESSENGER mission to Mercury, and which has trained over 20,000 grade K-12 teachers on solar system science and exploration since program inception in 2004.
Stacy manages the Center’s Family Science Night program at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, which has been running nearly 20 years, and has seen attendance by over 50,000 students, teachers, and parents.
Stacy serves as the National Program Manager for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). She also manages SSEP International participation through the Center’s Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education. Stacy oversees the operational phase of SSEP, which includes real microgravity experiment design competitions, proposal submission, experiment selection, and experiment validation. In this capacity she is also serves as the liaison to NanoRacks on the selected flight experiments and all issues associated with NASA flight safety review.
Email: stacyhamel@ncesse.org
Drew Roman
Director of Educational Technology, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Drew Roman is the primary driver of information technology at the Center, from providing the core IT infrastructure to handling the Center’s internet operations, to making the most of newer technologies such as social media. Drew has over 16 years of enterprise-level IT experience and is an Air Force veteran. He is also the Owner and Principal Consultant of Decisive IT, Inc., an IT consulting firm located in Columbia, MD, focused on efficient IT infrastructure practices. His passion for science, technology, engineering and space exploration fuels his enthusiasm for helping to inspire the next generation of explorers.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/drewroman
Twitter: http://twitter.com/drewmanchu
Harri Vanhala, Ph.D.
Adjunct Space Science Researcher, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Senior Scientist, Global Science and Technology, Inc., USA
Originally from Finland, Harri received his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Oulu. Harri has worked in various research and education organizations in the Unites States for 16 years. His science research focuses on the use of computer simulations to investigate the origin of the Solar System, and development of computer models to investigate the properties of present-day planets.
His science education activities have included hundreds of visits to grade K-12 classrooms, conducting teacher training workshops, teaching college courses, and presentations to families and the public—he is one of the presenters for the Center’s Family Science Night program at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Dr. Vanhala has also led multiple Journey through the Universe National Teams of scientists and engineers to under-served communities across the U.S., each Team spending an entire week in a community and talking to thousands of grade K-12 students one classroom at time.
Until July 2012, Harri managed the Center’s MESSENGER Educator Fellowship Program, Family Science Night Program at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, and served as the National Program Manager for the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. In July 2012, Harri began a new position as Senior Scientist at Global Science and Technology, working with NASA’s Office of the Chief Technologist. Harri continues on staff at the Center as an Adjunct Space Science Researcher, and participates in the delivery of the Center’s education and public outreach programs. He also serves as a Science Advisor to the Center’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DrHarriVanhala
Email: DrHarriVanhala@gmail.com
Timothy Livengood. Ph.D.
Adjunct Space Science Researcher, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Assistant Research Scientist, University of Maryland, College Park, USA
Tim is a University of Maryland researcher working on site at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Tim’s scientific field is infrared spectroscopy of planetary atmospheres, to measure composition, temperature, and wind velocity. His research includes everything in the Solar System with a significant atmosphere. He is a co-investigator on the EPOCh investigation of NASA’s EPOXI mission, and is the education and public outreach team leader for EPOCh.
Tim is also an adjunct faculty member at the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, serving as a presenter and team leader for the Center’s public and school programs, and has visited hundreds of classrooms. Behind the scenes, he has created new a large number of lessons, with embedded hands-on activities and clear explanations of required background science, for the Center’s grade K-12 compendia of lessons. Tim has also led workshops for teachers around the nation on the lessons. Tim serves as a Science Advisor to the Center’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
Tim is also a professional storyteller, using his life in science as a source of new ideas and material for stories, and using his experience in storytelling to convey science and the understanding of the world gained from science. He is an occasional writer, photographer, and silent actor in astronomy-themed music videos, produced primarily by Kelly Fast at Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA EPOXI Mission
EPOXI/EPOCh Education and Public Outreach Team Leader
Degrees: B.A., Physics, Washington University; M.S. and Ph.D., Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University
Notable: Dr. Tim starring in Kelly’s music videos
Email: timothy.a.livengood@nasa.gov
Michael Hulslander
Adjunct Space Science Educator, Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Space Education
Manager of Onsite Learning, Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, National Mall Building, USA
Michael has worked in museums and zoos for more than 25 years, researching, writing, presenting and evaluating science programs for school groups, families and the general public.
Michael is responsible for science education at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He also manages the How Things Fly gallery, Moving Beyond Earth gallery, the Public Observatory Project and the Explainers Program. How Things Fly teaches visitors about the science of flight. Moving Beyond Earth is an immersive exhibition placing visitors “in orbit” during the shuttle and space-station era. At the Public Observatory visitors explore craters on the Moon, spots on the Sun, the phases of Venus, and other wonders of the universe using a 16-inch telescope. The Explainers Program gives high school and college students the chance to work at the National Air and Space Museum.
Michael is also an adjunct faculty member at the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, and he oversees all museum activities for the annual National Conference for the Center’s Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) held at the National Air and Space Museum each July. He also serves as a Science Education Advisor to the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program.
Email: HulslanderM@si.edu
Matthew Bobrowsky, Ph.D.
Adjunct Space Science Researcher, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education
Director, Physics Demonstration Facility, University of Maryland, College Park
Astronomy Chair, University of Maryland University College
Dr. Matt Bobrowsky is heavily engaged in science education and public outreach. His current position is in the Dept. of Physics at the University of Maryland, where he is teaching, carrying out research, conducting various public outreach activities, and serving as Director of the Physics Demonstration Facility, a collection of 1,600 science demonstrations.
Matt was previously at the (Hubble) Space Telescope Science Institute, and the Challenger Center for Space Science Education — places where he developed science curricula and presented countless presentations to teachers and the public. Matt also teaches at the University of Maryland, where he has received multiple awards. See one here.
Matt’s educational presentations include topics such as the process of science, misconceptions in science, effective science teaching, dealing with students who are skeptical of science, addressing questions of creationism and intelligent design, and a number of entertaining and educational astronomical presentations, such as Science With the Hubble Space Telescope. You can see one of his publications on the process of science here.
In his research, Matt has made observations with many telescopes, including Hubble. His specialty is planetary nebulae — clouds of gas expanding outward from aging stars. You can see one planetary nebula he discovered here.
Matt also often delivers other types of presentations, such as after-dinner talks for corporate events. An article from when he gave the keynote address at the grand opening for a major exhibit at a college appears here.
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Observer
Degrees: B.A., Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University; M.S. and Ph.D., Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland
Notable: Keynote Speaker at 2009 conference of the West Virginia Science Teachers Association; Won the Stanley J. Drazek Teaching Excellence Award (given to the top two instructors out of ~800)
Email: msb@umd.edu