Education: BS, MA, PhD in Astronomy

Academic positions:
Assistant Professor - Boston University
Professor, Department Head - Jackson State University (Mississippi)

Research areas - stellar structure and evolution, hydrodynamics of the interstellar medium (supernova remnant nebulae), archaeoastronomy. 15 published papers in refereed journals (Pub Astron Soc of Pacific, Astrophysical Journal), meeting abstracts and proceedings, NASA Brochure, several papers in popular astronomy magazines (Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Mercury, Science News).

This image of the northeastern part of the Cygnus Loop is a combined H-alpha and [OIII] image, produced in the research published in the paper, Straka, Dickel, Blair, and Fesen, 1986, Astrophysical Journal, vol. 306, p. 84. The original separate images were made by Bill Blair. I did the digitization of the plates and combination of the images during a summer visiting faculty program at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center.

Courses taught: Graduate - Astrophysics, Stellar Structure and Evolution, Celestial Mechanics, Astrodynamics

Undergraduate Majors - Astrophysics, Classical Mechanics, Introductory Physics, Mathematical Physics, astronomical instrumentation, observational techniques.

Undergraduate - Introductory Astronomy, Introductory Meteorology, Physical Science Survey

Consulting and visiting positions while professor - Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, IBM Palo Alto Scientific Laboratory

Industry positions:

Industry areas of interest - satellite systems design and analysis (constellation, ground control systems, flight software systems), sensor systems design and analysis (RF, IR, optical, multispectral, including active and passive sensors, optics and detectors), radiative transfer, information and data fusion, simulations

Harlow Shapley Visiting Lecturer (contact the American Astronomical Society)

Also available as speaker for schools, parks programs, and others. Popular-level topics include all areas of astronomy (planets and solar system, stars and galaxies, birth and death of stars, origin and evolution of the universe, astronomy of ancient people). The following images, taken by me, are related to the presentation topics.

This photo is of a total solar eclipse in Baja California in 1991, discussed in my solar system talks.  
 
 
 

I shot this photo of the Barringer Crater in northern Arizona, while I was flying over it in my Cessna 170. I discuss meteor craters and terrestrial impacts in my solar system talks and other astronomy talks.

These images are of Stonehenge in England (left) and the pyramids at Teotihuacan just outside Mexico City (right), discussed in my archaeoastronomy talks. They are examples of ancient structures built with astronomical alignments.