Where science and tech meet creativity.

An academic life punctuated with bullets

Every university seeks to convince parents (and itself) that it is a safe place where learning and personal development are fostered in a protective yet stimulating environment. This is part of the myth of the Ivory Tower: we form the intellectual fortress where the...

Dorrit Hoffleit, 1907-2007

She turned 100 on March 12 and passed away after a breif illness on April 9. She was sharp and witty and active all the way to the end. Many people have written about her, but I think her personal words describe her the best: “I do it because I like it. …...

Conflicted by Light

As an Astronomer, I am very pro-dark sky. As a person in favor of migrating birds, baby sea turtles, and general good health, I’m anti-light pollution. As a human who wants to see our planet’s environmental crash slow down and reverse, I’m in favor...