Sturm Memorial Lecture

In memory of Kenneth E. Sturm, a Wesleyan alumnus, this annual event is held in the spring and is open to the public . It features a presentation from an astronomer that is outstanding in their field and able to communicate the excitement of science to a lay audience. The event is free and open to anyone.

Speaker: Taft E. Armandroff (Wes '82), Director, W.M. Keck Observatory

Description: The W.M. Keck Observatory, located on the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii, operates the world's two largest optical/infrared telescopes.  Key advances in astronomical technology at Keck have led to discoveries that address fundamental questions about the universe.  While managing all aspects of Keck Observatory's mission, Taft Armandroff focuses on advancing scientific objectives of the observatory, fostering relations with the astronomical community, planning for the future of the Observatory, and developing partnerships to keep Keck at the forefront of astronomy.
He is a widely recognized research astronomer with a specialty in Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies, Stellar Populations in the Galaxy and Nearby Galaxies, Globular Clusters, Chemical Evolution of Galaxies, and Dark Matter.

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009, 8:00PM

Where: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center (3rd Floor)

PDF file of 2009 Sturm Lecture Poster

Past Speakers

Year	Guest Speaker	Title of presentation
2008	Dr. Steven Squyres, Cornell University	"Roving Mars: Spirit, Opportunity, and the Exploration of the Red Planet"
2007	Dr. Alex Filippenko, University of California, Berkeley	"Dark Energy and the Runaway Universe"
2006	Dr. David Spergel, Princeton University	"Taking the Baby Picture of the Universe"
2005	Charles Bailyn, Yale Univesity	"How to See a Black Hole"
2004	Alyssa Goodman, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics	"Making Stars"
2003	David J. Helfand, Columbia University	"How Superman Saw the Stars"
2002	Dr. Neta Bahcall, Princeton University	"The Dark Side of the Universe"
2001	Dr Robert Williams, Distinguished Research Scholar of the Space Telescope Science Institute	"Through The Looking Glass: The Universe Seen With Hubble Space Telescope"
2000	Dr. Geoff Marcy, University of California, Berkeley	"Cosmic Oases: New Worlds and Life in the Universe"
1998	Dr. Martha Haynes, Cornell University	"Dark Matter and the Future of the Universe"
1997	Dr. Margaret Geller, Harvard University	"So Many Galaxies... So Little Time..."
1996	Dr. David Latham, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics	"Searching for Planets"
1995	Dr. Robert Kirshner, Chairman of Astronomy Department at Harvard University	"Taking Measure of the Universe: How Big? How Old? How Do We Know?"
1994	Dr. Owen Gingrich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics	"Hypothesis, Proof, and the Censors, or How Galileo Changed the Rules of Science."
1993	Dr. Stephen Strom, University of Massachusetts	"The Formation of Stars and Solar Systems"
1992	Dr. Vera Rubin, Carnegie Institution of Washington	"What Newton Didn't Know About the Universe"
1991	Dr. Jay Pasachoff, Williams College	"The Sun and Solar Eclipses"