Dr. Stacy Palen

As director of the Ott Planetarium and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Weber State University, Dr. Stacy Palen enabled countless others to reach for the stars.

Dr. Palen has extensive experience in informal education. Through her guidance, the Ott Planetarium instilled inspiration in thousands of school children and other audiences. Dr. Palen also led Science Saturdays and supported WSU’s Physics Open House for general public audiences. Her interactions with the community are many and varied. For example, she presented “Nature’s Creation Story,” at both the Weber State University Storytelling Festival and the university’s TEDx event.

Dr. Palen is revered for her ability to make an impact on students. She worked with hundreds of undergraduate research students on various astronomy projects, one of which was to develop the infrastructure and program for two observatories on top of the Tracy Hall Science Center. Her dedication to students was made evident in 2006, when she won the Crystal Crest Master Teacher Award, and again in 2017 when she was awarded the University’s highest honor: Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Palen often hosted workshops for other astronomy educators, co-leading trips for educators to visit scientific sites that include observatories, old uranium mines and the rim of the Grand Canyon. She co-started the faculty/student group “Women in Physics” and seeks to support those who are underrepresented in science. Dr. Palen was also instrumental in working with other WSU faculty and community members to obtain International Dark Sky Accreditation for Ogden Valley’s North Fork Park and served on WSU’s Environmental Issues Committee.

In addition, she has published multiple editions of two introductory astronomy textbooks through W.W. Norton and a workbook for hands-on learning activities. Her newest text has been adopted at more than 100 university programs.

Dr. Palen taught at Weber State University for nearly 22 years. Last year, she semi-retired and now focuses on textbook writing, supporting astronomy educators across the country, and teaching horses and riders the ancient art of dressage.

Presentation Outline:

Abstract: Photometry lies at the heart of astronomical progress. Measuring the brightnesses of stars (and other celestial objects) has increased the known size of the universe by many factors of 10, taught us how stars live and die, and guides our understanding of stellar, galactic and universal evolution. You can help astronomers take the next steps in furthering our understanding of how the universe changes over time.

1) What is photometry? What is time-series photometry?
2) Some interesting historical notes, about Leavitt, Cannon, etc.
3) How to do time-series photometry with ordinary resources.
4) An aside: Why you don’t always want to spend more money on bigger telescopes, fancier cameras or larger filter wheels
5) Targets of opportunity (variable stars, exoplanet transits, asteroids, etc.).
6) Where to report your results to add to the sum total of human knowledge.
7) Questions and Answers