Astronomer to speak Friday on 'Citizen Science'

Astronomer Pamela Gay will deliver the 2008 Ruckman Lecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10. Her talk is sponsored by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UNL, and is titled, "Citizen Science: From the Sky to your Desktop."

Gay will speak in the Nebraska Union auditorium, 1400 R St. The event is free and open to the public.

For well more than 100 years, amateur astronomers have been making major contributions to the field of astronomy through backyard observations of the different classes of astronomical objects. Contributions by ordinary citizens have lead to Hubble Space Telescope observations and once in a lifetime discoveries. Gay will describe the science results coming out of the American Association of Variable Star Observers, Galaxy Zoo, TransitSearch.org and other community collaborations.

Gay is a visiting assistant professor of physics at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where she teaches introductory physics and astronomy courses. Teaching by day, she works on astronomy data by night, teaming up with amateur astronomers who are expert observers to study variable stars. She also mentors students working on observational astronomy projects through Swinburne Astronomy Online.