Astronomy Lectures Still Plotting Along

By Ryder W. Miller

Now in its 18th year, the Benjamin Dean Astronomy Lecture Series, put on by the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences, seeks to inform and astonish participants about the wonders of the universe.

"The universe is astounding," said Benjamin Dean Lecture Series coordinator Katie J. Berryhill, who said the goal of the lecture series is astronomy education.

"Bringing the science down to Earth, we try to get good speakers from people making the discoveries," Berryhill said. "We try to encourage people to seek out astronomy and hopefully get excited about the universe. It is our home."

Over the years, speakers have included a few astronauts and a Nobel Prize winner. While the new Academy of Sciences is being rebuilt in Golden Gate Park, slated to be open in late 2008, the Benjamin Dean lectures are being given, usually on the second Monday of the month, at the Jewish Community Center, located at 3200 California Street at Presidio Avenue. The lectures start at 7:30 p.m.

Attendance figures have dropped since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Before the attacks, about 190 to 200 people attended the lectures. Berryhill said about 90 to 100 people currently attend the lectures at the community center. Before the lecture series left Golden Gate Park in December 2003, there was an average of 130.

"The numbers dropped and never came back," said Berryhill. "Hopefully there will be more people when we open up again (in the park)."

The first Benjamin Dean lecture was held September 1989, due to funding from a $25,000 endowment by Benjamin Dean for the purpose of astronomy education.

"That is one of the reasons why ticket prices are so low. We use the interest from the endowment," explained Berryhill.

Ticket prices were originally $2, but now they are $4 because the Academy pays to temporarily use the new Jewish Community Center venue.

"It is a home away from home," Berryhill said of the lecture series' current site. "But we are looking forward to being back in the Morrison."

More than 30,000 people have attended the Benjamin Dean Lecture Series over its 18 years. The lecture series, working in tandem with the Academy, has a goal of promoting science literacy.

"Scientists in general view the world by asking questions, such as: 'Why things are the way they are?' Astronomers ask those questions outwardly," said Berryhill. "The more people are educated about science, the higher the science literacy and the stronger the society."

One icon that boosted the astronomy effort and inspired the environmental movement was the famous photograph "Earthrise," taken during the Apollo 8 trip into outer space. The image shows the Earth in the sky above the lunar landscape, and is credited with inspiring the environmental movement.

"It gave it a huge boost," Berryhill said of the picture. "We are on a fragile blue marble in space."

Berryhill, who earned a B.A. in astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, started at the Morrison Planetarium as an usher and worked her way up to a lecturer, and then coordinator of the Benjamin Dean Lecture Series. She would like to see more resources devoted to space exploration because it is a part of human nature to explore.

"Our society would become stagnant if we do not push beyond ourselves," she said.

Astronomy "doesn't make earthly problems go away, but it can help us think beyond ourselves," Berryhill said. "Maybe we are not alone. It is a little bit humbling."

"Science is about discovery and being able to look at the world in a certain way," said Berryhill. "It improves (students') critical thinking."

The lecture series tries to inspire such people.

"What is needed is people who explain it well. A large number of people who give the Benjamin Dean lectures are people who explain it well," Berryhill said.

Upcoming lectures in the series include: Dec. 11: "The Science of Spirit and Opportunity," by Dr. Albert Haldemann, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Jan. 15, 2007: "Saturn's Rings: Ongoing Studies by Cassini," by Dr. Jeff Cuzzi, NASA Ames Research Center. There will also be a Spring lecture series.

For more information, call (415) 321-8593.