Dr. Andrew Fraknoi, Chair, Astronomy Program, Foothill College, 11-17-06

Published: Nov. 17, 2006, 8:30 p.m.

Pluto, planets, astronomy, science education. Dr. Andrew Fraknoi has given more than 400 public lectures on such topics as 'Why Falling into a Black Hole is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience.' For 14 years, Dr. Fraknoi served as the Executive Director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, an international scientific and educational organization founded in 1889. He also founded its newsletter for teachers, 'The Universe in the Classroom'. A prolific author, Dr. Fraknoi is the lead author of 'Voyages through the Universe', which has become one of the leading introductory astronomy textbooks in the world. In 1994, Dr. Fraknoi received the Annenberg Foundation Prize of the American Astronomical Society - the highest honor in the field of astronomy education.