Where it all started

I still remember my first look through a telescope. I have no idea what type of scope it was, but it was in the back yard of my sister's then boyfriend in Newhaven. I must have been about eight years old and the thrill of seeing the rings of Saturn with my own eye was one I still remember. Since then space has always excited me, be it following mankind's space exploration efforts or just learning about the wonders of the universe in general. For some reason I was particularly amazed by pictures of the Andromeda Galaxy, little knowing that over 50 years later I'd be taking such pictures myself, and from my own back yard too!

All my own work. An early attempt at photographing the Andromeda Galaxy.

Anyway, that's what I remember as sparking my original interest in science. Of course I really wanted to be an astronaut, but that outcome was pretty unlikely! At school I enjoyed maths and the physical sciences more than other subjects and eventually needed up with a joint degree in Maths and Physics from Keele and a PhD in Nuclear Physics from Sussex. My early career was spent doing nuclear physics research at Vanderbilt and the ILL in Grenoble, France but in my mid-30s I landed at Tennessee Tech, discovering a real passion for teaching. By my mid-40s I had given up nuclear physics and was doing curriculum development, trying to help students learn physics in inquiry-based formats. 

And then I was asked to take over teaching our introductory astronomy courses ...