AMES, Iowa -- Steve Kawaler still finds inspiration in the introductory astronomy courses he teaches at Iowa State University.
It was his preparations for Astronomy 120, "The Sky and the Solar System," that recently rekindled his interest in planets. And so the professor of physics and astronomy hopes to apply the same tools and astrophysics he's used to study the evolution of stars to study the development of planets.
Citing his research, his service to astronomy and his teaching, Kawaler was recently elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The association is the world's largest general scientific society. Members elected 376 new fellows this fall. Kawaler and the other new fellows will be honored during the association's annual meeting Feb. 18 in St. Louis.
"Stars have been my passion," Kawaler said of his science career.
He's worked for 20 years to understand and model white dwarf stars. Since 1997, he's directed the Whole Earth Telescope, a worldwide network of observatories that takes uninterrupted measurements of stars. He's taught and developed courses such as Astronomy 250, "Astronomy Bizarre," a course for non-science students that explores the more bizarre objects and events in the universe.
And now he's being recognized by his peers at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
The association was established in 1848 and includes 262 affiliated societies and academies. It serves 10 million people. And it publishes Science, a leading general science journal.
