SALUTE TO DR. PAUL H. KNAPPENBERGER
WHEREAS, After 21 years of exceptional service, Paul H. Knappenberger, PhD, is retiring as the head of the Adler Planetarium after successfully completing the most innovative reimagining of the iconic museum that housed the western hemisphere's first astronomical projector; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Knappenberger is a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, and received his Bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1964 from Franklin and Marshall College. He earned a Masters and PhD in astronomy from the University of Virginia, where his research efforts included work in optical interferometry; and
WHEREAS, Prior to his arrival at the Adler in 1991, Dr. Knappenberger founded the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond where he served for 18 years as its director. He taught astronomy at Emory University, Georgia State University, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University; and
WHEREAS, After taking the reigns at the Adler, Dr. Knappenberger developed a research initiative that features PhD scholars working in astronomy, the history of astronomy and, most recently, the study of how people learn about science in informal settings. Such research brought great practical insight about the Adler's audiences. Since 2009, the museum has been a lead partner in the Citizen Science Alliance, a global consortium engaging a large online community of enthusiasts, most of whom have no professional degrees in astronomy, to analyze the vast data sets generated by astronomy researchers throughout the world; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Knappenberger spearheaded a $40 million expansion that created the Adler's Sky Pavilion that opened in January, 1999. This two-story, 60,000-square-foot facility more than doubled the museum's exhibition space, adding four new galleries, a new museum restaurant and other visitor amenities as well as the world's first full-dome digital planetarium theater; and
WHEREAS, In 2005, Dr. Knappenberger sought to ...
Click here for full text