Fraknoi Becomes Honorary Member of the RASC

Congratulations to Andrew Fraknoi, former Executive Director of the ASP, currently chair of the Foothill College astronomy department, for his selection as an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

The honorary title is carried by only 15 people at any one time who have contributed significantly to the field of astronomy; current holders of the title in addition to Fraknoi include Dr. Stephen Hawking.

Andy has been so honored for his long-standing work in “helping people understand astronomy,” says Colin Haig, RASC Vice President. His contributions include establishing the ASP’s signature Project ASTRO program teaming classroom teachers and astronomers in engaging students in science; editing the ASP’s exhaustive Universe at Your Fingertips resource of hands-on astronomy activities and materials; managing the ASP’s Cosmos in the Classroom symposium providing professional development opportunities for college instructors of introductory astronomy; writing a children’s astronomy book in partnership with Disney; creating the Silicon Valley Lecture Series; and teaching popular astronomy courses at Foothill College.

The ASP applauds Andy for his passion for astronomy education and his devotion to the Society’s education and outreach efforts, which continue to benefit from Andy’s ongoing role as a senior educator with the Society. And we salute him in his new guise as an honorary member of the RASC!