UMass Astronomy Memory Board by UMass Amherst Astronomy

Amazing students in the CDL

2026-10-13 14:35:31 UTC

I've been so fortunate to work with many undergraduate and graduate students over the years on both science and instrumentation projects. I hope they all got as much out of the interactions as I did.

Orchard Hill Observatory in the '70s

2026-10-13 16:11:26 UTC

Here's an image that Joel Leonardi '77 sent in to the UMass Magazine in 2024 with the (partial) caption: Four students posed for a picture while working on the dome in March 1975. On the ladder are Ken Castle ’77 (wearing the hat) and Justin Milliun ’88 (brandishing the caulking gun); below are John Putnam ’77 (wearing glasses) and Peter Smart.

Large turnout for the Eclipse in 2024, at the main lawn

2026-10-13 18:02:18 UTC

We had a large turnout of people who came to grab solar eclipse glasses.

FCRAO 14m Telescope

2026-10-13 18:58:10 UTC

Photo of the 14m telescope at Quabbin in 2006. The telescope was still producing unique spectral line data that are still used today. In 2011, the facility was taken down and the area was returned to its natural state as shown in the next slide.

Two Observers at the Heart of the Large Millimeter Telescope

2026-10-13 19:34:33 UTC

A. Battisti (UMass alum) and J. Zavala (now a UMass assistant professor), both PhD students at the time, say hi from the central aperture of the 50-meter Large Millimeter Telescope in Mexico after an observing run.

2026-10-13 21:14:33 UTC

Judy Young along with her parents Robert and Vera Rubin--yes, THAT Vera Rubin--marking outlines for foundation holes for the Sunwheel standing stones in October 2000.

2026-10-13 21:30:13 UTC

50-foot-long map of the 2017 eclipse path and the grad students who hung it in the ILC that spring. The map was donated by alum Frank Perdicaro.

2026-10-13 21:38:17 UTC

Great crew from the Astronomy Club in 2018 after getting the Orchard Hill Observatory ready for a public observing night.

From the collection of Bill Irvine

2026-10-14 14:37:30 UTC

Bill shared a lot of historical photos with me that I'll be posting over the next weeks along with the original captions. Please comment if you recognize anyone!

UMass Professor Tom Arny with students in computer laboratory. University of Massachusetts Archives (86B-451-11).

College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics 2005 Award Ceremony

2026-10-14 15:52:38 UTC

Spring 2005: receiving the Outstanding Undergraduate Student award in Astronomy from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, with Professor Emeritus Ron Snell, then-Chancellor John Lombardi, and then-Dean Leon Osterweil. Ron and the UMass astronomy faculty were the first to show me how research is done. For the past decade I’ve had the privilege of calling them colleagues, and I’m still learning from them. It is a rare pleasure to share a journey of more than two decades with the mentors who first set me on this path.
— Kate Whitaker ‘05, Professor of Astronomy

Memories from Recent Graduation Ceremonies (Part 1)

2026-10-14 16:12:04 UTC

Some recent astronomy graduates, all smiles. These alum filled the department with curiosity, late-night problem sets, and plenty of good questions. I miss having them around the department, and I'm proud of where they’ve landed.

Memories from Recent Graduation Ceremonies (Part 2)

2026-10-14 16:14:30 UTC

More from graduations within the last few years. It’s always bittersweet to send a class off, especially the Class of 2024, who I had the pleasure of co-advising. These alumni made our department a better place, and the hallways feel quieter without them. Come back and visit, and tell us what you’re up to!

Where It All Began, Again

2026-10-14 16:19:14 UTC

From my first day of freshman orientation in 2001 to returning with my family in 2019 to join the astronomy faculty, UMass has always felt like home.

shoot for the moon, etc. etc.

teddyrk — 2026-10-14 20:58:02 UTC

If there's a single time in my life I can look back on and say, "I think that's when I became who I am", it's almost certainly when I was an astronomy undergrad at UMass. I'm now an astronomy professor back on the East Coast after spending several years in graduate school and working at an astronomical observatory and training students "out west." (Funnily enough, this includes training Savio Oliveira, who also posted on this page and graduated a few years after I did, on how to use one of the near-infrared instruments at the observatory's largest telescope.) It's increasingly easy to look back and be thankful for the quality of education I had, the quality of the mentorship I received (particular thanks owed to Gopal, Anne, and Pete!), and the quality of the friendships I made -- and to know exactly what got me where I wanted to be. I miss Western Mass! Hope you're all doing well.

-Teddy Kareta, '17

P.S. Eagle-eyed viewers, or those with good memories, will note that this is still the cover photo of the Five College Astronomy Club page after a decade.

Another from the collection of Bill Irvine

2026-10-14 21:29:13 UTC

Pete Schloerb and Bill Irvine discussing molecules that might be found in comets by radio observations.

Another from the collection of Bill Irvine

2026-10-15 17:25:25 UTC

Members of the Large Millimeter Telescope Science Working Group attending a meeting at the Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE) in Tonantzintla, Mexico, in 2002. Left to right, ﬁrst row: William Irvine, Pablo Barrera, Rogerio Enriquez, Ronna Erickson, Judith Young, Read Predmore; second row: Alberto Carramiñana, Celso Gutiérrez, Min Yun, Omar López-Cruz, Mark Heyer, Peter Schloerb; third row: William Wall, Ronald Snell, James Lowenthal, Itziar Aretxaga; back row: Daniella Malin, Kamal Souccar, Gary Wallace, Edward Chapin, Luis Carrasco, Alfonso Serrano, David Hughes.