SDSU Astronomy Department Personnel

Full-Time Faculty

Paul B. Etzel PhD 1986, UCLA
Professor, Director, Mount Laguna Observatory
Research Area: Close binary stars, photometry and spectroscopy
Research Interests: Interacting Binaries, stellar properties
Service Areas: Light Pollution Control, Telescopes and Instrumentation

Douglas C. Leonard PhD 2000, UC Berkeley
Assistant Professor
Research Area: Observational extragalactic astronomy; optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy; spectropolarimetry
Research Interests: Physics of supernova explosions; extragalactic distance scale; cosmological uses of supernovae
WWWeb pages for Dr. Leonard's classes

Jerome A. Orosz PhD 1996, Yale University
Associate Professor, Student Adviser
Research Area: Close binary stars, optical photometry and spectroscopy
Research Interests: Black hole binaries, neutron star binaries, light curve synthesis of close binary stars, accretion disk physics, stellar photometry and spectroscopy, variable stars

Eric L. Sandquist PhD 1996, UC Santa Cruz
Professor
Research Area: Stellar astronomy, theoretical astrophysics
Research Interests: Star clusters, stellar evolution, stellar collisions
WWWeb pages for Dr. Sandquist's classes

Allen W. Shafter PhD 1983, UCLA
Professor, Department Chairman
Research Area: Interacting Binary Stars
Research Interests: Cataclysmic variables; extragalactic novae

William F. Welsh PhD 1993, The Ohio State University
Associate Professor, Outreach and Media Representative
Research Area: Interacting binary stars, extrasolar planets, time series analysis
Research Interests: Accretion-Powered Systems: AGN, CVs and X-Ray Binaries; transiting exoplanets
WWWeb pages for Dr. Welsh's classes

Emeritus Faculty

Ronald J. Angione PhD 1970, University of Texas
Professor Emeritus, MLO Director Emeritus
Research Area - Photometry, Binary Systems, Atmospheric Physics
Research Interests: Galaxies, QSO's

C.T. Daub PhD 1962, University of Wisconsin
Professor Emeritus
Research Area: Physical processes in gaseous nebulae
Research Interests: Planetary nebulae

Burt Nelson PhD 1959, University of Wisconsin
Professor Emeritus, Director Emeritus
Research Area: Eclipsing binary stars, Light Pollution

F. D. Talbert PhD 1968, University of Texas
Professor Emeritus
Research Interests: Galactic clusters

Arthur Young PhD 1967, University of Indiana
Professor Emeritus
Research Area: Chromospheres of cool stars, Chemically peculiar (Ap) stars; short period hot pulsating stars
Research Interests: Observational spectroscopy, physical properties, origins and evolution of stars

Research Staff

Bob Leach PhD 1979, Harvard University
SSPAR, Staff Scientist
Research Area: CCD technology, readout system development
Research Interests: CCD's, star formation, and galaxies

Adjunct Faculty

Joseph Dolan PhD 1966, Harvard University
WWWeb pages for Dr. Dolan's classes

Fred Ringwald
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Andrew T. Young
Research Area: Photometry and filters
Research Interests: Photometry, planetary atmospheres, green flashes and related topics

Staff

Frank Beale, Jr., Emeritus Research Engineer
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