yerkes observatory executive director

This includes the hiring of staff, the development of ambitious research and educational programs, and fundraising to support these initiatives. The mission of the Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF) is to preserve and protect Yerkes Observatory, celebrate its history and continue to foster its goals of research, education and astronomical observation. The telescope was surpassed by the Harvard College Observatory, 60in (152cm) reflector less than ten years later, although it remained a center for research for decades afterwards. Renowned astronomers and scientists who have walked the observatory's halls include Edwin Hubble, Otto Struve, Gerard Kuiper, Carl Sagan, NASA's first Chief of Astronomy Nancy Grace Roman, and Nobel prize-winners Albert Einstein and Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. She brings a lot of experience from her leadership roles in science, communications and astronomy. [33] The images were taken on glass plates about a foot on each side. It also suggested that some lakefront and woods parcels could be sold for residential development. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL. [83][62] The visually remarkable extremely long tubes and elaborate domes and mounts provided an egg of knowledge that astronomers and the public flocked to for knowledge about the stars. In her newly created role at Yerkes, Bauer serves as both the overall deputy director of the Yerkes Future Foundation and lead the science, research, telescope operations, and education programs of the observatory. Email Erin! Joe is partner at Barnes & Thornburg. And it is once again open for you to explore. [15], A Microphotometer was built by Gaertner Scientific Corporation, which was delivered in February 1968 to the observatory. ft. facility are just waiting to be explored! Yerkes Future Foundation Recruits Innovative Cultural Leader to Spearhead Growth, Fundraising & Expansion. Yerkes Future Foundation committee members Chuck Ebeling, left, Dianna Colman, center, and Frank Bonifacic gather in the ornate lobby of the 1890s-era Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis. Wednesday, June 10, 2020. For example, the Leviathan of Parsonstown was a 1.8 meter telescope with a speculum metal mirror, but getting good astronomical results from this technology could be difficult, and another large telescope of this period was the Great Melbourne Telescope in Australia, also a metal mirror telescope. Williams Bay, WI 53191. [33] The telescope was constructed from funds donated in 1897. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL, Members of the Yerkes Future Foundation explore the John Olmsted-designed grounds of the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wis. Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Until recently the University of Chicago also maintained an engineering center in the observatory, dedicated to building and maintaining scientific instruments. Cision Distribution 888-776-0942 For 125 years and counting, Yerkes Observatory has helped shape our understanding of the universe. Research conducted at Yerkes in the last decade[when?] In 2018, the University transferred ownership to the Yerkes Future Foundation. Yerkes is such a magnet! Were keeping our historic property running so visitors from around the world can have great experiences for years to come.. Yerkes Observatory was built in the late 1890s in Wisconsin. The Snow Solar Telescope was first established at Yerkes Observatory, and then later moved in 1904 out to California. [60], The Observatory grounds and buildings are renowned for more than the Great Refractor, but also sculptures and architecture. Walking up the front steps to enter the massive structure always made me think of all who traveled over those steps and their accomplishments in exploring our universe. A major breakthrough came in the middle of the 19th century with a technique for coating glass with a metal film. Its astronomy library was once ranked the largest in the world. The Executive Director provides full oversight of all aspects of the organization, including strategy, fundraising, finance, administration, marketing, community engagement, operations and property management, education programs, tours, rental activities, as well as the organizational structure and personnel to maintain the facility. (Contributed photo/Regional News). An example of an asteroid discovered at Yerkes is 1024 Hale, provisional designation A923 YO13, a carbonaceous background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 45km (28mi) in diameter. Plus, how to get rid of bad breath, and more health news, Got expired Bed Bath & Beyond coupons? The Foundation successfully negotiated with the University of Chicago for the transfer of the Observatory. One of tens of thousands of glass photograph plates captured by the 40-inch refracting telescope at the Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay is held by Dianna Colman, chairwoman of the Yerkes Future Foundation. Founded by renowned astronomer George Ellery Hale in 1892, the Observatory's laboratories produced the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera (HAWC) for NASA in 2012. In view of the public controversy surrounding the development proposals, the university suspended these plans in January 2007. Our ever-growing leadership staff is dedicated to the mission of reawakening, restoring, and reimagining our beloved observatory. Dennis Kois, an arts and sciences executive with more than two decades of experience transforming cultural organizations, will assume the position effective March 8, 2021. ; Sixty-Inch Reflector, Biggest in the World, Being Set Up. Yerkes is again becoming a place of learning where those curious about the universe can share their aspirations and develop their contributions to science.. Mr. Kois, a Wisconsin native, is an honors graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) with a bachelor's degree in museum design. I'm elated and humbled to accept this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chart a new course for Yerkes Observatory. My wife and I got married at Yerkes, had a son, and now I work here. [41] The past few years have seen astronomical research largely replaced by educational outreach and astronomical tourism activities. Robin was an original member and president of Village Treasure House, a nonprofit she has been dedicated to for the past twenty-five years. Please note: If you are interested in connecting for a conversation, but now is not a good time, please feel free to respond with follow up later, and we will follow up in a few weeks. Roughly 25% of our visitors plan their trip to Williams Bay specifically for their Yerkes Tour, with no other plans to go elsewhere, Kois said. Were investing, ultimately, millions of dollars into the historic landscape, he noted. Feel free to thoughtfully share this opportunity in your networks. Please consider becoming a contributor and friend of Yerkes Observatory. [23] The glass blanks were cast in France by Saint Gobain Glass Works, and then were figured (polished into telescopic shape) at the Yerkes Observatory. Our behind-the-scenes Director's Hidden Spaces tour takes you where the public has never been allowed to visit. Centered inside a 90-foot diameter dome, the 1890s-era refracting telescope at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay towers over visitors. There was a problem saving your notification. The mirror is made from low-expansion glass. [72], *Note the Leviathan of Parsonstown was not used after 1890. The report recommended creating a formal business plan to ensure the financial viability of the proposed science education center, establishing ownership of the proposed center before initiating plans for creating it, and forming a partnership between the University of Chicago and local interests to plan for the center. Recently, the University of Chicago transferred ownership of the 123-year-old building to the Yerkes Future Foundation, a preservation group that plans to restore, refurbish and reopen the historically-significant center. The observatory was a center for serious astronomical research for more than 100 years. Currently vice president of finance at Chubb Insurance, Bill previously held finance leadership positions with Allstate and Aviva Insurance. Stroll the lush grounds, originally designed by the Olmsted firm which created New Yorks Central Park. In a unanimous vote, the Yerkes Future Foundation Board of Directors appointed Mr. Kois to serve as the Observatory's new executive director following an extensive national search led by Koya . Unlike anywhere else The Yerkes Observatory of the University of Chicago was named for its benefactor, transportation magnate Charles T. Yerkes, and was opened in 1897. [33] The overall telescope was not completed until 1904, where it was installed in its own dome at Yerkes. A Wisconsin native, Mr. Kois has a track record of transformational leadership at premier cultural institutions across the United States, including: "I'm elated and humbled to accept this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to chart a new course for Yerkes Observatory. Thanks to those staff, the board and our donors we are well on our way to creating one of the premier scientific and tourism institutions in the region., Kois noted Beaux Arts-styled Yerkes Observatory opened to ticket tours in June for a soft launch, with some 5,000 people having toured the facility to date, the vast majority drawn from outside Walworth County, numbers he called remarkable.. I. Silvering has its own issues, in that coating must be reapplied usually every 2 years or so depending on conditions, and also it must be done very thinly so as to not affect the optical properties of the mirror. She and Max spend their time planning their Yerkes wedding and hanging out with their cats, Harvey and Otto. Dana is a community volunteer and supporter, along with her family, of a variety of regional organizations. Yerkes. Its the quiet moments that inspire me at the confluence of the spirit of what Yerkes was and the spirit of what it will become.. A gift shop will be opened at Yerkes with the new year. Were excited to have her here, Kois said, noting Bauer is the first woman to lead science at Yerkes. He earned a master's degree in museum studies from New York University and attended the prestigious Getty Leadership Institute for non-profit leaders, as well as executive education programs in data analytics at Harvard University. Here are the Walworth Countys weekly criminal complaints from April 18 April 24. [16][17] The 41 inch was finished by 1968, with overall installation completed by December 1967 and the optics in 1968. [64][61] There are also sculptures to represent various people that oversaw or supported construction of the telescope and the facility. Its a grabber which has yet to ebb for me considering all that has happened here and is still to happen.. They will be responsible for advancing science and research at Yerkes by taking creative. Over the 19th century saw a transition in large telescope construction from refractor type to reflector type, with metal-film-coated glass mirrors tending to be used instead of difficult, older-style metal mirrors. Kois said an inaugural Yerkes gala is slated for next September. [13] Glass lens telescopes had a good reputation compared to speculum metal and silver on glass mirror telescopes, which had not quite proven themselves in the 1890s. And they're getting caught on camera. Plan a visit and prepare to be amazed, just like the astronomers and visitors of the past 125 years. Visitation, he said, continues to be robust into the fall, averaging around 200 paid tours a week. Yerkes Observatory also seeks to establish itself as a year-round, world-renowned destination by offering unique ways to engage with the historically significant buildings and grounds, history and STEM learning. The Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay was home to the largest telescope in the world when it was finished in 1897. It stirs the imagination!. Kois, who currently is executive. By the 21st century, however, it had reached the end of its research life. In November 2019, "an agreement in principle" was announced that the university would transfer Yerkes Observatory to the non-profit Yerkes Future Foundation (YFF). A decade later Hale and his father constructed a proper observatory with a 12-inch telescope next to their home. Yerkes Future Foundation executive director Dennis Kois appeared before the Williams Bay Village Board on Oct. 17 to provide his annual update on news at the reopened and refurbished Yerkes, 373 W. Geneva St. Yerkes Observatory was operated by the University of Chicago Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics from 1897-2018. Bed Bath & Beyond introduced its oversized coupon for 20% off a single item three decades ago. About Yerkes Future Foundation & Yerkes Observatory. [68] The tree plan design was developed in the 1910s under design from the Olmstead firm and with support of the observatory Director; the grounds included the following types of trees at that time: white fir, yellowwood tree, golden rain tree, European beech, fernleaf beech, Japanese pagoda tree, littleleaf linden, Kentucky coffeetree, ginkgo, cut-leaf beeches, and chestnut trees. These grounds had been designed more than 100 years previously by John Charles Olmsted, the nephew and adopted son of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. [15], In the late 1960s a 40-inch reflecting telescope was added. [71] Both telescopes had achromatic doublets by Alvan Clark. The Yerkes was not only the largest refractor, but was tied for being the largest telescope in the world with Paris Observatory reflector (48 inch, 122cm) when it became operational in 1896. I was introduced to Yerkes several years ago during my oldest sons field trip. Before joining the Yerkes staff, he had a 24-year career in law enforcement serving the Town of Linn. She is current or past trustee of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation, Wilmette History Museum, and other organizations. She taught English and Composition at Big Foot High School and brings her love of teaching to Yerkes. All of the light in Chicago interfered with a clear view of the sky while darkness prevailed at night in Williams Bay.

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