Episode 9: Telescope Technology––Learn about the Webb

Forever Curious: An Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Podcast

Dr. Bruce Balick’s long and distinguished history at the UW doesn’t go back quite as far as the Big Bang, but his impact on the University’s astronomy program is nearly as significant!

In this episode of Forever Curious, we have the enormous pleasure to present Bruce Balick, Professor Emeritus in Astronomy at the University of Washington. In the first part of the episode, he chats with host Charlene about his path to a career that meant spending his life with his head in the stars.

In the second part of the episode, we hear Dr. Balick’s lecture on the James Webb telescope and how our knowledge and expertise has increased since the early days of the Hubble. Be sure to listen to this fascinating discussion on telescopes, astronomy, and the power and joy of scientific curiosity.

Dr. Balick joined the UW Astronomy Department in 1975. He eventually served as its chair, became active in faculty governance, and participated in the design of new instrumentation for Hubble.

Since his retirement in 2014, Dr. Balick continues to publish research papers using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and to supervise astronomy undergraduates in research and public outreach. He is a coauthor on a research paper based on one of the newly released images from the James Webb telescope.

And fortunately for us, he also gives lectures for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Washington!

Learn more about the UW’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at our website, www.osher.uw.edu. If you’re not in western Washington, there may be an OLLI near you. Find an OLLI on The Bernard Osher Foundation website: osherfoundation.org.