Hi! I’m Ray Sanders. Dad, astronomer, scifi nerd Iowa escapee, former “dlist” science edutainer, and /r/astronomy moderator.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been a stargazer. Most folks think my background in Astronomy stems (pun intended?) from my interest in love of Science Fiction. Interestingly enough, my love of space as a young child fueled my interest in science fiction. Discovering t.v shows and movies about space made an incredible impact on me as a child.
Over the past twenty years, I’ve made my living for the most part as a Data Center Operations Engineer/Manager. Such a career tends to work well for those with a passion for science. Presently I’m working on completing my M.S in Space Studies. Before that, I received my B.S in Earth and Space Exploration from ASU where I worked as both a research assistant, and a teaching assistant.
My M.S. thesis topic is “Computer Modeling of Binary Stars”, which expands upon some of my prior research and discoveries. I have two publications (IBVS 6030, IBVS 6054), codiscovered two comets, and among several asteroid discoveries, a ~3km NEO (2014 LJ21). Classes I’ve taken at UND are as follows:
- SpSt 501 Space Studies I
- SpSt 425 Observational Astronomy
- SpSt 515 Human Factors in Space
- SpSt 526 Advanced Observational Astronomy
- SpSt 570 Risk Management
- SpSt 590 Space Studies Colloquium
- SpSt 998 Thesis
- SpSt 502 Space Studies II
- SpSt 520 Asteroids, Meteorites, & Comets
- SpSt 521 The Planet Mars
- SpSt 551 History of The Space Age
- SpSt 593 Individual Research SpSt
- 595 Capstone
When I’m not spending time with my young daughter, hobbies include scifi costuming, mountain biking, kayaking, and flying singleengine aircraft. My hope is that sooner, rather than later, I can transition from Information Technology to a more academic/research based line of work.