WASI Monthly Members Meeting

Monthly members meetings are held at 7:00 PM Eastern time on the second Wednesday of the month at the Bear Branch Nature Center, 300 John Owings Rd. Westminster, MD and online via Zoom. There’s a demo or class at 7:00 PM, followed by the featured guest speaker presentation at 7:30 PM.

Our May 13, 2026 meeting features a talk by Dr. Brad Tucker of the Australian National University.

Brad Tucker is an Astrophysicist/Cosmologist and Associate Professor at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Mt. Stromlo Observatory and the National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, at the Australian National University. 

He’s leading programs to understand why and how stars blow up, measure the growth of the Universe, and developing an ultraviolet space telescope. Brad is also studying light pollution by quantify its impacts on humans and society, as well as working with industry on solutions. He is also interested in how science fiction increases awareness, inspiration, and knowledge of these topics. He also uses machine learning and AI to gain insights into aspects of science communication research and discourse that are missed by other methods.

Brad frequently gives talks to school groups and the public about Astronomy and has regular segments on various radio and TV stations. He has also developed a series of Astronomy coins with the Royal Australian Mint, consulted on science fiction movies, and has been featured in TV specials. He is currently in the process of writing his first popular book and has developed an online Astronomy course.

Meeting ID: 879 7384 1396
Passcode: 965007

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Previous Meetings

You can see videos of previous meetings on our Youtube channel here