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Dr. Karen Schwarz
Professor, Planetarium Director
College of Sciences and Mathematics - Earth and Space Sciences
Bio
Dr. Karen Schwarz is a professor of astronomy in the Department of Earth & Space Sciences. She is also the director of the Sandra F. Prichard Mather Planetarium. Schwarz received her B.S. in physics from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Arizona State University. She worked for several years at the Biosphere 2 Center in Oracle, AZ with the Universe Semester program run by Columbia University. Schwarz conducted research on interacting binary stars for several decades before moving into the area of astronomy education research. She now focuses on how informal education settings, such as the planetarium, can best support learning of astronomical topics. Public education and outreach has always been important to Schwarz. Beyond her regular planetarium presentations, Schwarz organizes large-scale public events for special astronomical events such as the solar eclipse of 2017 and the Apollo 50th anniversary. She also runs Super Science Saturday – an annual one-day workshop for middle and high school girls designed to encourage them to pursue careers in STEM.
Education
- B.S., New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
- Ph.D., Arizona State University