24. The 4th Director of Chamberlin Observatory, DU Astronomy professor Robert E. Stencel. Previous Directors have included: Prof. Edgar Everhart (1968-1985); Prof. Albert Recht (1928-1958) and the original Director, Prof. Herbert Howe (1890-1923).
Professor Stencel likes to point out that he was born "near the center of the North American hemisphere, at 45N, 90W." his interest in astronomy was begun at an early age, in response to the civic reaction to the Sputnik probe in 1957. After obtaining his Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Michigan in 1977, he worked for NASA at its Johnson and Goddard Space Flight Centers, and a tour of duty at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, prior to accepting the Womble Professorship at DU in 1993. His research interests include infrared studies of evolved stars and seeking evidence for planetary systems around nearby stars, among numerous other astronomical topics.
During 1996, Prof. Stencel oversaw the construction of the new Mt.Evans Meyer-Womble Observatory, located at 14,148 feet above sea level. The new facility includes a state of the art dual 28.5 inch telescope, and plans include addition of a 4 meter class telescope when funds permit. For details on this, point to the homepage at www.du.edu/~rstencel/MtEvans.
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