November 20, 2009 at 8:00 PM, at Sacramento City College, Mohr Hall Room 3, 3835 Freeport Boulevard, Sacramento, CA.

David Buchla is a long-time SVAS member and a noted engineering textbook author.  He is also a passionate eclipse chaser, and has seen eclipses pretty much across the whole planet.

At the November general meeting he will share his global eclipse experiences and share some highlights of the July 2009 East Asian eclipse along with his travels through China.  Please join him for a fun adventure (Indiana Jones hat optional).

October 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM, at Sacramento City College, Mohr Hall Room 3, 3835 Freeport Boulevard, Sacramento, CA.

Dr. Kevin Grazier holds the dual titles of Investigation Scientist and Science Planning Engineer for the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA. He earned B.S. degrees in computer science and geology from Purdue University, and a B.S. in physics from Oakland University. He earned his M.S. in physics from Purdue, and then went to UCLA for his doctoral research in planetary physics, performing long-term, large-scale computer simulations of early Solar System evolution. While in graduate school, he worked at the RAND Corporation, processing Viking imagery in support of the Mars Observer Mission.

At JPL he has written mission planning and analysis software that won numerous JPL- and NASA-wide awards. Dr. Grazier still continues research involving computer simulations of Solar System dynamics, evolution, and chaos.

In addition to his JPL duties, Dr. Grazier is active in teaching the public about science and space. He teaches classes in stellar astronomy, planetary science, cosmology, and the search for extraterrestrial life at UCLA and Santa Monica College. He has served on several NASA educational product review panels. He is also a planetarium lecturer at LA’s landmark Griffith Observatory.

Dr. Grazier also works in Hollywood, currently serving as the science advisor for the science fiction series Eureka, Battlestar Galactica, Virtuality, and the animated/educational series The Zula Patrol. He writes a monthly article on the science behind “Battlestar Galactica” for the Vancouver-based entertainment site Cinemaspy. He was also editor and contributing author for the books The Science of Dune, and The Science of Michael Crichton. He is also co-authoring the upcoming The Science of Battlestar Galactica.

In the Fall of 2001, Dr. Grazier was honored as the first-ever honorary Chairperson of Oakland University’s “Week of Champions” (Homecoming) celebration. In what passes for spare time, he enjoys working out, martial arts, and SCUBA diving.