BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AND PUBLICATION LIST

 

A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

LAURENCE A. MARSCHALL  

Professor of Physics, Emeritus, Department of Physics, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325 Email: marschal@gettysburg.edu; Cell Phone Number: Please email me if you want to contact me by phone or Skype

      Dr. Marschall, now emeritus, was active teaching faculty at Gettysburg College for 43 years, from 1971 to 2014, where he taught courses in astronomy, physics, and science writing.   Educated at Cornell University (B.S., 1966) and the University of Chicago (Ph.D., 1971), he joined the Gettysburg faculty in 1971. He has been a visiting Professor at Boston University (1987 and 1995) an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ (2002 and 2014), and a visiting  scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics(1986, 1994, and 2001) and Yale University (1980).  In 1998 he received a Distinguished Teaching Award from Gettysburg College, in 2005 the Education prize from the American Astronomical Society for his role in fostering undergraduate and public education in astronomy nationwide. and in 2014 the Richard H. Emmons Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors.

      Dr. Marschall's areas of research include observational studies of binary stars, very young stars, and supernovas and recently, asteroids.  He is also known among astronomers for his work in astronomy education, both in promoting the use  of electronic cameras for undergraduate research at small observatories, and in directing Project CLEA (Contemporary Laboratory Experiences in Astronomy) which develops innovative computer exercises in astronomy.  Project CLEA exercises are used by tens of thousands of students in all 50 states and 50 foreign countries.  Since 1992, Project CLEA has received generous and continuing support from the National Science Foundation, and has twice been awarded national prizes for educational software from the journal Computers in Physics.

     Besides his teaching and research, Dr. Marschall is an active science popularizer. He writes a regular column on science books of note for Natural History magazine and was a regular contributing editor to the award-winning popular magazine The Sciences for 17 years. He was editor of a quarterly magazine for amateur astronomers, CCD Astronomy, and is a contributing editor of Smithsonian Air and Space. He contributes annual astronomy updates to The World Book Encyclopedia. His book THE SUPERNOVA STORY (Princeton Science Library, 1994),  written for the general reader, has been widely praised for its readability, and he has written two books with Stephen P. Maran, GALILEO’S NEW UNIVERSE and PLUTO CONFIDENTIAL (both published by BenBella Books, 2009).  He currently serves as Deputy Press Officer of the American Astronomical Society. In addition to over 40 articles in professional journals, Professor Marschall has written dozens of popular science articles and reviews for publications such as Sky and Telescope, Astronomy, Natural History, Discover, Harper's, Newsday, and The New York Times Book Review.