SpaceFest 2026
Celebrating 150 years of KU Astronomy -- and the life & career of Prof. Sergei Shandarin.
Friday, May 8, 2026.
Details are below!
Description:
Welcome to SpaceFest 2026, our celebration of Professor Sergei Shandarin's successful career at KU --- and of 150 years of Astronomy at KU.
We invite past and present students, colleagues, alumni, and friends to join us here at KU in Malott Hall on Friday, May 8th to help celebrate. Stick around: the annual department banquet will take place that same evening.
Email Prof. Ian Crossfield (ianc@ku.edu) with questions or to RSVP.
Location & Time:
1-4:30pm in Malott Hall 2048
| Speaker | talk title | presentation |
|---|---|---|
| Dept. Chair, Chris Fischer | Welcome Remarks | |
| Prof. Barbara Anthony-Twarog | KU Astronomy: The First Twenty Years | slides, video |
| Capp Yess (PhD 97) | Remembering Sergei | video |
| Colleen McKee (BS 87, MS 88) | Physics Forward! | slides, video |
| David Kolb (BS 88) | Mary Emma Byrd: Lawrence’s Forgotten Astronomer | slides, video |
| Nurur Rahman (PhD 05) | Sergei Shandarin as my Advisor: Lessons Learned From a Shared Journey | slides |
| Humberto Campins (BS 77) | How Likely is an Asteroid to ruin your day? | slides |
| SPEAKER | TALK TITLE | PRESENTATION |
| Prof. Steve Shawl | 1972-1982: It was the Best of Times… It Was the Worst of Times. | slides, video |
| Nesar Ramachandra (PhD 19) | In Memory: Sergei Shandarin | |
| Torry Crass (BS 97) | So I Was Going to be an Astronomer... | slides, video |
| Mona Kessel (PhD 87) | Gone With the Solar Wind, a Snapshot of Space Physics at KU in the 1980s | slides, video |
| Michael Sitarz (PhD 24) | The Importance of Using Units | slides, video |
| Prof. Chad Kraus | A Terra Ad Astra: Dirt Works Studio and the New Clyde Tombaugh Observatory | slides, video |
| Dept Chair, Chris Fischer | Closing Remarks | |
| SPEAKER | TALK TITLE | PRESENTATION |
Logistics / Transportation:
- Bus: KU & Malott Hall is served by many local bus routes, as described at the Lawrence Transit Website
- Bike: Malott Hall also has numerous bicycle racks located around the building
- Car: on May 8th, all Yellow Parking Lots are free to use. Find more details, including parking-lot maps, at the KU Parking Website . Parking Lot 61 (see Parking Map here) is probably closest to Malott Hall.
Confirmed Attendees:
- Humberto Campins (BS '77)
- Dick Henry (BS '77)
- Mark Paonessa (PhD '84)
- Ramona Kessel (PhD '87)
- Robert Kessel (PhD '87)
- Scott Randle (BS '87)
- Colleen McKee (BS '87, MS '88)
- Doug Lindholm (BS '90)
- John Pritchett (BS '94)
- Bryce Kuhlman (BS '96)
- Jen Pauls (PhD '98)
- Nurur Rahman (PhD '05)
- Brian Thomas (PhD '06)
- Brad Klee (BS '10)
- Casey Williams (BS '12)
- Brandon Jones (BS '14)
- David Thomas (BS '15)
- Alex Ford (PhD '17)
- Sara LeGresley Rush (PhD '18)
- Eilish Gibson (BS '18)
- Hannah Gibson (BS '18)
- James Bowen (BS '18)
- Michael Sitarz (PhD '24)
- Matthew Wellman (BS '25)
- Ryan Low (PhD '26)
- David Kolb (alum)
- Torry Crass (alum)
- Joseph Pritchett (student)
- Katie Brotton (student)
- Shoukat Ali (grad student)
- Jason Pero (grad student)
- Ashley Lieber (grad student)
- Hayley Beltz (postdoc)
- Chuck Wehner (Astronomy Associates of Lawrence)
- Rick Heschmeyer (Astronomy Associates of Lawrence)
- Reid Nelson (Astronomy Associates of Lawrence)
- Conor Taft (KUEA)
- Richard Floersch (KUEA)
- Prof. Steve Shawl (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Steve Hawley (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Barbara Anthony-Twarog (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Alice Bean (KU Faculty)
- Prof. David Besson (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Phil Baringer (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Ian Crossfield (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Greg Rudnick (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Jennifer Delgado (KU Faculty)
- Prof. KC Kong (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Graham Wilson (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Elliot Reynolds (KU Faculty
- Pro. Maria Brunetti (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Chad Kraus (KU Faculty)
- Prof. Chris Fischer (Department Chair)
- .... your name here! (email ianc@ku.edu)
Possible Attendees:
Other Events:
Click on the links below for information about:
- KU Astronomy Reunion in Phoenix, AZ on Jan 5, 2026
- SpaceFest 2025, held May 2025 here at KU