RASC Vancouver

RASC Vancouver Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture – March 19, 2026

Join us for our yearly Paul Sykes Lecture on Thursday, March 19, 2026!

Please pick up your free tickets at: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2026-paul-sykes-memorial-lecture-jennie-king-james-tauber-tickets-1984299829205

Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026, 7:30 PM (Doors open 7:15pm!)

Location: SFU Burnaby, East Theatre Annex Room 3181

Topic: Exploring Our Horizons: Working with NASA Data

Speaker: Jennie “Starstuff” King, James Tauber

Meet-up Link: https://www.meetup.com/astronomy-131/events/313232716/

Bios:

Jennie “Starstuff” King is a NASA Solar System Ambassador with a degree in astronomy. While studying astronomy and physics, she discovered her love of science education through work with elementary school students. As a high school physics and engineering teacher, she brought her love of space exploration to the classroom. Jennie now manages education programming for Science World in Vancouver. She also has a feline co-pilot named Kepler.

James Tauber is a doctoral candidate and programmer with a background in linguistics, mathematics, and online education. He was involved in the development of web standards like XML and worked as a software developer in industry for over two decades before returning to academia where he now writes open-source software for studying texts and crafts online educational experiences in both the sciences and humanities.

Together, Jennie and James collaborate on space-missions.com, projectamaze.com, and digitaltolkien.com

Abstract: NASA produces a wealth of stunning visuals and interactive websites as a result of their deep space missions. But they also provide the raw data to enable others to process images and build new experiences. In this talk, we will share projects that we’ve created utilizing NASA-provided data, which is free and available for anyone to explore. We will show how we apply information from NASA’s Deep Space Network and JPL Horizons on our Space Missions website. We’ll also demonstrate how you can process raw exposures from space science instruments like those aboard JWST into beautiful astronomical imagery. Open science means that you’re all invited to participate in this journey!

RASC Vancouver Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture – June 12, 2025

Join us on Thursday, June 12 at 7:30 pm for our annual Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture!
FREE Event tickets can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-paul-sykes-memorial-lecture-dr-michelle-kunimoto-tickets-1364735062309

Location: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby Mountain Campus: AQ, Room 3181
Topic: How I Found 3000 New Exoplanets
Speaker: Dr. Michelle Kunimoto

Bio: Michelle Kunimoto is an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UBC, where she also obtained her PhD. She was previously a postdoctoral fellow at MIT where she worked on NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. Dr. Kunimoto is an expert on discovering and characterizing strange new worlds outside of the Solar System, known as exoplanets. She aims to understand the demographics and diversity of exoplanets, especially those that are potentially habitable and Earth-like. Across all of her planet-hunting endeavours, Dr. Kunimoto has found over 3400 planets and planet candidates.

Abstract: From the early days of exoplanet discovery to the revolutionary understanding of thousands of planets today, the field of exoplanet science has evolved at an astonishing pace. In this talk, I will share my experience searching for potentially habitable planets with NASA’s Kepler mission and discovering thousands of planets with NASA’s TESS mission, highlighting the challenges and thrills of analyzing massive datasets to find new worlds. As the field has progressed, the focus has shifted to understanding the atmospheres of exoplanets and rethinking what makes a planet habitable. Exoplanet science provides the opportunity to start answering the age-old question: Are we alone?

About our Events: All RASC lectures and observing events are open to the public, family friendly, and there is no charge for admission. Our organization is run entirely by volunteers who love astronomy and astrophysics. Whether you’re a complete beginner, a seasoned astronomer, or you hope to work for NASA some day, anyone fascinated by space exploration is welcome and will enjoy our events

RASC Vancouver Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture – February 9, 2024

Join us on Friday, February 9th at 7:30 pm for our annual Paul Sykes Memorial Lecture!

FREE Event tickets can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/paul-sykes-lecture-dr-tanya-harrison-geologist-planetary-scientist-tickets-798196756987

Location: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby Mountain Campus: AQ3181 – Click to locate on SFU Room Finder
Topic: What’s Up on Mars?
Speaker: Dr. Tanya Harrison

Bio: Dr. Tanya Harrison is the Co-Founder and CEO of the Earth and Planetary Institute of Canada (EPIC). She has worked as a scientist and mission operations specialist on multiple NASA missions to Mars, including the Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance rovers, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and is now the Principal Investigator for one of the camera systems on the Canadian Space Agency’s upcoming lunar rover mission. Bridging worlds, as well as sectors in the space ecosystem, Tanya was previously the Director of Strategic Science Initiatives at Planet, and the Director of Research for Arizona State University’s NewSpace Initiative. In addition to her role at EPIC, she is currently a Fellow of the University of British Columbia’s Outer Space Institute. Tanya holds a Ph.D. in Geology with a Specialization in Planetary Science and Exploration from the University of Western Ontario, a Masters in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University, and a B.Sc. in Astronomy and Physics from the University of Washington. Her honours include two NASA Group Achievement Awards, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship for women in aerospace and the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Canada’s most prestigious doctoral award. She currently resides in Ottawa, Ontario, where she can usually be found with a camera and NASA stickers in hand. You can find her prolifically posting about all things Mars on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube as @tanyaofmars.

Abstract: Professional Martian Dr. Tanya Harrison will delve into the latest updates from the current suite of missions at the Red Planet, examining both the triumphs and challenges faced in recent exploration. How are the results of those missions feeding into future mission planning—including for humans to set foot on Mars? We will explore the technological advancements, logistical considerations, and strategic planning necessary for such a monumental endeavor, including the potential timelines and milestones.