Mel Bartels is a former professional musician who now works as an analyst/programmer. He develops software to aid ATMs. Mel runs the ATM Mailing List where the ATM community exchanges innovative ideas and supports newcomers to the hobby.
Bratislav Curcic is an electronics engineer for a large telecommunication company. He started with astronomy ca. 1974, almost immediately with telescope making as well. He moved to Australia from his nativeYugoslavia in 1988.
David Johnson is a professional radio engineer currently employed in the public safety field. Amateur astronomer for the past 30 years using various home-built bits and pieces, the largest of which is a 12' diameter observatory.
Albert F. Kelly is a technical contracts manager for NASA at the Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas) and amateur astronomer since the mid-fifties. He built his first telescope in 1958 – a 4.25" f10 Newtonian made from carpet-roll tubing, duct tape, bits of stuff, and an optics set from Edmund Scientific. Has since been involved in the design and construction of about two dozen telescopes, ranging from 3" to 32" aperture. He built CB245 Cookbook Camera in 1994 and has spent last year or two trying to perfect personal techniques for tricolor CCD imaging.
Steven Lee is a night assistant at the Anglo-Australian Observatory where, in addition to "driving" the telescope, his duties include programming the telescope control system, designing (and sometimes making) optics for use on the AAT, and managing the archive of AAT data. He has been making telescopes since 1974 and now does his amateur observing from his home near Coonabarabran in the Australian outback.
Euan Mason is a senior lecturer in Forestry at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, with professional interests in mathematical modelling of tree growth, silviculture, and decision-support systems for forest managers. He enjoys all aspects of amateur astronomy, especially "creating gizmos with my own hands to make my observing more effective."
Terry Platt is an electronics engineer and Technical Director of a company which makes infra-red beam obstruction detectors. He is also the designer of the 'Starlight Xpress' range of CCD cameras for astronomy. Terry became interested in astronomy during the late 1950s, largely as a result of the beginning of the 'space age' and the appearance of Patrick Moore's series 'The Sky at Night'. He made a 6 inch Newtonian, during 1961 and has built his own telescopes ever since. In recent years his interest in high resolution planetary work has led to experimentation with large off-axis reflectors. Terry was born in West Yorkshire, but has lived for many years in the Southern county of Berkshire, England. He is currently polishing the mirrors for a 14.5 inch 'Stevick-Paul' off-axis reflector and trying, yet again, to avoid getting pitch all over the living room carpet.
Chuck Shaw is Senior Flight Director for the Space Shuttle and Space Station Programs at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. His primary interests in amateur astronomy are telescope making and CCD imaging with the CB245 CCD camera he built. He is past President of the Johnson Space Center Astronomical Society where he actively works with both new and experienced observers. He also actively works with amateurs both in his own club and via the internet to help them build their own scopes and tracking platforms.
Klaus-Peter Schröder is a research astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy at the Technical University in Berlin, from where he studies the atmosphere of red giants. He is an avid astrophotographer (co-author of "Handbuch der Astrofotographie", Springer 1996, by Bernd Koch (ed.) et al) who takes his portable telescopes with him on his world-wide astrophotography expeditions.
Gary Seronik is an Assistant Editor at Sky&Telescope magazine in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A lifelong astronomy enthusiast and an avid observer, he credits his overwhelming desire to see intricate planetary detail with his passion for optimised optics and telescope making. While working at Vancouver's Pacific Space Centre, Gary conducted evening courses in mirror making and telescope basics.
Gil Stacy is a trial lawyer in Savannah, Georgia, who has been making telescopes since the age of 15. He divides his leisure time between astronomy and fly-fishing.
Stephen Tonkin is a peripatetic teacher of astronomy, in which he is able to combine his hobbies of astronomy, storytelling, drama and music. His interest in astronomy was triggered by a childhood spent under dark African skies and he delights in showing people how they can make serviceable kit from stuff that is normally considered to be junk.
Scott Wilson is a physics student at the University of South Carolina who has had an interest in binocular astronomy since his schooldays. He is past president of the Midlands Astronomy Club.