Sue Ann Heatherly is the Senior Education Officer at the Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, WV. Ms. Heatherly started her career as a science teacher in rural West Virginia, and in 1987 she participated in the first teacher workshop held at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. In 1989 she was hired by the Observatory to expand the education and outreach program.

The Green Bank Observatory is a real technical village — the staff are composed of astronomers, engineers, technicians and software developers, machinists and mechanics and (3 educators). The observatory’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art research facilities for the nation’s astronomers. Astronomers from all over the world use the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope there, which is the world’s largest fully steerable telescope.

Ms Heatherly’s mission is to engage teachers and students in real-world scientific research experiences, and to share the excitement of scientific discovery with the public. Since her tenure began at the observatory she has written several successful grant proposals to the NSF and NASA which have allowed over 1500 teachers and tens of thousands of students to experience scientific research first-hand.

Note: If the 20 meter radio telescope is working, we will collect live data during the meeting.