Biographical
data and a formal CV with
publication list.
Personal data - family, hobbies, and some links to related sites on the www.
My "virtual origami exhibit" is now on-line here! Check out "Planet in the wind of a dying star" and "A Comet has two tails".
Picture(s) of me, and some of my photos and photoreflections. [coming soon]
My appointment (since 1973) is with the Astronomy Program. of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
For 2007-8 I will be team-teaching two courses with Curt Struck: Astro 342, about the solar system, and Astro 346, stars and galaxies. During the second half of fall semester I will be visiting various other institutions (mainly Cambridge, UK and Uppsala U. in Sweden), managing the two web courses (Astro 102 and 103) remotely. The content of these courses is available to all at the Polaris Project.; to receive credit and a grade requires registering through normal ISU channels or as an off-campus student via Continuing Education.
Currently, I am working on a book "Essential Physics of Stellar and Planetary Atmospheres" to be published by Cambridge University Press.
My research focusses on the mechanisms and implications of mass loss from stars. You can get an overview from my review article Annual Reviews of Astronomy and Astrophysicson the subject of Mass Loss from Cool Stars. A more recent paper concerns what we know about the dependence of mass loss rates on stellar L, M and R; many may find the answers surprising.
The transparencies (or powerpoint) from representative talks, in .pdf format:
The Far Future Sun and the Ultimate Fates of the Planets (semi-popular talk from the AAAS meeting in DC, February 2000)A talk given at the Biggest, Baddest, Coolest Stars conference at Eastern Tennessee State University.
Two talks given in Uppsala in 2004; together, they cover most of what we have been working on. First talk; second talk.
A popular-level talk on Astrology, Astronomy and Cosmology, given for the College for Seniors at ISU, includes reference to the accelerating universe, the criteria for planets, and the future of the Earth, among other items.
During the last two decades I have served on quite a few committees and councils, including a term as president of the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO ), one as chair of the Astronomy Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and for 13 years as a member of the board of directors of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)*. In the past, I have also served on committees for NASA and the American Astronomical Society (AAS). In January 2007 I joined the AAS Publications Board.
What I learned from all this "service" work has been put
to use in a different context: A group of us organized Creative Artists' Studios of Ames, Inc. or CASA for short, where I served
as founding President November 2000 - June 2003 and am now Secretary. CASA celebrated 5 years in January 2006, as the first member moved into a studio on 1/1/01; it has 30+ active, artist, members most of whom rent space at 130 S. Sheldon, in Ames. I am currently secretary for this organization as well as electronic newsnote editor; email me if you would like to be on our mailing list: lwillson(at)iastate.edu or info(at)www.CreativeArtists.org .