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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Fraknoi | 2/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Fraknoi | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:16:18.390222+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Written works == Fraknoi is the author or co-author of 14 books in the field of astronomy. He was the lead author of Voyages through the Universe, an introductory college astronomy textbook published by Brooks-Cole, which went through three editions. In the 1980s, he co-edited with Byron Preiss two collections of science articles and science fiction stories, "The Universe" and "The Planets." With Sidney Wolff, Fraknoi founded and was co-editor of the first on-line journal devoted to astronomy education, "Astronomy Education Review". He edited two collections of resources for K-12 teachers, The Universe at Your Fingertips and More Universe at Your Fingertips published through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Additionally, he is the lead author of the 2016 college textbook "Astronomy", published by OpenStax as a free book for college students around the world, part of a project at Rice University (supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) to make college more affordable. He also authored multiple resources for young people. He is the co-author of the richly illustrated 2017 children's book about eclipses "When the Sun Goes Dark", that came out just ahead of the North American solar eclipse in August 2017. In 2007, his first children's book "Wonderful World of Space" was published by Disney. When asked about the book in a 2008 podcast interview, Fraknoi explained, "This has been a fun project. My son, who was 13 at the time, and I got a chance to write a picture book on astronomy for Disney and the challenge was how can we convey some of these modern ideas, including the Big Bang, to kids who are in 4th or 5th grade." His 2015 book, "Solar Science", published by the National Science Teachers Association, is full of 45 hands-on activities about the Sun, the seasons, the Moon, eclipses, and more. Fraknoi frequently writes articles on interdisciplinary topics, such as using music, poetry, or science fiction to teach science. He has published a list of science fiction stories using good astronomy, as well as a resource guide to music inspired by astronomy. Fraknoi himself has had twelve science-fiction stories published. two of them in anthologies. The story "Cave in Arsia Mons" is in the book "Building Red: Mission Mars," edited by Janet Cannon, and the story "Supernova Rhythm" is published in the book "Science Fiction by Scientists," edited by Mike Brotherton and published by Springer. Two of his stories appeared in Sci Phi Journal, while others can be found on-line in Flash Fiction, Wyldblood, The Worlds Within, and Theme of Absence magazines; see External Links below.
== Media appearances == Fraknoi has been a frequent radio, television and podcast guest explaining astronomical developments in everyday language. According to his published biography at Wonderfest, the science education organization that awarded him their 2002 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization, Fraknoi "appeared for over 20 years on the Jim Eason Show on KGO or KSFO radio and [as] a regular guest on both the Pete Wilson Show (later the "Gil Gross Show") on KGO and Michael Krasny's Forum program on KQED. Nationally, he has been heard regularly on Science Friday and Weekend All Things Considered on National Public Radio. He has given over 400 public lectures on topics ranging from the death of stars to the origin of the universe." His television appearances include The Today Show, CBS Morning News, and Larry King Live. He also posts frequently on his own blog Exploring the Universe.
== Awards and recognition == Fraknoi has been the recipient of many notable awards throughout his career. In 1994 he was awarded the American Astronomical Society's Annenberg Foundation Award -- then the highest honor in the field of astronomy education, as well as the Klumpke-Roberts Award of The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (given for a lifetime of contributions to popularizing astronomy). In 2002 he received the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. In 2007 he was named California Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Additionally he was conferred the Astronomical Society of the Pacific's 2007 Richard H. Emmons award and the American Institute of Physics' 2007 Andrew Gemant Award (given for a lifetime of contributions to the intersection of physics and culture). In 2011 he was elected an Honorary Member by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and in 2013 was conferred the Faraday Science Communicator Award. Asteroid 4859 was named Asteroid Fraknoi by the International Astronomical Union "to honor his work in sharing the excitement of modern astronomy with students, teachers and the public". In March 2019, Fraknoi was awarded the 2019 Space Educator: Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Space Club, a prestigious award that recognizes people for significant contributions to space-science education. He was presented with the award at the 62nd Annual Goddard Memorial Dinner on March 22, 2019. He was elected a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020.