Univ. of St Andrews Astronomical Society
The University of St Andrews Astronomical Society (AstroSoc) was established in 1972 and has grown into one of the largest student-led astronomical societies world-wide, consisting of over 200 paid members annually. We are affiliated with Astronomers without Borders.
I re-organized the society as President in 2015 with an updated website, branding, and advertisement schemes. Other roles include:
- 2016 – Observing Director
- 2015 – President
- 2014 – Observing Director
- 2013 – First Year Representative
We host free stargazing events each Thursday night, from the comfort our of observatory facilities. Open rain or shine, we endevour to showcase the best that the universe has to offer. We have two research-grade telescopes, and many smaller ones. During our weekly stargazing sessions, we use both our 10" Makutov-Cassegrain LX200 and 16" Schmidt-Cassegrain LX200 telescopes to seek out the dimmest stars and distant galaxies.
We also host an annual trip to see the Aurora Borealis from the many ideal locations not far from St Andrews, such as Iceland and the northernmost regions of Norway.
John R. Weaver
Postdoctoral Research Associate
My research interests lie almost exclusively within the realm of extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology. I use state-of-the-art optical and infrared observatories and surveys to study the lives of galaxies, and how their properties change over cosmic time. This includes detailed case studies of individual galaxies, as well as statistical analyses of large survey catalogs.