about
AstroBookDrive was founded by Thilina Heenatigala (Sri Lanka Astronomical Association) Prof. John T Clarke (Boston University) in September 2009.
Astro Book Drive is a global initiative working towards fulfilling a very important role in the development of astronomy education worldwide. The imbalance in science resources of all types between the developed and undeveloped world has made it very difficult for developing countries to keep from slipping even further behind as science and technology accelerate in the countries that are historically stronger in these fields. Sharing surplus books and other educational materials with groups in developing countries can do a lot to alleviate this imbalance. Astro Book Drive works to move these books -- books that would otherwise lay unused in libraries and other collections -- to where they are educational treasures, often in countries where they are otherwise unobtainable. Sharing even the simplest of resources as Astro Book Drive does is a no-cost option to participants that should be emulated in many other fields.
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Thilina Heenatigala
Thilina Heenatigala is an informal astronomy educator/project coordinator with a focus on global education and networking with experience in public outreach, informal teaching, project consultancy, event organizing, network building and science writing. Possesses passion for astronomy education and experience on planning and implementing outreach programs. Seeks to build a career improving astronomy education globally with a special focus on developing countries.
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Prof. John T Clarke
Professor John T. Clarke obtained his Ph.D in Physics at Johns Hopkins University in 1980. His thesis was on far-ultraviolet observations of Jupiter and Saturn using the IUE satellite and a sounding rocket, including the aurora and dayglow on both planets and the Io plasma torus. He worked as a Research Physicist in the Space Sciences Lab at UC Berkeley from 1980-1984, observing X-ray sources from ground-based telescopes and finding the first evidence for aurora on Uranus. He then worked on the Space Telescope (later the Hubble Space Telescope or HST) project from 1984-1987, first as the Deputy Project Scientist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and then as the Advanced Instruments Project Scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center. He moved to the University of Michigan in 1987, and to Boston University in 2001. He has maintained a series of HST observations of planetary atmospheres and aurora since the 1990 launch of HST, and was on the science team for the WFPC 2 (the replacement camera that repaired the focus on HST). He also has an active sounding rocket research program, and is a Co-I on the MAVEN mission to Mars. He is best known for his HST observations of the aurora on Jupiter and Saturn, and has published more than 180 papers in refereed journals, including every planet except Mercury and the interplanetary medium.
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