Next week, the Strasenburgh Planetarium at the Rochester Museum & Science Center will have a new director.
James Bader will succeed longtime planetarium director Steve Fentress, who is retiring after a 35-year career.
Bader, who grew up in Texas, is an astronomer and educator. He comes to the Strasenburgh just a few months before the April 8 total solar eclipse that will bring thousands of people to Rochester since this region is in the path of totality.
Bader is hopeful that the publicity surrounding that event inspires even more young people to want to get involved in astronomy and the sciences in general.
“Anytime you get these events like this, whether it’s a new rocket launch or a new era in space or a huge eclipse, is going to inspire people," Bader said. "They’re going to have that moment that sticks with them, that really solidifies and concretes their passion or interest.”
Bader’s background includes being a planetarium manager at the University of North Texas and a school programs educator at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas.
Bader said that contrary to what people may think, you don’t need expensive equipment to get interested in astronomy — you can just go outside and look up. He hopes to use that message to reach more diverse populations in the Rochester area.
He said that growing up poor in Texas, he thought studying astronomy would be out of reach for him.
“It felt impossible," he said. "This is something that you need expensive telescopes or technologies to use. And I wasn’t aware of really how accessible it was. I just needed somebody there to inspire me, somebody to bring me in and give me that little clue that I needed that said, ‘You can do this.’ And that inclusiveness I hope to bring to the planetarium and the RMSC."
And coming from a place like Texas, Bader said he realizes for an astronomer, getting a clear sky in Rochester may be more of a challenge at times. But he said that’s why a planetarium can be an asset since you can still view the night sky.
