club officers and directors
Rob has been active in the amateur astronomy scene in Maine for the last 30 years. He rekindled a childhood interest in astronomy in the 1990’s first joining the Astronomical Society of Northern New England (ASNNE), heading up its fundraising effort to build the Talmadge Observatory in Kennebunk, and later becoming club President for several years. In 2004, several members decided to offer a club closer to where we lived (and our kids went to school) and we started SMA. Rob was a board member from inception, serving as club President for the last several years. He has also been a NASA Solar System Ambassador for about the last 10 years as well as served on the board of the Maine Space Grant Consortium for several years, including as Board Chair. Rob has a small roll-off roof observatory at his home in Brunswick where he and several SMA members have hosted all manner of school kids, scout troops and neighborhood groups at star parties over the years. Rob is Vice-chair of the Brunswick Planning Board and has been active in efforts to control light pollution locally and statewide.​
​
Contact Rob: rburgess250AtComcastDotNet *
​
* Due to the scourge of automated phishing, email addresses have been spelled out ("DotNet instead of .net for example) and embedded links are not used.​​
Rob Burgess - President
Russ Pinnizzotto - Vice President
Russ Pinizzotto has been observing the Universe since he was less than a year old - at least that’s what his mother says. Seventy plus years later he is an AstroLeague Master Observer and Master Binocular Observer with a collection of at least eight telescopes and three binoculars. Russ taught introductory astronomy over 20 times at Merrimack College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Simmons University before he retired in June 2024 after being in academia for over 30 years. He holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Caltech, a Ph.D. in Materials Science from UCLA, and an M.S. in Astronomy from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. He has completed over 50 AstroLeague Observing Programs and Challenges, and is currently working on several more. He is the AstroLeague Galaxy Groups and Clusters program coordinator. On a clear night, he can usually be found observing the skies from his home in Phippsburg, Maine. More recently you can even find him at his garage in the middle of the day observing Sun with his new hydrogen-alpha solar telescope. Clear Skies!
​
Contact Russ: zzottoAtIcloudDotCom
My interest in astronomy probably began as a small child when I observed and was fascinated by a very bright comet (Comet Mrkos). While I never lost my interest in astronomy, my other science interests broadened, culminating in a Ph.D. in Microbiology. I contrast the two fields by saying that astronomers look through eyepieces at very large objects very far away, and microbiologists look through eyepieces at very small objects very close up! I have retired from a career at IDEXX Laboratories developing diagnostic medical devices, so I can now devote more time to astronomy. The recent advances in space-based telescopes and in hobbyist-level scopes make this a great time to explore the heavens!​
​
Contact Bob: robert.dodge8AtGmailDotCom
Mike Simmons - Director​
Bob Dodge - Treasurer
Mike Simmons - Director
Mike has been interested in astronomy ever since a C-8 was donated to his high school. Mike is a longtime club member, having picked the hobby back up after moving to Maine in 2004. He is an active member of his community, currently serving on the board of Foundation 51. Mike lives in North Yarmouth with his family, and wishes he had fewer trees blocking his horizon.​
​
Contact Mike: mikesimm68AtYahooDotCom
David Gay - Director​
My history with astronomy goes back to childhood when I received a small refractor on an equatorial mount. I explored the moon with this instrument until it eventually found itself in the closet. Years later a friend received a similar scope and it sparked a renewed interest in the night sky. This led to the purchase of a 4½ inch Tasco Newtonian at Service Merchandise, the only store in Maine that sold telescopes at the time. I replaced the original optics with a set of Orion .965” eyepieces and I was off to the races. That scope taught me the basics of using an equatorial mount and with a solar filter gave me many hours of pleasing observing.
After experiencing a real star party at Stellafane in Vermont I felt inspired to buy a 16” Dobsonian which led to the need for all new optics in the 1.25” and 2 range”. This hobby is not cheap. Using this scope a small group of friends gathered with a shared intertest which led to the attempt to form a club which we named “Galileo Society”. The club got off to a good start but never really took hold. We dissolved the club and I sold the Dob. Since then I have accumulated four different scopes, a 6”reflector, a 6” R/C, a 8” Dob. And my prized scope a 80mm Stellarvue on a Am5 mount with a dedicated camera for astro photography. Clear Skies!
​
Contact David: deepspacedaveAtGmailDotCom
Paul Howell - Director
Paul recently retired from Bowdoin where he taught physics labs which he enjoyed thoroughly, with the possible exception of grading. Prior to Bowdoin, Paul was an entrepreneur and semiconductor research scientist. He did his undergraduate studies in physics and graduate work in astrophysics (where he got to use some really cool big telescopes). Paul is a past President and founding member of SMA.
Paul has been an avid amateur astronomer for - well - like forever. His first telescope at age 10 was a 4" Newtonian on a manual equatorial mount. The only thing he could reliably find was the Moon and a few bright stars (but they varied in color! hmm...). Later, he paired a go to computerized scope with a home-built astronomy camera. Paul's shriek of delight when the Horesehead Nebula appeared on his laptop screen intially worried his wife Colette. She has since become used to that as Paul continues to pursue his astrophotography obsession.
​
Howie Marshal - Director
My bio picture is me on the day that I decided at the age of 13 I was going to go to college at Caltech. I am standing with Jesse Greenstein, chair of the Caltech Astronomy department, in his office while visiting Caltech for the first time.
​
I did go there with the intention of getting a math degree, but was bewitched by computers, dropped out, and worked in the computer industry for 50 years, straddling the boundary between software and hardware. My first job after college was working on the software for the original GPS receivers and satellites.
​
As I transitioned into retirement, my wife and I moved to our current home in Harpswell. We were so amazed by the view of the sky here that we got a telescope. I ran into trouble trying to set it up, but then I met someone who told me that I needed to join SMA, that there were members who would be eager to help me get it working.
​
Recently in my role as chair of Harpswell's Energy and Technology committee I teamed with Rob Burgess to get Harpswell to install very Dark-Sky-friendly street lights when the town converted to LED street lights, and Rob and I are now working toward possibly getting Harpswell recognized as an Urban Night Sky Place.
​
Contact Howie: hzmAtAlumniDotCaltechDotEdu
Jeremy Wright - Director
Jeremy became a member of SMA in 2022, and joined the board of directors In 2023. He purchased his first telescope in 2009 with little prior knowledge of astronomy, after his interest was sparked by seeing an old telescope at a yard sale. He enjoys the challenge of trying to photograph objects in the night sky, and learning, in layman's terms, about the astrophysics behind all that we see. He also loves sharing his passion about space and astronomy, especially with young people. Jeremy is a members of SMA ‘s Dark Sky Committee working to promote public awareness and prevention of light pollution. He and his family live in Freeport.
​
Contact Jeremy: jfwright1AtGmailDotCom
Carson Hanrahan - Director
Carson has fostered a life-long interest in astronomy, starting as a pre-teen reading books about black holes. His parents, indulging his fascination, gifted him a telescope for Christmas. He spent years learning to navigate the night sky by paper charts under suburban skies and participated in astronomy clubs as a youth. Later, he re-entered visual observing with new, automated equipment and is thrilled to share with others the wonder of the night sky and how new technology makes it more accessible to everyone.
​
Contact Carson: carson.hanrahanAtGmailDotCom
Michael Green - Director
My passion for astronomy began in childhood on a dark sky farm in Southern Illinois. I was amazed by the vastness of the universe and inspired by books, magazines, and the scientific writings of Isaac Asimov. My first telescope was a 10-inch reflector and I have been exploring the night sky ever since. Today, I primarily engage in visual observation using my 155mm f/7 Astro-Physics refractor, with growing interests in solar viewing and digital imaging. I joined my first astronomy clubs in Connecticut, participated in early online amateur astronomy groups, and now, in retirement, I’m excited to dedicate more time to this lifelong hobby as a board member of Southern Maine Astronomers.
​
Professionally, I practiced medicine for 50 years. After earning my degree from Washington University in St. Louis (1967), I attended The Chicago Medical School, completed my internship at LAC/USC Medical Center, and finished my residency in Middletown, CT. I spent nearly 30 years in primary care in East Hampton, CT, where I also served as a Public Health Physician. I was a founding member of ProHealth Physicians, worked as Chief Medical Officer at a nuclear power plant in Haddam, CT, and later moved to Maine in 2002 with my wife, Theresa. There, I worked in primary care in Stonington until 2005, then I helped establish the first Walk-In Care in northern Maine for Eastern Maine Medical Center and continued practicing urgent care full time and then per diem until retiring in 2025. Theresa and I currently reside in Brunswick.
​
Beyond astronomy and medicine, I’m an avid gardener, growing food and tending orchards. I also enjoy hand tapestry, stained glass, and pottery. In the 1970s, I traveled extensively across the U.S. and Canada, hitchhiking and motorcycle touring. In the 1990s, I earned a Second Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, serving as a physician for the U.S. Junior Team in international tournaments.
Now, with more time to focus on astronomy, I look forward to contributing to Southern Maine Astronomers and sharing my passion for the cosmos with fellow enthusiasts.
​
Contact Michael: msgreen46AtGmailDotCom
Anne Dobriko - Director