Dr. Don Winget: The Truth, Naturally. Friday, March 02 2012

Dr. Don Winget, the Harlan J. Smith Centennial Professor in Astronomy at the University of Texas in Austin, will present a talk: The Truth, Naturally.

Dr. Winget was the chair of the Astronomy Department at the University of Texas in Austin from 2003 to 2007 and has received the University’s Distinguished Teaching Professor Award.  He earned his B.S. in Physics from the Univeristy of Illinois in 1976 and Astronomy from the University of Rochester in 1982.

When Don was growing up, he recalls watching a night-time parade. “I forgot all about the parade” he says, “and lay on my back on the curb, wondering about those points of light on the sky.”  That wonder became his life’s passion – astronomy.  For nearly thirty years, Don has studied white dwarf stars, the oldest stars in the universe, to determine the physics of high temperature and density matter, star evolution, whether there are other planets like Earth, galaxy structure, and the history of the universe.

For many years, Dr. Winget’s laboratory has been the McDonald Observatory near Fort Davis in southwest Texas, which he calls “his favorite spot on Earth.”  When Don and his finance Karen went there years ago, she was as moved as he was by the spectactular sky, and it was then that he knew that their marriage was made in heaven.  The two have been full partners in life and work.

Don and Karen find that science and Christinaity mesh.  “The heavens are telling the glory of God,” wrote the psalmist 3,000 years ago.  Don and Karen are listening.

http://www.as.utexas.edu/astronomy/people/winget/winget.html