Shannon Willis is an exhibition and graphic designer, originally from Maryland, now residing in North Bethesda. Alongside her life as a designer, she is a devoted pet parent to two small dogs and enjoys diverse creative outlets such as art, design, building, dining out, and horror movies. Shannon's lifelong passion for art and crafts led her to pursue studies in Industrial Design at Virginia Tech and Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Washington. For the past 13 years, she has been an invaluable member of the Museum of Natural History, utilizing her creative prowess to design engaging exhibitions. Shannon's enthusiasm and commitment to her craft drive her to constantly seek new opportunities for growth and expand her knowledge. Her dedication and transformative work leave a lasting impact on design at NMNH, delighting visitors and contributing to the museum's success.

Juliana Olsson is an exhibit writer and editor at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. In order to write all the labels visitors will (hopefully) read, she’s constantly learning about new topics, exploring the collections, and going on field trips to fossil digs and dark sky sites. She holds an M.A. in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Film Studies and Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley. In 2023 she celebrated 10 years at the Smithsonian.

It’s been over 5 years since Dr. Kyba was on the Get A Grip On Lighting podcast. Between then and now, we created Restoring Darkness which is a much more appropriate place for Dr. Kyba to be as his research is on skyglow and artificial light at night. He points out that when lighting up a building to make it an experience, it is no longer an experience when you do it EVERY NIGHT! We bet you’ve never thought of the dangers of attracting Mayflies to an illuminated bridge. You can take part in his research by joining the Nachtlicht-BüHNE project, or submitting measurements with the Loss of the Night app on an Android or iOS device. Christopher Kyba is a physicist at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences and Ruhr University Bochum. He has worked on quantification of artificial light in the outdoor environment for over a decade, using ground, air, and space-based techniques, as well as citizen science. He obtained his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006, and his BSc from the University of Alberta in 2000. 

Dan is a landscape lighting designer and he is on our side. He tries to stay away from “on at dusk off at dawn” sensors. As Dan says, for good design. you need the darkness. You can’t just pump light into an area and call it good lighting. Good lighting is controlled and does not contribute to light pollution. Dan Jobbins is a lighting designer, based out of New York’s beautiful hudson valley. He graduated from Boston University’s College of Fine Arts with a BFA in theatrical lighting design. He has had a 15+ year career designing lighting for theaters up and down the east coast, as well as for high profile events in the New York metropolitan area. During the covid 19 pandemic and resulting shut downs of arts and entertainment venues Dan pivoted toward landscape lighting, securing a position with one of the oldest landscape lighting companies in the Northeast. He later struck out on his own to form Hudson Valley Holidays which started as a holiday lighting company but has grown to include all manner of outdoor and landscape lighting design. Dan takes pride in placing the highest emphasis on quality design and services within Hudson Valley Holidays, a big part of which is striving for Dark Sky compliance. 

Scott Wachter, from the Lighting Industry News Brief (https://naild.org/lighting-industry-news-brief) joins Michael Colligan to bring you the latest news around darkness restoration. Watch for Restoring Darkness Episode 76, out tomorrow. And don't forget to give to The Lighting And Darkness Foundation to fight light pollution. https://restoringdarkness.com/donate 

Just like we’ve been saying all along, Todd doesn’t want to take away everyone's light at night. He just wants people to be mindful and reasonable about lowering light pollution. He removed the carriage light above his own garage many years ago. Sure they look nice and classy, but they blast light everywhere. And just like Christmas lights, they don’t need to be on at three in the morning while everyone’s asleep. Todd Burlet is a Delegate for DarkSky International, which has been the world’s leading authority on light pollution since 1988, and the President and Board Member of Starry Skies North, the Minnesota and Mid-Continent chapter of DarkSky International. Starry Skies North is an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit corporation engaged in educational outreach and advocacy in support of their mission to protect the sky, the earth, and all life from Light Pollution. Todd initiated and leads the Mid-Continent Chapter Incubator, a Starry Skies North initiative to support dark-sky advocates in the mid-continent region, which includes 6 states and two Canadian provinces, by providing them tools, training, online resources, and a support community to assist them in their outreach efforts, and to help launch new DarkSky chapters. Todd is a member of the American Astronomical Society, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Society for Light and Lighting. 

Scott Wachter, from the Lighting Industry News Brief (https://naild.org/lighting-industry-news-brief) joins Michael Colligan to bring you the latest news around darkness restoration. Watch for Restoring Darkness Episode 75, out soon. And don't forget to give to The Lighting And Darkness Foundation to fight light pollution. 

The Lighting And Darkness Foundation is taking on its first project! With your donations (please donate at https://restoringdarkness.com/save-the-night-in-wasatch-back-utah) we can help Shawn and Lisa and the other concerned residents, preserve their Wasatch Back night sky in Utah. Find out what the story is in this podcast. Lisa and Shawn are co-founders of Save Wasatch Back Dark Skies along with several other passionate Wasatch County residents. You can find more information at Savewasatchbackdarkskies.org. Lisa Bahash is an experienced and successful business leader with over 30 years in the automotive industry. While her business acumen has allowed for a successful career, more important to Lisa is her approach to leadership. People and relationships are to be cherished; leadership is a privilege given to those you lead. Outside of her industry, Lisa was on the Board of Friends for Animals of Metro Detroit for several years. She is very passionate about the humane care and treatment of animals and believes that the companionship offered is nature’s sacred gift to humans. Originally from Michigan, Lisa moved to Utah in 2021 as she values the great outdoors and abundant wildlife. Lisa holds a Master of Engineering Management degree from Wayne State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. While currently retired from her professional career, Shawn Savarino has immersed herself in volunteer opportunities and family. She balances her time between Utah and Texas, her schedule often decided by the football schedule for her alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin. After earning her Master in Professional Accounting degree, Shawn began her career at KPMG as a CPA focused on corporate taxation. That role took her to Prague in the Czech Republic where she undertook many fascinating opportunities, including assisting the Ministry of Finance draft and improve its tax regulations. After spending a decade in the public arm of the profession, Shawn took a position as the CFO for a children’s clothing manufacturer, a role she held for close to ten years before moving with her family to live in Singapore. Beyond her professional career, Shawn has volunteered in various roles including participating on several school boards, chairing multiple large annual fund raisers, and serving as a Child Advocate in the court system. Shawn enjoys seeking new outdoor adventures such as running the Ocean to Ocean race in Thailand, climbing Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia and sleeping under the stars in Utah. Travel, tennis, and time with family and friends are Shawn’s personal passions. 

Michael talks with our guests about the new Smithsonian exhibit, “Lights Out: Recovering Our Night Sky. It sounds like this exhibit will convince any skeptic of the importance of restoring the night sky. Watch out for a future episode, live from the Smithsonian. Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a leading expert in astronomy visualization and has been a pioneer in 3D imaging, printing, and extended reality applications with astrophysics data. She has worked for NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory since 1998. Her current research includes sonification of spatial data, machine learning as applied to image processing, and other intersections of emerging technology and astrophysics. Jill Johnson is an exhibit developer and project manager in the Office of Exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. I have worked here since 1979—44 years! Seven of those were spent with the Marine Systems Laboratory at the museum. She has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from Southampton College/Long Island University. Stephen Loring attended Goddard College in Vermont and later the University of Massachusetts in Amherst from whence he got his PhD in 1991. He taught anthropology and northern studies at Middlebury College and the University of South Carolina prior to accepting a job with the Smithsonian’s Arctic Studies Center in 1992 

Join us for our inaugural episode of The Darkness News Update. Scott Wachter, from the Lighting Industry News Brief (https://naild.org/lighting-industry-news-brief) joins Michael Colligan to bring you the latest news around darkness restoration. Watch for future episodes to coincide with Restoring Darkness podcast episodes.