About the Astroteacher

The Astroteacher is Brian Kruse, science educator, geologist, astronomer, birder, photographer, poet.

He lives in San Francisco, California where he is the Director of the Teacher Learning Center and Formal Education Programs at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, managing and coordinating a varied portfolio of programs, including:

• From Pinholes to Space Telescopes, a suite of professional development workshops conducted with funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
• Project ASTRO National Network and San Francisco Bay Area Project ASTRO
• NASA Galileo Educator Network and Galileo Teacher Training Program
• Summer Astronomy Institute, an annual four-day professional development for teachers focused on supporting teachers in their implementation of 3-dimensional instruction on space science as called for in the Next Generation Science Standards.
• Online Astronomy Institute, a multi-module edition of the Summer Astronomy Institute.

Project PLANET: An Integrated Approach to Early Elementary Earth and Space Science, with funding from the National Science Foundation, researched an instructional sequence in early elementary grades with an integrated planetarium experience.

He also edits the online newsletter for teachers The Universe in the Classroom, and writes the Education Matters column for Mercury magazine, a quarterly publication of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.  You can also find him online as the host of the monthly astronomy webinars from the NASA Night Sky Network.

A veteran classroom teacher, Kruse has taught middle school earth science and physical science, and high school physics, earth science, physical science and integrated science. He served for three years as a coordinator for the NASA Explorer Schools project at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Kruse holds a B.S. in Geology from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, and a M.S. in Aviation and Space Science from Oklahoma State University. He currently holds a California Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential in Physics, Geosciences, and Biological Sciences. He is particularly interested in how people learn and creating opportunities for teachers to incorporate more inquiry-based learning in their classrooms.

In addition to work and play, Kruse has served as the Region F Director for NSELA, the National Science Education Leadership Association, and on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers.

When not working he is often found hiking, birding, or looking through his telescopes at the night sky.

You can find him on Twitter at @astroteacherm8; and on LinkedIn

See more of his photography on Flickr 

Learn more about the programs he manages at the Astronomical Society of the Pacific