Julie Lutz conducts research on planetary nebulae (old stars that have cast off the outer layers of their atmospheres) and symbiotic stars (binary systems that have a large red star and a white dwarf). She uses mostly ground-based telescopes such as the 3.5-m at Apache Point Observatory. She has been a research associate at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, University College London, Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Arizona and Lick Observatory in Santa Cruz, California. From 1990-92 she served as Division Director of Astronomical Sciences at the National Science Foundation. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Lutz has a strong interest in science education. From 2000-2007 she served as Director of NASA Space Science Network Northwest and the NASA Educator Resource Center for Washington state. She continues to be Associate Director for the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium. In 2005 Dr. Lutz was named Higher Education Teacher of the Year by the Washington Science Teachers Association. |
