Pamela L. Gay#CosmoQuest

Gay was born in California and later moved to Westford, Massachusetts, where she attended Westford Academy.{{Cite web|url=https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/596/gaypl029.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y|title=Using Radio Sources to Find galaxy Clusters|last=Gay|first=Pamela|date=December 2002|access-date=May 12, 2019}} Gay received a BS degree in astrophysics from Michigan State University in 1996 and a PhD in astronomy from the University of Texas, Austin, in 2002.{{cite web | url = http://www.ysustem.com/tag/pamela-gay/ | title = WISE Career Day for Girls in Grades 6–12 | publisher = Youngstown State University | date = February 9, 2012 | access-date = December 8, 2013}} She is a senior education and communication specialist and senior scientist for the Planetary Science Institute. Previously, Gay was the director of technology and citizen science for the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and prior to that, an assistant research professor in the STEM center at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.{{cite web | url = http://www.siue.edu/stem/Staff.shtml | title = STEM Center Staff | publisher = Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | access-date = December 5, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094122/http://www.siue.edu/stem/Staff.shtml | archive-date = February 2, 2014 }} Gay was on the council (board of directors) for the American Association of Variable Star Observers, as well as its educational committee chair.{{cite web | title = AAVSO Council members, 1911–2013 | url = http://www.aavso.org/aavso-council-members-1911-2011 | publisher = American Association of Variable Star Observers | access-date = December 4, 2013}}

Gay was co-chair of the United States new media efforts with regard to the International Year of Astronomy, 2009.{{cite web | title = International Year of Astronomy 2009, United States Node | url = http://www.astronomy2009.us/newscenter/2008/03/ | access-date = December 4, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100131083440/http://astronomy2009.us/newscenter/2008/03/ | archive-date = January 31, 2010 }}

Gay's research interests focus primarily on motivating science engagement with media and citizen scientists, as well as data analysis and visualization to engage the public as partners in the analysis of large data sets. Other research interests include RR Lyrae stars with which she collaborates with both professional and amateur astronomers across the world to gather needed data.{{cite podcast | url = http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/podcasts/show/2008.04.13/ | title = The Science of the Sun | website = The Naked Scientists | publisher = BBC | last = Smith | first = Chris | author-link = Chris Smith (doctor) | date = April 13, 2008 | access-date = December 4, 2013}}

While Gay is known for her citizen science and educational outreach work, much of her research has been in galactic astronomy. Gay's work with David Lambert provided confirmation that magnesium (Mg) isotopes are primarily a product of nucleosynthesis in massive stars, and demonstrated that some stars with known "anomalous or peculiar composition are also marked by distinctive isotopic Mg abundances."{{cite journal | last1 = Gay | first1 = Pamela | last2 = Lambert | first2 = David L. | s2cid = 14326508 | title = The Isotopic Abundances of Magnesium in Stars | journal = The Astrophysical Journal | volume = 533 | issue = 1 | pages = 260 | date = 2000| bibcode = 2000ApJ...533..260G | arxiv = astro-ph/9911217 | doi = 10.1086/308653 }} Gay and Lambert's results have been further cited in research of properties of the fine-structure constant using absorption systems in the spectra of distant quasars.{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.091301| volume = 87| issue = 9| last = Webb| first = J. K.|display-authors=4|author2=M. T. Murphy |author3=V. V. Flambaum |author4=V. A. Dzuba |author5=J. D. Barrow |author6=C. W. Churchill |author7=J. X. Prochaska |author8=A. M. Wolfe | s2cid = 40461557| title = Further Evidence for Cosmological Evolution of the Fine Structure Constant| journal = Physical Review Letters| date = February 1, 2008|arxiv = astro-ph/0012539 |bibcode = 2001PhRvL..87i1301W | pmid=11531558 | pages=091301}}

Gay's work on communication of astronomy has investigated educational trends involving the use of podcasting, using the Slacker Astronomy podcast as a case study.{{cite journal| title = Astronomy Podcasting: A Low-Cost Tool for Affecting Attitudes in Diverse Audiences | journal = Astronomy Education Review | last1 = Gay | first1 = Pamela L. | last2 = Price | first2 = Aaron | last3 = Searle | first3 = Travis | volume = 5 | issue = 36 | pages = 36 | date = 2006 | doi=10.3847/AER2006003|bibcode = 2006AEdRv...5...36G | doi-access = free }} Researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia cited the study, examining podcasting as a means of supporting instruction, leveraging its advantages against student time constraints and potential bandwidth limitations.{{cite conference | last1 = Clark | first1 = Steve | last2 = Taylor | first2 = Lucy | last3 = Westcott | first3 = Mark | title = Using short podcasts to reinforce lectures | conference = Proceedings of the Australian Conference on Science and Mathematics Education (formerly UniServe Science Conference) | date = 2012 | url = http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IISME/article/view/6339/6978 | access-date = December 7, 2013 | archive-date = February 3, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140203072549/http://ojs-prod.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IISME/article/view/6339/6978 | url-status = dead }}

Gay's work on Exploring the Motivations of Citizen Science Volunteers{{cite journal | last1 = Raddick | first1 = M.J. | display-authors = 4 | last2 = Szalay | first2 = A.S. | last3 = Vandenberg | first3 = J. | last4 = Bracey | first4 = G. | last5 = Gay | first5 = P.L. | last6 = Lintott | first6 = C.J. | last7 = Murray | first7 = P. | last8 = Schawinski | first8 = K. | s2cid = 118372704 | date = 2010 | title = Galaxy Zoo: Exploring the Motivations of Citizen Science Volunteers | journal = Astronomy Education Review| volume = 9 | issue = 1| page = 010103 | bibcode = 2010AEdRv...9a0103R | arxiv = 0909.2925 | doi = 10.3847/AER2009036 | doi-access = free }} examined the Zooniverse project, which developed from the Galaxy Zoo initiative, which started in 2007. Researchers citing this study concluded that "[p]ublic response was extremely positive," garnering over 60 million classifications.{{Cite book|arxiv = 1202.2577|last1 = Christian|first1 = Carol|last2 = Lintott|first2 = Chris|last3 = Smith|first3 = Arfon|last4 = Fortson|first4 = Lucy|author4-link= Lucy Fortson |last5 = Bamford|first5 = Steven|title = Citizen Science: Contributions to Astronomy Research|year = 2012|bibcode = 2012opsa.book..183C}}

Gay is the Project Director for the citizen science project CosmoQuest. The project is partnered with NASA missions, including NASA's Dawn, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), MESSENGER, and Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) teams,{{cite conference | last = Gugliucci | first = Nicole | title = CosmoQuest: Citizen Science with a Virtual Research Observatory | url = https://lunarscience.nasa.gov/lsf2013/content/gugliucci-nicole-cosmoquest-citizen-science-virtual-research-observatory | conference = NASA Lunar Science Institute Virtual Forum | date = July 16–18, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094115/https://lunarscience.nasa.gov/lsf2013/content/gugliucci-nicole-cosmoquest-citizen-science-virtual-research-observatory | archive-date = February 2, 2014 | url-status = dead }} to "build a series of projects that map the surfaces of rocky worlds and explore the atmospheres of planets and small bodies the solar system over."{{cite web | title = About Us | url = http://cosmoquest.org/About_Us | publisher = CosmoQuest | access-date = December 4, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131119010609/http://cosmoquest.org/About_Us | archive-date = November 19, 2013 | url-status = dead }}

The project provides an interface for users to assist in identification, mapping and characterization of surface features using visual data provided by NASA missions. Crater counting is described as "a valuable exercise, but it's hard to automate."{{Cite web

| last = Boyle | first = Alan | author-link = Alan Boyle | title = Crazy colors from the Red Planet | work = NBC News | access-date = October 12, 2013 | date = February 3, 2012 | url = http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/03/10313218-crazy-colors-from-the-red-planet}} Surface features, such as the size and degradation of craters, are identified by individual users and submitted back to the project, where they are collected alongside the contributions of other citizen scientists. CosmoQuest projects have included Planet Mappers, Moon Mappers,{{cite web | last = Atkinson | first = Nancy | title = Join the Million Crater Challenge | url = http://www.universetoday.com/94769/join-the-million-crater-challenge/ | publisher = Universe Today | date = April 23, 2012 | access-date = December 4, 2013}} Asteroid Mappers,{{cite web | url = http://cosmoquest.org/projects/vesta_mappers/ | title = Vesta Mappers | publisher = CosmoQuest | access-date = December 4, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150426123919/http://cosmoquest.org/projects/vesta_mappers/ | archive-date = April 26, 2015 | url-status = dead }} and a future project, Planet Investigators.{{cite web | title = Citizen Science | url = http://cosmoquest.org/Citizen_Science | publisher = CosmoQuest | access-date = December 4, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131118234325/http://cosmoquest.org/Citizen_Science | archive-date = November 18, 2013 | url-status = dead }} A mobile application is available as part of the Moon Mappers project, Moon Mappers Crater Decay.{{cite web | url = https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.cosmoquest.craterdeg | title = Moon Mappers Crater Decay | access-date = December 4, 2013}}

CosmoQuest has also provided workshops for educators as well as online astronomy course curricula.{{cite web | title = CosmoQuest Offering Online Astronomy Course | url = http://www.universetoday.com/96332/cosmoquest-offering-online-astronomy-course/ | last = Atkinson | first = Nancy | date = July 17, 2012 |publisher = Universe Today | access-date = December 8, 2013}}

File:Pamela Gay.JPG in Washington, DC, April 29, 2012]]

Gay takes part in astronomy popularization activities and advocates collaboration "to create a community of science within the public." She is a regular astronomy participant in the Virtual Star Party, a weekly video cast featuring professional and amateur astronomers, which was featured in a documentary by Google released at the company's I/O keynote address in San Francisco in June 2012.{{cite web | last = Cain | first = Fraser | url = http://www.universetoday.com/96013/google-documentary-about-the-virtual-star-parties/ | title = Google+ Documentary about the Virtual Star Parties | date = June 27, 2012 | publisher = Universe Today | access-date = December 5, 2013}}

Gay also participates in scientific skepticism outreach. In 2011, she was a speaker at The Amaz!ng Meeting (TAM){{cite web | url = http://www.amazingmeeting.com/TAM2011/speakers/#gay | title = The Amaz!ng Meeting Speakers | access-date = December 7, 2013 | publisher = James Randi Educational Foundation}} in Las Vegas, Nevada and participated in a panel alongside Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others entitled "Our Future in Space,"{{cite web | title = The Amaz!ng Meeting Program | url = http://www.amazingmeeting.com/TAM2011/program/index.html | access-date = December 7, 2013 | publisher = James Randi Educational Foundation}}{{cite web | title = Our Future In Space panel from TAM Las Vegas 2011 | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZw5Vz_imPM | date = November 11, 2011 | publisher = YouTube }} which discussed and debated the role of humans and technology in upcoming space exploration.{{cite web | last = Plait | first = Phil | author-link = Phil Plait | title = Our Future in Space – panel at TAM 9 | url = http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/20/our-future-in-space-panel-at-tam-9/ | publisher = Bad Astronomy | date = October 20, 2011 | access-date = January 26, 2014 | archive-date = February 3, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140203155525/http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/20/our-future-in-space-panel-at-tam-9/ | url-status = dead }}

At TAM 2012, Gay was a main program speaker, in which she advocated for positive action at the level of the individual to effect solutions to discrimination issues and to seize opportunities to promote scientific collaboration.{{cite web | url = http://www.amazingmeeting.com/TAM2012/program/ | title = The Amaz!ng Meeting 2012 Program | publisher = James Randi Educational Foundation | access-date = December 5, 2013}}{{cite web | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WSNGCD3PJE | title = Dr. Pamela Gay – Make the World Better (Ask if Anyone Minds Later)... | date = August 17, 2012 | publisher = YouTube }} Gay has also written about her experience regarding gender bias in the field of science and academia.{{cite web | last = Gay | first = Pamela | title = Pink Tasks | url = http://www.starstryder.com/2012/08/27/pink-tasks-post-1-of-2/ | date = August 27, 2012 | access-date = December 8, 2013}}

Gay has been an astronomy speaker at DragonCon in Atlanta, Georgia in 2012 and 2013, where she presented on multiverses,{{cite web | title = DragonCon 2013 Pocket Program | url = http://dailydragon.dragoncon.org/2013-2/pocket-program-and-schedule-grid/ | publisher = DragonCon | date = 2013 | access-date = December 8, 2013}}{{rp|103}} as well as on the "Limits of Skepticism" as part of a panel discussion with Margaret Downey, Tim Farley, Debbie Goddard, D.J. Grothe, and Massimo Pigliucci.{{rp|101}}

File:PGayPodcast.jpeg

Gay co-hosts the Astronomy Cast podcast, an educational program which debuted in September 2006, with Fraser Cain.{{cite web | title = Meet the Cast | url = http://www.astronomycast.com/about/ | publisher = Astronomy Cast | access-date = November 24, 2013 }} The show covers a variety of topics, including the solar system, cosmology, black holes, and misconceptions about astronomy,{{cite web | url = http://www.astronomycast.com/archive/ | title = Archive | publisher = Astronomy Cast | access-date = December 4, 2013 }} and attempts to share "not only what we know, but how we know what we know," according to Cain.{{cite podcast | title = Episode 300: What We've Learned in Almost 7 Years | url = http://www.astronomycast.com/2013/05/ep-300-what-weve-learned-in-almost-7-years/ | publisher = Astronomy Cast | date = May 25, 2013 | access-date = December 4, 2013}}{{cite podcast

|host=Richard Saunders

|title=The Skeptic Zone #9 – 19.Dec.2008

|website=The Skeptic Zone

|publisher=Australian Skeptics

|date=December 11, 2008

|url=http://skepticzone.libsyn.com/the_skeptic_zone_9_19_dec_2008_

|access-date=June 8, 2014}}

Gay was one of the cofounders{{cite podcast

|url = https://www.slackerastronomy.org/wordpress/2008/04/whatever-the-hell-is-slacker-astronomy/

|title = Whatever the hell is Slacker Astronomy?

|publisher = Slacker Astronomy

|date = April 19, 2008

|access-date = December 4, 2013

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://archive.today/20140126152027/https://www.slackerastronomy.org/wordpress/2008/04/whatever-the-hell-is-slacker-astronomy/

|archive-date = January 26, 2014

}} of Slacker Astronomy, and was an "on air" personality for the show from February 2005 until the end of its first iteration in September 2006.

In 2008, Gay initiated brainstorming via e-mail on possible "new media" programs for 2009, the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). The discussion included Michael Koppelman from Slacker Astronomy, Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy, and others involved in the IYA, and resulted in the 365 Days Of Astronomy podcast. The podcast was to publish one episode per day over the entire year of 2009 and was originally planned to only run for that year.{{cite web|title=Cosmic Revelers Ring in 2009|url=http://www.photonics.com/Article.aspx?AID=35873|publisher=Photonics Media|access-date=September 12, 2012}}{{cite web|title=365 Days of Astronomy: About|date=September 12, 2008 |url=http://365daysofastronomy.org/about/|publisher=365 Days of Astronomy|access-date=September 12, 2012}}{{cite web|last=Gay|first=Pamela|title=365 Days of Astronomy to Continue in 2010!|url=http://365daysofastronomy.org/2009/12/04/365-days-of-astronomy-to-continue-in-2010/|publisher=365 Days of Astronomy|access-date=May 28, 2010|author2=Nancy Atkinson|date=December 4, 2010}}{{cite web|title=365 Days of Astronomy Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/365daysofAstro|access-date=February 29, 2012}} One of the cornerstones of the IYA was to make astronomy affordable and accessible to everyone in America. To do this 50-power telescopes called Galileoscopes were available for purchase online for only $10 each. "You can actually see the rings of Saturn," exclaims Gay. She was also involved in the New Media Task Group, "We need to communicate all these ideas and get people who don't want to go outside involved online," says Gay.{{cite web|title=Skepticality|url=http://www.skepticality.com/international-year-of-astronomy/|date=January 20, 2009}}

Since 2009, Gay has been a judge for the Parsec Awards, a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels.{{cite web | title = Judges » Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/general-information/judges/ | publisher = Parsec Awards | access-date = December 8, 2013}}

• American Humanist Association's 2019 Isaac Asimov Science Award{{cite web |first1=Jennifer |last1=Bardi |url= https://thehumanist.com/news/aha_news/meet-the-2019-isaac-asimov-science-award-recipient-pamela-gay |title= Meet the 2019 Isaac Asimov Science Award Recipient, Pamela Gay |date=May 21, 2019 |publisher=American Humanist Association}}
• Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year Award for Southern Illinois University Edwardsville – 2012{{cite web | title = SIUE Research Professor Honored with Prestigious Award | publisher = Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville | date = April 19, 2012 | url = https://www.siue.edu/news/archives/ArchivesAPR2012.shtml | access-date = December 28, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140202094111/https://www.siue.edu/news/archives/ArchivesAPR2012.shtml | archive-date = February 2, 2014 }}
• Outstanding Science Educator of the Year Award, The Academy of Science – St. Louis – 2012{{cite web | title = Outstanding St. Louis Scientists Awards | url = http://academyofsciencestl.org/initiatives/outstanding_scientists.php | publisher = Academy of Science of St. Louis | access-date = December 8, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140201204308/http://academyofsciencestl.org/initiatives/outstanding_scientists.php | archive-date = February 1, 2014 }}
• "Best Infotainment" Parsec Award for Astronomy Cast – Finalist 2007 – 2009,{{cite web | title = 2007 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2007-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }}{{cite web | title = 2008 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2008-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }}{{cite web | title = 2009 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2009-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }} 2011 – 2012{{cite web | title = 2011 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2011-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }}{{cite web | title = 2012 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2012-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }}
• "Best Infotainment" Parsec Award for 365 Days of Astronomy – Finalist 2010 – 2012,{{cite web | title = 2010 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists | publisher = Parsec Awards | url = http://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2010-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ | access-date = December 28, 2013 }} Winner 2009

Gay lives in southern Illinois with her husband and is also an avid equestrian.{{cite web | title = About Me | url = http://www.starstryder.com/about-me/ | last = Gay | first = Pamela | access-date = November 24, 2013 | date = October 21, 2006 }}

Born in California, Gay has stated that one early source of inspiration came while living in California was "getting to see contrails of the space shuttle as it came to land at Edwards Air Force Base," as well as watching television images from the Voyager missions passing Jupiter in 1979 at age five.{{cite web | title = Solar System Exploration: People: Pamela Gay | url = http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/profile.cfm?Code=GayP | publisher = NASA | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131019061250/http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/people/profile.cfm?Code=GayP | archive-date = October 19, 2013 | url-status = dead }}

While she was in the second grade, Gay moved with her parents to Westford, Massachusetts, which she describes as a "fairly small town," advantageous for its rural location with dark skies. The town is also home to Haystack Observatory, where she worked during her senior year of high school.

Gay has appeared as herself in various episodes of television series documentaries.{{cite web | title = Pamela L. Gay – IMDb | url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3881734/ | publisher = Internet Movie Database | access-date = December 8, 2013 }}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.astronomycast.com/ Astronomy Cast]
• [http://www.cosmoquest.org/ CosmoQuest]
• [http://www.starstryder.com/ Star Stryder Blog]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080517050819/http://www.slackerastronomy.com/ Slacker Astronomy]
• {{Twitter}}

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Category:American women astronomers

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