Contact Information: 

Office: 519 Davey Lab 

Mailing Address: 525 Davey Lab, University Park, PA 16802 

Phone: (814) 865-6601 

FAX: (814) 863-3399 

email:  rbc@astro.psu.edu

Summary Bio:

I am an observational astronomer whose research interests range from cosmology and the history of the universe to local phenomena such as planetary nebulae, globular clusters, and novae.  My current programs including measuring the physical properties of high-redshift emission-line galaxies, improving our understanding of the evolution of post-asymptotic giant branch stars, and re-examining the use of the planetary nebula luminosity function for extragalactic distance measurements.

I was an undergraduate at Yale University, received my Ph.D. in Astronomy from UCLA in 1986, and have been a member of the faculty of Penn State University since 1990.  I have served on a number of national committees, including the US Gemini Telescope Science Advisory Committee, the Users Committee for the US National Optical Astronomy Observatories (Chair), and the NSF Program Review Committee for NoirLab.  I am currently the Observing Manager for the Hobby Eberly Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), a member of all four of the HETDEX science working groups, and a member of the One hundred square Degree in Narrow-Band (ODIN) survey for Lyα galaxies.

Research Interests:

• Extragalactic Astronomy:  Emission Line Galaxies, Lyα Emitters, Galaxy Evolution, the Cosmic Distance Scale, Dark Matter, Ionized Gas in Galaxies, Stellar Populations, Intracluster Stars, HETDEX

• Stellar Astronomy:  Planetary Nebulae, Post-AGB Stars, Novae

• Interstellar Medium:  The Physics of Ionization and Emission Lines