Navigation History: From Stars to Satellites

Dr. Alyssa Ann Goodman serves as the Robert Wheeler Willson Professor of Applied Astronomy at Harvard University and Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution. Born in 1962 in New York, she completed her ScB in Physics from MIT in 1984 and PhD from Harvard in 1989. Her groundbreaking research spans astrophysics, data visualization, and STEM education, with particular focus on understanding how interstellar gas forms new stars and developing innovative methods for visualizing astronomical data. As founder of the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing and leader of the Seamless Astronomy collaboration, she pioneered tools like the glue visualization software and contributed significantly to the WorldWide Telescope project. Her recent work includes leading the PredictionX project, which explores humanity's efforts to predict the future across history. Her exceptional contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including being named Harvard Foundation's Scientist of the Year in 2015, receiving the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize, and being elected as a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society. Beyond research, she demonstrates remarkable breadth in combining science with art, computing, archaeology, and history while advocating for open science principles and innovative approaches to STEM education.