Dr. David L. Crawford
Dr. Crawford is a co-founder of the International Dark-Sky Association and has been its volunteer Executive Director for many years. He is a widely acclaimed public speaker, not only within the astronomy community but within the lighting industry, and frequently serves as an advisor to communities and local groups working to establish lighting ordinances.
In his professional life, Dr. Crawford is an Emeritus Astronomer at the National Optical Astronomical Observatories. He received his doctorate in astronomy at the University of Chicago and worked most of his scientific career at the Kitt Peak National Observatories and NOAO. His research was in observational stellar photometry and galactic structure, with well over a hundred published papers. Dr. Crawford was the Project Manager for NOAO’s two 4-m telescopes, at Kitt Peak and at Cerro Tololo, in Chile. He is also a co-founder and member of the Board of Directors of the Global Network of Astronomical Telescopes.
He was a member of the Council of the American Astronomical Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (and a Fellow). Dr. Crawford is a member of the International Astronomical Union and many of its commission activities, as well as the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the Astronomical League, and other organizations in professional and amateur astronomy. He is an Honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Illuminating Engineering Society. Dr. Crawford has been honored with a number of their awards for his work with IES. He has received the AAS’s van Biesbrock Award for service to astronomy and an honorary doctorate in 2004 from the New England College of Optometry for his work in improving the nighttime environment.