Scott Roberts
Scott W. Roberts, President of Explore Scientific http://www.explorescientific.com/, is a supporter of outreach in astronomy, space exploration, and a popularizer of amateur astronomy. He has often been and continues to be involved in donations of telescopes and award recognition programs. Interested in telescopes, photography, and astronomy since his childhood.
In 2000, Scott Roberts formed the “Astronomy Outreach Network” http://www.astronomyoutreach.net/ which recognizes individuals and organizations devoted to outreach in astronomy and space exploration. This organization presents the annual “Astronomy Outreach Award” (the “Astro Oscars”) to honor individuals and organizations for excellence in astronomy outreach.
In 2006 Scott Roberts and Dr. Mike Reynolds teamed up to donate nearly 5000 telescopes, perhaps the largest single donation of telescopes for public educational outreach in history. Coordinating with Meade Instruments, the telescopes were refurbished stock, that were considered unsellable, and scheduled to be disposed of. A program was created with the Northeast Florida Astronomical Society to distribute and educate the recipients of each telescope that was donated. In the process, several thousand refurbished telescopes were saved and successfully re-purposed for educational outreach in astronomy.
Through Explore Scientific, he also supports the Astronomical League’s “National Young Astronomers Award” and the “Leslie C. Peltier Award”, as well as UNESCO’s “Space Education Programme” to donate telescopes to schools in developing countries.
Roberts is very grateful to all of his mentors, supporters, and the public who have shared these astronomy outreach experiences with him.