Dr. Barry Lasker (1939-1999) was a founding member of the Working Group on Sky Surveys and worked at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which operates the Hubble Space Telescope.  Dr. Lasker led the team that cataloged the night sky so the Hubble Telescope could be accurately guided and oriented for the stunning photographs that have transformed our vision of the universe.  A critical element of Dr. Lasker’s work was the innovative redesign and construction of two microdensitometers, or glass plate scanners, that have been donated to PARI and are now the centerpiece instruments in the Lasker Lab.  Located in PARI’s Astronomical Photographic Data Archive the Lasker Lab will be used to scan collections of astronomical photographs dating back to the mid-1800s so they can be preserved and made available to scholars via the Internet.

“Barry Lasker will always be remembered as a great scientist,” said Ray Lucas who represented the Space Telescope Science Institute during the dedication ceremonies, “but having worked with him, I know he was also a great teacher.  He shared the same zest for making science exciting and fun that I see so vividly demonstrated here at PARI.  I’m certain he would be proud that his work will be continued here, and that his memory is being so honored in this fashion.”

About PARI
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit foundation established in 1998.  Located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus is a dark sky location for astronomy and was selected in 1962 by NASA as the site for one of the first U.S. satellite tracking facilities.  Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and research.  PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research.  The institute is a member of the NC Grassroots Museum Collaborative, a partner in NC OPT-ED and is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI.  For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.