MARK LITTMANN

CURRICULUM VITAE

(Updated to March 2017)

GENERAL BACKGROUND

EDUCATION

Northwestern University

Doctor of Philosophy (English), 1969

Hollins College

Master of Arts (modern literature and creative writing), 1962

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bachelor of Science (chemistry and literature), 1961

POSITIONS HELD

Professor, Julia G. and Alfred G. Hill Chair of Excellence

in Science, Technology, and Medical Writing [inaugural fulltime appointment]

School of Journalism and Electronic Media

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

Knoxville, Tennessee

January 1991 to present

College of Communication & Information Board of Visitors Professor

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

Knoxville, Tennessee

July 2015 to present

Adjunct Lecturer

Department of Physics and Astronomy

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

Knoxville, Tennessee

January 1992 to May 2000

President

STARMASTER COMPANY (occasional educational publications and NASA contractor)

Knoxville, Tennessee

January 1982 to present (now inactive)

Adjunct Faculty (astronomy)

LOYOLA COLLEGE

Baltimore, Maryland

August 1988 to December 1990

Science Communicator (Director of Public Affairs)

SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE INSTITUTE

Baltimore, Maryland

April 1985 to February 1987

Member, Honors Program Faculty

March 1979 to April 1985

Adjunct Associate Professor of Physics (Astronomy)

July 1979 to June 1982

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics (Astronomy)

July 1973 to June 1979

Special Lecturer in Astronomy

December 1965 to June 1973

Special Lecturer in English

January to May 1970

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Salt Lake City, Utah

Host: "The Dr. Mark Littmann Show"

KZJO (now KTKK) RADIO (talk show)

Salt Lake City, Utah

January to September 1984

Director

HANSEN PLANETARIUM

Salt Lake City, Utah

June 1965 (founding) to July 1983

Distinguished Visiting Scholar

September 1976-April 1985

Special Lecturer in Astronomy

September 1967 to August 1976

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

Salt Lake City, Utah

Lecturer in Physics/Astronomy

September 1970-June 1973

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY, SALT LAKE CENTER

Salt Lake City, Utah

Science Columnist ("StarWatch")

August 1983 to July 1984

Drama and Dance Reviewer

January 1966 to November 1967

SALT LAKE TRIBUNE (daily newspaper)

Salt Lake City, Utah

Staff Meteorologist

September 1971 to September 1972

Special Science Reporter

September 1971 to September 1973

KCPX (now KTVX) TELEVISION (ABC)

Salt Lake City, Utah

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

American Astronomical Society (full member since 1978 – by election of professional astronomers)

and its Historical Astronomy Division

National Association of Science Writers

Society of Environmental Journalists

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

and its Science Communication Interest Group

Society of Professional Journalists

and its East Tennessee Chapter

SCHOLARLY PUBLICATIONS AND CREATIVE ACTIVITY

BOOKS

Totality: The Great American Eclipses of 2017 and 2024

by Mark Littmann and Fred Espenak

New York: Oxford University Press, 2017

Eclipse 2017

(for students ages 8-14)

by Mark Littmann

DPZ Technology, 2017

Telling the Stories of Science – Acclaimed Science Writers Share Their Insights

edited by Mark Littmann and Marlene Taylor

[Editing completed – searching for publisher: Anthology of Hill Lectures

Expected publication: 2018

Totality: Eclipses of the Sun

Third edition, hardcover

by Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, and Ken Willcox

Oxford University Press, 2008

356 pages; ISBN 978-0-19-953209-4
[9 of 21 chapters are new, all others and 4 appendices revised slightly to greatly; three-quarters of

the 180 illustrations are new]

Note: Ken Willcox’s name remains on the book as co-author in honor of his friendship.

Third edition, updated paperback

by Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, and Ken Willcox

Oxford University Press, 2009

358 pages; ISBN 978-0-19-956552-8

[Differs from the 2008 hardcover edition because of a new chapter on the total eclipses of 2012,

2013, 2015, and 2016, with 8 new illustrations. This chapter replaced the one on the eclipse of

2008.]

Second edition

by Mark Littmann, Ken Willcox, and Fred Espenak

Oxford University Press, 1999 (hardcover and paperback)

286 pages; ISBN 0-19-513178-9 (hardcover); ISBN 0-19-513179-7 (paperback)

[3 of 15 chapters new, 5 new appendices, all other chapters revised slightly to moderately, all new

color illustrations, many new black-and-white photographs and diagrams, mostly new or revised

appendices]

Note: Ken Willcox’s cancer recurred as work on the new edition commenced and he was unable to make any

contribution to this edition. He died just before it was published.

First edition

by Mark Littmann and Ken Willcox

University of Hawaii Press, 1991 (paperback)

240 pages; ISBN 0-8248-1371-5

Note: Ken Willcox was stricken with cancer as writing of this book commenced and he was able to make only a small

contribution to the work.

The Heavens on Fire: The Great Leonid Meteor Storms

by Mark Littmann

Cambridge University Press, 1998 (hardcover), 1999 (updated paperback)

1998 (hardcover) 359 pages; ISBN 0-521-62405-3

1999 (updated paperback) 359 pages; ISBN 0-521-77979-0

Planets Beyond: Discovering the Outer Solar System

by Mark Littmann

John Wiley & Sons, 1988 (hardcover), 1990 (updated paperback)

1988 (hardcover), 300 pages; ISBN 0-471-61128-X

1990 (updated paperback), 333 pages; ISBN 0-471-51053-X

Dover, 2004 (reissue, paperback), 333 pages; ISBN 0-486-43602-0

Comet Halley: Once in a Lifetime

by Mark Littmann and Donald K. Yeomans

American Chemical Society, 1985 (hardcover and paperback), 182 pages

Hardcover: ISBN 0-8412-0905-7

Paperback: ISBN 0-8412-0911-1

Theme and Structure in Thornton Wilder's Drama

University Microfilms, 1969

PLANETARIUM PROGRAM

(Recent – see separate list below for planetarium programs written and directed 1965-1984)

Eclipse—The Sun Revealed

by Mark Littmann

Produced by Sudekum Planetarium, Adventure Science Center, Nashville, 2017

for international distribution

PLAYS – FULL-LENGTH

Halley and Newton [working title]

by Mark Littmann

Writing in progress, expected completion 2018

An accurate full-length play about Edmond Halley (1656-1742) and how he brought Isaac Newton to the attention of the world

Little Lessons for Lina

by Mark Littmann

The story of Caroline Herschel, the first woman professional astronomer: a historically and scientifically accurate play in two acts, completed summer 2008, revisions continuing

Two staged dramatic readings

October 17, 2014: 55-minute adaptation of the play with UT student actors

StarFest (amateur astronomer conference), Bays Mountain Park Planetarium, Kingsport, TN

October 16, 2014: 55-minute adaptation of the play with UT student actors

West High School, Knoxville, Tennessee

Principally funded by the Journalism & Electronic Media Chair of Excellence Fund

Two dramatic readings of a 55-minute adaptation of the full-length play, funded by UT SARIF

EPPE grants

May 2, 2012: With professional actors Biz Lyon and Steve Fitchpatrick for Orion Astronomy

Club, Grove Theater, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

May 14, 2012: With professional actors Anne Millett and Steve Fitchpatrick for UT Jewish

Faculty Lecture Series, Arnstein Jewish Community Center

Independent, producer-funded partially staged reading in New York City at the Inwood Library:

October 17, 2009, produced by Donna Stearns and Jason Kendall, directed by Jerry Marco,

using actors from the Moonbeam Theatre Company, with special music composed by

Donna Stearns

The New York City Stearns/Kendall-produced reading was:

§  An official event of the International Astronomical Union’s International Year of

Astronomy 2009

§  An official event of the International Astronomical Union’s “She Is an Astronomer”

Program

§  An official event of Jason Kendall’s Galilean Nights Festival, part of the International

Year of Astronomy 2009

Dramatic reading:

October 11, 2009 under the direction of Tom Parkhill, Artistic Director of the Tennessee Stage

Company, using TSC actors, funded by a University of Tennessee SARIF EPPE grant.

Two dramatic readings:

December 9, 2008 and February 8, 2009 under the direction of Terry Silver-Alford, UT

Theatre Department/Clarence Brown Theatre play director, using actors in the

Department’s MFA program, funded by a University of Tennessee SARIF EPPE grant.

PLAYS – SHORT

Vashti – A Purim Play (one-act play)

by Mark Littmann

Performed as a staged dramatic reading by Heska Amuna Synagogue in March 14, 2015

Performed as a staged dramatic reading by South Baldwin Jewish Center, Baldwin, New York,

March 15, 2014 (Contact: Betty Arzt)

The Story of Bel and the Dragon Auditions for the Bible (one-act play)

by Mark Littmann

Read as part of Shavuot observance at Heska Amuna Synagogue on May 26, 2012.

Read as part of Rosh Hodesh (Knoxville Jewish women’s organization) program on June 20,

2012.

Jonah: The Reluctant Prophet

by Mark Littmann

Read at Heska Amuna Synagogue on September 29, 2011. Also performed

separately by Heska Amuna Religious School students on September 29, 2011.

Four Who Survived the Holocaust – A Reading [dramatic reading]

by Mark Littmann

[The stories of Trudy Dreyer, George and Helen Messing, and Arthur Pais]

Written for Heska Amuna Religious School students for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial

Day) to honor four Knoxvillians who survived the Holocaust.

Two performances on May 1, 2011 (with me as director): the first for the Heska Amuna Religious

School students; the second for the Knoxville Jewish community’s commemoration of the Holocaust (with the survivors in the audience).

Surviving the Nazis – The Mira Kimmelman Story: A Dramatic Reading

by Mark Littmann, adapted from the book Echoes from the Holocaust: A Memoir by Mira Ryczke

Kimmelman

Written for the Heska Amuna Synagogue and Temple Beth El Combined Religious Schools

students for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) to honor Oak Ridge Holocaust survivor Mira Kimmelman. Two performances on Sunday, April 11, 2010 (with me as director):

the first for Temple Beth El Religious School students; the second for Heska Amuna Religious

School students.

The Nazis and the Jews – A Holocaust Presentation [dramatic reading]

by Mark Littmann

Written for the Heska Amuna Synagogue and Temple Beth El Combined Religious Schools

students for Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day). Two performances on April 19, 2009

(with me as director): the first for Temple Beth El Religious School students; the second for

Heska Amuna Religious School students.

MONOGRAPHS

American Newspapers and the Great Meteor Storm of 1833: A Case Study in Science Journalism

by Mark Littmann

Journalism & Communication Monographs volume 10, number 3 (autumn 2008), page 249-284

SHORT BOOKS AND BOOKLETS (partial list)

Hubble Space Telescope Handbook for Amateur Astronomers

by Mark Littmann

Space Telescope Science Institute, 1986

Halley's Comet: An Observer's Guide

by Mark Littmann

Jason/Empire, Inc., 1985

Comet Halley: Once in a Lifetime – Curriculum Integration Guide

by Mark Littmann

American Chemical Society, 1984

The Dawn of Astronomy

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1983

Skywatchers of Ancient Mexico

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1982

Springtime of the Universe

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1980

The Universe of Dr. Einstein

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1980

Footsteps

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1979

The People: Sky Lore of the American Indian

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1976

The Unisphere

by Mark Littmann

Hubbard Scientific, 1972

The Solar System (reference chart)

by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1970

Chart of the Heavens

Cartography by Mark Peterson, text by Mark Littmann

Hansen Planetarium, 1967

MAJOR ARTICLES (partial list)

“Crowdsourcing, the Great Meteor Storm of 1833, and the Founding of Meteor Science”

by Mark Littmann and Todd Suomela

Endeavour, Volume 38, Number 2 (June 2014), pages 130-138

(DOI: 10.1016/j.endeavour.2014.03.002)

“Training Science Graduate Students to Communicate Science”

by Mark Littmann, Russel Hirst, Marlene Taylor, Kenneth J. Levine, and J. Robert Legg

In revision: IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication

“La pédagogie et les Planétariums américains”

by Mark Littmann

Translated into French by Laurence Demond and Agnès Acker

Planétariums 2010 (publication of Association des Planétariums de langue française), May 2010, pages

39-40.

[Adaptation of “Voices from Educational Planetariums” – school planetarium directors sound off

on digital and optical-mechanical planetariums. Article commissioned by the editor in chief of

Sky & Telescope magazine to accompany my feature story “Not Much Eyesight, Plenty of

Vision,” Sky & Telescope magazine, December 2009. “Voices from Educational Planetariums”

appeared electronically only.]

“Not Much Eyesight, Plenty of Vision”

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 2009, pages 32-37

About a legally blind planetarium director and the advanced technology at her planetarium in

Nashville. Feature story commissioned by the editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine

“Planetarium Shows: Interactive vs. Participatory”

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 2009, page 37

Sidebar for “Not Much Eyesight, Plenty of Vision”

“How Many Planetariums Are There?”

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 2009, page 34

Number and types of planetariums in the United States and the world; sidebar for “Not Much

Eyesight, Plenty of Vision”

“Voices from Educational Planetariums”

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 2009, electronic version only

School planetarium directors sound off on digital and optical-mechanical planetariums; sidebar

commissioned by the editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine to accompany my feature story

“Not Much Eyesight, Plenty of Vision”

“Do Planetariums Teach?”

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 2009, electronic version only

Sidebar for “Not Much Eyesight, Plenty of Vision”

“Media Treatment of Plant Biotechnology”

by C. Neal Stewart, Jr. and Mark Littmann

Agricultural Biotechnology (on-line peer-reviewed journal)

January 2008; updated March 8, 2008

“Dark Beasts of the Trans-Neptunian Zoo”

by Mark Littmann

[article commissioned by the editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine]

Sky & Telescope

November 2007, pages 26-29

“From Theory to Reality”

by Mark Littmann

(sidebar for “Dark Beasts of the Trans-Neptunian Zoo”)

Sky & Telescope

November 2007, page 29

“From Chaos to the Kuiper Belt”

by Mark Littmann

[article commissioned by the editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine]

Sky & Telescope

September 2007, pages 22-28

“Planetary Slingshots”

by Mark Littmann

(sidebar for “From Chaos to the Kuiper Belt”)

Sky & Telescope

September 2007, page 26

“Courses in Science Writing as Literature”

by Mark Littmann

Public Understanding of Science

Volume 14, Number 1, January 2005, pages 103-112

"The Discovery of the Perseid Meteors"

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, August 1996

(later published by Sky & Telescope on the Internet)

"Where Is Planet X?"

by Mark Littmann

Sky & Telescope, December 1989

"The Triumphant Grand Tour of Voyager 2"