David Iadevaia

Prof. David Iadevaia graduated from each of the three public higher education instituted in RI...AS degree in electronics from RIJC, BA in Philosophy of Science from URI and MAT with astronomy specialization from RIC. While in Tucson his PhD from Pacific Western University was in online science education before it was popular but at the time is was not looked upon favorably.

Professor Iadevaia was hired in 1983 by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) and the University of Arizona as an instrument specialist for the Eschell Spectrograph at the Multiple Mirror Telescope...and moved to Tucson. When grant money ran out he was hired by Pima College to teach Astronomy and Physics retiring in 2013.

Known as Dr. I by his students, he developed various astronomy outreach programs while at the college. Most notable was the Professor Pima Portable Planetarium Program...an outreach to elementary schools with an inflatable planetarium...designed the teaching observatory and the Planet Walk at the East Campus. Initiated the “Lectures Under the Stars”...a series of informal lectures featuring famous local astronomers talking about their research to the public under the observatory ramada. Developed various online courses in astronomy most notable was the first astronomy online course with online observing from his private observatory 60 miles south of the college in Patagonia, Arizona...presented the results at a American Astronomical Society (AAS).

He was a member of the AAS and head of its archaeoastronomy working group for a brief time. He developed 3D visualization techniques to determine possible stellar alignments at archaeological sites.

He conducted several Total Solar Eclipse and archaeoastronomy expeditions for a science tour company to Peru and India.

He also wrote a science fiction book “Of Stranger Things” available on Amazon.

One cannot retire from science so he is still doing what he likes...having fun with astronomy, currently spectroscopy from his private observatory and his mobile observatory for public outreach.