Remembrances - Duane Nickell

When Franklin Central teacher Duane Nickell autographed my copy of his book, Guidebook for the Scientific Traveler, Visiting Astronomy and Space Exploration Sites Across America, for the Township Historical Society, he wrote, "Keep your eyes on the Stars!"

As I interviewed him, one of Franklin Township's authors, he explained why a knowledge of astronomy and other aspects of science are important. Our world is science related, he said. Global warming is a danger, as is the threat of nuclear terrorism. We seem to have a natural curiosity of how things work which must have begun in the distant past with observing the stars and the movement of the planets.

Dr. Nickell has been interested in science since boyhood when his father was a sixth and seventh grade science teacher in southern Illinois. Duane dedicated his book to his parents, Anna June and Carl Duane "Red" Nickell, and thanks them for instilling in him "a love of learning that will never be extinguished."

He whiled away many summer afternoons as a child, he says, reading Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, and remembers his first look through a telescope He encourages parents, teachers and other adults to provide children with experiences that sharpen their interest in science.

His book, published in 2008, is the result of a Lilly Endowment Teachers Creativity Fellowship that enabled him to travel in Europe to sites of scientific importance. He came home determined to write a book -- his first-- about such sites in the U.S. The result is an informative, attractive, and readable illustrated book that records some 50 sites across the country. Chapters include Native American Astronomy, Optical Telescopes, Planetaria, and NASA and Space Exploration. He tells why the site is important, how to get there, and what to be sure to see, the facilities, cost and hours open. He gives the phone number and website for each entry. In other sections of the book he treats UFOs, and concludes with a list of "Top Ten Out-Of-This-World Experiences."

A second book in his Scientific Traveler Series, "Physics and Chemistry Sites Across America," will soon be available at Amazon.com and bookstores.

Duane Nickell graduated from DePauw University, and earned a doctorate at Indiana University. He came to FC in 2000 after teaching for IPS and Decatur Central. He also teaches part time at IUPUI, and has two daughters, in college at Ball State and I.U.

Above: FC teacher/author Duane Nickell being interviewed by Sylvia at the Society's Meeting House. Photo by Diana Stevenson.