Nationality Greek Name Dionysis Simopoulos | Role Physicist | |
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Fields AstrophysicsScience communication Influences Carl SaganJack Horkheimer Notable awards 1978 FRAS1996 IPS Service Award2006 Palmes Academiques2012 Lifetime Achievement Award Hellenic Physics Society Education Louisiana State University | ||
O dionysis simopoulos mila gia ton dimitri kati
Dionysis Simopoulos (Greek: Διονύσης Σιμόπουλος, born 8 March 1943) is a contemporary Greek physicist and astronomer, and the Eugenides Planetarium's director emeritus who excelled as an astronomy educator and science populariser in the print and electronic media of Greece.
Contents
- O dionysis simopoulos mila gia ton dimitri kati
- Personal Information
- Professional career
- Professional activities
- Audiovisual Activities
- Television Series Scripts
- Writing activities
- Bibliography
- References
Personal Information
Dionysios P. Simopoulos was born in Ioannina, Greece, (origins from Gryllos, near Olympia, Elis) although he actually grew up in Patras. He studied Political Communication and Astrophysics (January 1963 - December 1972) at the Departments of Government and Speech, Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. During that period he received several awards and honours in various Public speaking and debating competitions. He is married (1968) to Karen Louise Peterson and they have a daughter (1974) and two sons (1976, 1978).
Professional career
He started working in January 1968 and served as an Associate Curator (January–September 1968), as Assistant Director of Education (September 1968-September 1969), and Planetarium Director (September 1969-March 1973) at the Louisiana Arts and Science Center in Baton Rouge, and as a Special Advisor to the Science Committee of the School Board (1970–1973). In October 1972 he was invited to return to Athens by the Eugenides Foundation where he worked as the Eugenides Planetarium's Director for 41 years (April 1973–2014). He has taught in many seminars for university graduates and business executives as an instructor of communication, decision making and problem solving. He has actively attended numerous professional conferences and seminars and has published hundreds of articles in Greek and foreign magazines and newspapers.
Professional activities
He served as the President of the European Association for Astronomy Education (1994–2002), as a member of the Executive Council of the International Planetarium Society (1978–2008) and as the Secretary General of the European-Mediterranean Planetarium Association (1976–2008). He is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (since 1978) and the International Planetarium Society (since 1980) and holds memberships in many other international scientific organizations. In 1996 he received the highest honor (IPS Service Award) of the International Planetarium Society for his contribution to the international astronomy education, and in 2006 he was honored with the Palmes Académiques of the French Republic. In 2012 the Hellenic Physics Society (EEF) honored him with a special lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the popularization of science in Greece. At the 2015 annual festive session of the Academy of Athens, the country’s highest scientific and cultural institution, Simopoulos received the Academy's Science Award “for his overall contribution to the popularization and dissemination of astronomy and the exemplary operation of the Eugenides Planetarium.”
Audiovisual Activities
He has written more than 500 scripts for science shows and documentary series for the Greek PBS System (ERT). He has written over 250 Planetarium shows scripts, two sets of scripts (30 and 24 episodes) for special Video Lessons on astronomy and space science (for the Greek Ministry of Education), a series of four CD-ROMs on astronomy, and has delivered more than 500 lectures on science and Astrophysics all over Greece.
Television Series (Scripts)
Writing activities
He served as a Science Collaborator for the newspapers Vradyni (1970–1975), Sunday Eleftherotypia (1990–1992), Sunday Ethnos (1993–2010) and for the magazines Georama-Experiment (1995–2005), Erevnites ( Kathimerini, 1999–2004), PCWorld (2004–2007) and GEOtropio ( Eleftherotypia, 2000–2010). He was also a member of the Editorial Board of the IPS Journal The Planetarian (1978–2008), has authored a series of six books for young people titled "The Secrets of the Universe" (Erevnites) and a series of 18 books for the Planetarium shows ( Eugenides Foundation ).