[meteorite-list] NPA 1-25-1987 Professor (Siperia) hopes to star as author

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: Daily Herald
City: Chicago, Illinois
Date: Sunday, January 25, 1987
Page: Section 5, Page 1

Professor hopes to star as author

BY JIM LUNDIN
Daily Herald correspondent

     A college professor who, 28 years ago, became interested in astronomy 
after reading All About Stars, by Patrick Moore, is now hoping to catch the 
imagination of young children by writing books of his own.
     Paul P. Sipiera, an assistant professor of Harper College, has written 
a series of books for Children Press, of Chicago, titled I Can Be a ...
     The subjects Sipiera has covered thus far include astronomy, geology 
and oceanography.  His books on astronomy and geology have already been 
published and the one on oceanography will come out this spring.
     He was approached to write the books after Fran Dyra, general editor at 
Children Press, read some of his articles in the Young People Science 
Encyclopedia where he does technical writing in his space time.
     "It was just a natural expansion," Sipiera said.  "The books are 
designed to introduce very young children to the sciences in a way that 
would appear exciting.
     "It's not so much an overview of science, but how they, as individuals, 
could become involved in these topics."
     Sipiera, who is 38, has written more than 50 articles for various 
science magazines in his short career.  His next project, in mid 1987, will 
move him up to the junior high level where he will write books on 
meteorites, planets and plate tectonics to name a few.
     In 1983-84 he spent six weeks in Antarctica, living in a tent and 
hunting for meteorites with the United States Antarctic Research Program.  
It was during this trip he found his first meteorite.
     The space geologist has been at Harper College since 1974 and was 
instrumental in putting together the current astronomy program.
     He also teaches through the adult education department at the Field 
Museum of Natural History in Chicago, and participated in research programs 
through Arizona State University, Northern Illinois University and Argon 
National Laboratory.
     Sipiera said he would like to get second graders involved in science 
saying, "it's a little young to start them, but when you think about it most 
interests are lifelong, and if you get interested early enough then you 
really do have a chance to become an astronomer.
     "So many people today have the idea, 'Well, I'm 22 and I don't know 
what to do.'  Others start out early and carry it through.  It's those who 
start out early who get the head start."

(end)

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.coinandstampman.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc

http://stores.ebay.com/meteoritearticles

PDF copy of this article, and most I post (and about 1/2 of those on my 
website), is available upon e-mail request.

The NPA in the subject line, stands for Newspaper Article. The old list 
server allowed us a search feature the current does not, so I guess this is 
more for quick reference and shortening the subject line now.