Eric W. Klumpe
Physics and Astronomy
Dr. Eric W. Klumpe is both an astronomer and an astronautical engineer. He
received his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in astronautical engineering
from the California Institute of Technology and Stanford University, respectively.
After working for more than a decade at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on
the robotic exploration of the solar system he went on to obtain Master’s degrees
in physics and astronomy and ultimately a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University
of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Klumpe joined the MTSU faculty in 1999 and was promoted to Professor of
Astronomy in 2009. He is a member of both the Honors College Faculty and the
Buchanan Fellowship Faculty. Besides teaching introductory-level courses in
astronomy and physics, he teaches astrophysics, thermodynamics, modern
physics, mathematical modeling, observational astronomy, and the physics of
music. During summers he has been involved in workshops where he
demonstrates to elementary, middle, and high-school teachers innovative
methods for teaching astronomy and physics.
Within his first year at MTSU Dr. Klumpe initiated a public-outreach program in
astronomy. It consists of a lecture-based presentation on an astronomy-related
current event followed by a few hours of admiring the heavens through
telescopes. This popular program continues to attract dozens of guests every
month.
In addition to astrodynamics, Dr. Klumpe’s research includes the exploration of
the hidden interiors of stars by observing their “starquakes”, or the pulsations on
their surfaces. This technique is analogous to using earthquakes to study the
interior of the Earth. He also designed the Uranidrome (a hands-on, naked-eye
observatory) and the telescope-observatory on the campus of MTSU. Dr. Klumpe
was named a Fellow in the Royal Astronomical Society for contributions made in
the areas of research, education, and public outreach in astronomy.