Meet Our Astronomy Team
Dr. Cassandra Fallscheer
Smith Rock is one of Cassie’s favorite places on Earth. For years she would come to enjoy the climbing by day and the dark high desert skies by night. She lived in Germany for several years where she studied star formation and earned her PhD from the University of Heidelberg. For over a decade, she has been a professor of physics and astronomy. Her favorite astronomical object is Saturn because of the joy it elicits in people when they see its rings through the telescope. Her favorite routes at Smith Rock are Entering Relativity and Magic Light, both for their names and the fun climbing.
Dr. Jesse Feddersen
Jesse was hooked on space from the first moment he looked at the rings of Saturn through a telescope. Throughout his astronomical journey, Jesse has been heavily involved in astronomy outreach and public engagement. He was a passionate sidewalk astronomer in college and a pun-producing planetarium operator in graduate school. Jesse is now an instructor at the University of Oregon in Eugene and teaches classes on topics ranging from eclipses to black holes. He has started a collection of rubber ducks in his office, but doesn't yet have an astronomy duck.
Grant Tandy
Grant, from Central Oregon, has a profound passion for astronomy sparked by the region's dark skies. For the last decade, professional focus and personal mission have been on public education, with a particular emphasis on astronomy. Starting as an Astronomical Interpreter at the Oregon Observatory. From 2017 to 2023, Grant managed educational programming at the Hopservatory, engaging over 15,000 people annually. Currently, he leads weekly sidewalk astronomy programs in Bend. Grant is also a NASA-JPL Solar System Ambassador and a key member of DarkSky Oregon, aiming to deepen understanding and appreciation for astronomy through immersive experiences and engaging programs.