Sifan Kahale
She/Her
I am trans and I am a Killer Asteroid Hunter!//
I retired from the PanSTARRs observatory on Maui where I helped search for NEOs (Near Earth Objects) and PHOs (potentially hazardous objects), eg. killer asteroids. I have my own observatory at home that I use for astrophotography. I also teach at the local college and give talks to local schools, libraries and organizations.
I was one of the directors of Maui Pride. We helped numerous young LGBT+ on the island and raised money for scholarships.
I’ve been interested in astronomy since I was very little, routinely hiking out on forest trails in the middle of the night. I’ve been fortunate to assist both the physics and the chemistry departments as I was studying at the university. I’ve been involved in early work on tokomats, synchro-cyclotrons, one of the first x-ray satellites, and helped build one of the first quadruple mass spectrometers. I also played a key part in the research and development of the first automated clinical blood analysis system.