Stephen Ferris

Stephen Ferris has been a member of the club since 2011, when he moved to Tucson permanently. He has been an avid astronomy enthusiast since childhood, and some of his best memories were working with a 6” Newtonian on a pier mount in the backyard at home as a teenager in suburban San Diego. Having never lost the bug for astronomy, he worked as a preceptor and later Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Arizona Department of Planetary Sciences doing education and outreach work connected with a general education Astronomy class. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in special education at the University of Arizona and worked for four years as a Special Education teacher before returning to Tucson to work at the University of Arizona as a Staff Member.

As a TAAA member, Stephen has been heavily involved at TIMPA since joining the club in 2011. He has served as a Coordinator and Telescope Operator for the TIMPA 14” from 2015 to 2018, and now as Director of TIMPA for TAAA from May of 2024. He has been involved in the new TIMPA 16” project. Additionally, he was involved with club outreach before the pandemic and plans to be involved with that as a Board Member. He has also been active with AFSIG and has delivered numerous presentations for that group over the last 7 years.

Stephen’s interests within the club include operating and promoting TIMPA as a great club resource, education, and new member outreach. His outside interests include hiking, reading, working with model kits, science fiction and hanging out with his cat, Belle.