Biography of Dr. R. A. Greiner
Dr. R. A. Greiner is an Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
He retired in 1992 from the University of Wisconsin -
Many of Dr. Greiner's lifelong interests were formulated in the 1940s. These included a significant interest in photography and astronomy, a love of mathematics and a great interest in chemistry and physics. He went on to the university to study chemistry, physics, mathematics and astronomy. His interest in music and sound reproduction resulted in the design and construction of many electronic devices and loudspeaker systems for himself and others even while an undergraduate at the University. This interest carries over to today with music and sound reproduction among his major hobbies.
Dr. Greiner received his bachelor’s degree in Physics in 1954, cum laude, with minors in mathematics and astronomy. His master’s degree, received in 1955, was in Physics with graduate work concentrating on molecular spectroscopy, nuclear spectroscopy and solid state physics. Electronic instrumentation was a major part of all of these studies. Optical instrument design including interferometer optics and precision mechanical design was a part of this research.
He switched to studies in the Department of Electrical Engineering which resulted in a PhD in 1957. His doctoral work was in photoconductivity and electrical conductivity in solids which were related directly to the behavior of semiconductor devices. Dr. Greiner was appointed Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in 1957. He taught graduate courses in electronics, including vacuum tube design, transistor design and application of solid state devices to electronic measurement and control systems. He started a solid state device fabrication laboratory in 1960 and wrote a book on solid state devices and applications. (McGraw Hill 1961) The book was about the physics of discrete transistor operation and applications of a variety of solid state devices to analog and digital circuits. A lifelong interest in high fidelity sound reproduction included numerous papers about power amplifiers and loudspeakers and led to his election as a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society in 1984.
In 1961 Dr. Greiner was appointed full Professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at the age of 30. His research continued in solid state devices and applications with a graduate program that produced 46 graduate degrees in the next 12 years. In 1972 he joined the central administration of the University of Wisconsin System where he served as a Senior Academic Advisor to the President's Office in the area of the Physical Sciences.
In 1979 he moved on pursue new interests and a fresh research program. This turned
out to be in acoustics, electro-
Over these years Dr. Greiner consulted in noise and vibration control in industrial settings. This included advanced design of balancing machines for a major manufacturer of equipment for the automotive industry. Acoustical noise problems and silencing of noise were also active areas for research and consulting. Since retirement, Dr. Greiner has continued to consult in acoustics, noise control and vibration control for industrial applications. High speed flash photography, lens testing, macro and micro photography are ancillary interests still engaged in from time to time.
In retirement "Doc G" remains active in consulting in acoustics and noise control, gardening, mineral collecting, digital photography and astronomy. Doc's astronomy interests are mainly in the refinement of observing equipment, viewing of extended objects and imaging of deep space objects. He currently has an active observatory specializing in minor planet searches and in imaging. Doc G is a lifetime honorary member of the Madison Astronomical Society. He is active in astronomical groups, a member of the board of Visitors to the Astronomy Department at the University of Wisconsin and a regular traveler to locations to do observing, imaging and engage in various astronomical activities.
He is the designer and builder of many of the specialized equipments used in the Doc Greiner Research Observatory (DGRO).
Dr. Greiner is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Tau Beta Pi, Kappa Eta Kappa, The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and the Audio Engineering Society.
Matt Mills
A native of Janesville, Wisconsin, Matt Mills works in a hospital setting as a clinical
scientist. He has two degrees form the UW-
Matt spends most clear nights measuring the orbits of Near Earth Objects, potentially hazardous asteroids which come close to Earth, for the Minor Planet Center and NASA. Matt is the Principle Investigator for the Minor Planet Project. He has been involved with three research observatories over the past decade.
Mark Hanson
Back in the early 1990s I was asked to look up at the stars; at a few points of light. Then I was told that if you look at that point of light through a telescope, you would see thousands of points of light and if you zoomed in closer you would see thousands more. That little experience got me going in astronomy.
Soon after that I bought my first telescope. It was an 8" Dob. I knew after 4-
I had by now moved on to Canon DSLR cameras for imaging. At the time this was a relatively new field in astrophotography. We had CCD's and SLR's but for digital cameras it was just the beginning. I took many DSLR images from YRS and Doc constructed a cooler for the camera to combat some of the noise issues from the DSLR's.
I started submitting some of my DSLR work to Astronomy Magazine and I could not believe I got published. It was exciting to see so many of my images in their pages.
My next journey was taking all of my DSLR equipment to a truly dark sky site. Wisconsin isn't ideal for deep sky imaging. Luckily, I found New Mexico Skies in Alamogordo, NM. Mike and Lynn Rice were very interested in the work I was doing with digital cameras and accommodated me well. I was astonished at what could be done at a really dark site with the DSLR and a 6" Takahashi refractor. Many more of my images were published. Between 2003 and 2006 I visited New Mexico Skies six times. I was fortunate to meet Ron Wodaski on my second visit. He let me use his 20" RC; what a treat that was. By the third time at NMS I started to use the CCD cameras available there. The images from the cooled CCDs were just striking; my DSLRs were then retired.
Meanwhile back in Madison our newly formed group moved out on our own and built our first group observatory: the GRO (Greiner Research Observatory).
Five members made up the astronomy team and each member had their own technical niche. It was a great facility. We had success with both imaging and asteroid searching. A 16 CAT and a 5 inch refractor were mounted on one Paramount with two STL cameras from SBIG. Unfortunately, after less than 2 years, we had to dismantle it due to one if the group members' loss of the land it was on. To say the least this was a big disappointment.
It wasn't long before our hunt for a new dark sky site began. Matt Mills was on
a massive search for months and found a truly nice spot for the New "DGRO" (Doc Greiner
Research Observatory). This time, our team (consisting of Doc G, Matt Mills, Greg
Sellek, and myself), wanted to accommodate two piers as clear skies here in Wisconsin
are hard to come by. We planned to be able to use both scopes on each clear night.
This is a truly state-
Greg Sellek
I first became interested in astronomy as a kid of 13. My father took me to a local star party and I saw the stars, planets, and galaxies for the first time. That's all it took, I was hooked. I am an IT Manager by day, and have many years of experience managing IT systems. I am the resident computer guru for the DGRO and I keep the computers and software running so that the remote observatory can work as smoothly as possible. In my spare time I am also an avid home brewer and recognized beer judge. So far I have discovered two asteroids, and I hope to discover many more.
