Fiske Staff

Dr. John Keller is the Director of Fiske Planetarium and a Teaching Professor of Distinction within the Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Department at the University of Colorado Boulder. Keller is a planetary scientist with research interests in occultations, astronomy education, and teacher preparation. He is PI and Co-PI for multiple NASA and NSF funded projects through which Fiske produces immersive full dome films that are shared with the planetarium community...

Francisco Salas began his association with Fiske Planetarium in 1990 as a work-study student. Through hard work and dedication, he was soon promoted to the position of Education Program Manager, and now serves as Fiske’s Operations Manager. Throughout his 30+ year career with CU, he has become adept at balancing the ever-expanding functions of his role, including managing the planetarium; educating students; engaging the general public; collaborating with faculty members...

Nina helps develop and deliver curricula for Fiske that explores the intersections of science and social emotional learning. She holds a B.A. from Hamilton College in Literature, with concentrations in History and Geosciences. Paired with her liberal arts background, Nina brings years of expertise in outdoor education and restorative practices to design holistic experiences in Fiske's varied science environments. Fiske is so much more than a dome theater and Nina...

Briana is a facilitator of effective science communication, an artist, a dancer, and a traveler. Her current passion is to integrate art and science in innovative ways to promote learning and inspire people to ask scientific questions. Within unique environments, how can we effectively engage people in science and promote conceptual learning? How can we bring powerful learning experiences to local and national communities? In what ways can we design...

At Fiske, Carla wears many hats, including managing the membership program, public programming, marketing strategies, digital communication strategy, website development, and more. She's always trying to find new ways to engage members and attract new visitors by collaborating with a talented team of colleagues to share Fiske’s enriching educational programs, musical and theatrical events, and fulldome shows. Prior to joining Fiske, Carla was a STEM Informal Science Educator at NASA’s...

Cassandra is a Production Coordinator for the NSF WHIMC grant and a Full-Dome Production Technician at Fiske Planetarium. They hold a Bachelors of Arts in Astronomy from CU Boulder and an Associates of Applied Science in Ski Area Operations from Colorado Mountain College. Their current work is producing full-dome films for Fiske and the WHIMC grant. At Fiske, there are few jobs that Cassandra hasn't done. They have run shows,...

Jeremy is a proud CU Boulder graduate, avid astronomer, and space enthusiast. He began working for Fiske in 2016 and since then has done just about every job the planetarium has to offer, from selling tickets to organizing live stream music festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic. His current role involves managing Fiske’s NASA Science Activation project “Science Through Shadows”, coordinating Fiske’s outreach program, and serving as a lead presenter, navigator,...

Fiske's student workers are the backbone of our operation. Every year, Fiske recruits a number of new student employees, and every year we watch as our students graduate, leave us, and enter the workforce taking their valuable experiences at Fiske with them. From exhibit building, to working in the front office, to show production, to public talks and everything in between, our student employees provide Fiske with one of our...

Jon supports educational technology integration at Fiske Planetarium and Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado Boulder. He has an academic background in Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences and Computer Science.

Nick is the Fiske Planetarium Theater Manager and programmer. He began working at Fiske in 2012 as a student and later earned his BA in Astrophysics in 2014 from CU Boulder. Nick now supports the educational need and entertainment-based activities of the university students, staff, and their family by hosting - and sometimes teaching - university classes and events under the dome. Developing captivating visualizations of both astronomical phenomena and...

Brad Thompson is a computer graphics artist with over 25 years of experience. He was the animation director and CG supervisor for Spitz Creative Media, where he pioneered 360 production techniques in the early days of fulldome, and went on to create many award winning fulldome productions that are currently screening worldwide. Brad also works with the Advanced Visualization Lab at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, creating cinematic visualizations...

Thor Metzinger is the Video Producer of Educational Programs at Fiske Planetarium. He holds a Masters Fine Arts in Computer Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Thor has worked in computer animation, visual effects and motion graphics for over 12 years. He has developed national curricula models for Digital Media and Visual Effects degrees. Thor works closely with numerous University of Colorado departments, external companies, and...