The James Webb Telescope

Parke Kunkle ushered more than 6,000 students to the former Minneapolis planetarium in a teaching career that spanned 48 years. He earned several teacher of the year awards at Minneapolis College teaching astronomy, physics, computer programming, engineering, and mathematics. He earned his Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Minnesota. He has been a guest on both local and national media discussing astronomical events such as constellations, planetary alignments, and the zodiac. He is a member of the Minnesota Astronomical Society, a founding member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, and served on the Advisory Board of the Bell Museum of Natural History. With the help of others like Peggy and Ilo Leppik, his proudest accomplishment is bringing a new planetarium to the Twin Cities. He encourages everyone to see the wonders of the universe in the planetarium housed in the Bell Museum of Natural History located on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.