'Stars Shine for Everyone' project / involvement at CERN / Women and Girls in Science / Curiosity

Jean-Pierre Grootaerd - dedicated voluntary member at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Ghent University and the Public Observatory Armand Pien. He’s also an active member of the Eurospace Society, the organization founded by astronaut Dirk Frimout to encourage young people’s interest in space exploration. Jean-Pierre is a passionate self-taught-and-made astronomer. His lifelong fascination with astronomy and space travel began in childhood and has stayed with him ever since.

Note to the listening audience: Jean-Pierre, a native Dutch speaker, gave the interview in English, and I think he succesfully delivered his message. Due to tight timing - I had to compromise the voice editing, but it's overall good. Also, we rather had a nice talk and hence some questions came up during the episode which is not hard to guess 😉

Stars Shine for Everyone project website: https://www.ssvi.be/

Jean-Pierre on social media:

LinkedIn:   / jean-pierre-grootaerd-600a91a6  

Instagram:   / kijkerbouwvsrug  

01:00 - Introduction to Jean-Pierre

02:31 - Staying Curious & Passionate: "difficulties can be wonderful"

05:46 - Stars Shine for Everyone: story behind how this project began

10:41 - Meeting Bruno Ernst in 2014 14:33 - "You CAN'T be whoever you want to be"

15:00 - Decision to Start: Partnering with Bresser’s CEO

17:00 - First Telescope Delivery: A memorable milestone

19:20 - The role of local supporters in project growth

21:27 - Small-World Story and the Importance of Cooperation

28:08 - Telescope Demo and Office Tour: A look inside Jean-Pierre's workspace and equipment

44:25 - Jean-Pierre’s Work at CERN: Insights into his role and projects

49:25 - Nobel Laureates' Signatures on Telescopes: The story behind these signatures and their significance

51:20 - Why SSVI Focuses on Community, Not Individuals: Discussing SSVI's educational approach and its community-centered focus

55:43 - "There Are a Lot of Good People..."

1:03:16 - Why Giving Up Isn't an Option

1:06:00 - Choose Friends Wisely

1:14:00 - Advice to My Younger Self and the Next Generation

1:15:43 - Staying Curious and Open-Minded

1:17:26 - Recent "Wow" Moments

1:19:12 - Women and Girls in Science

1:21:55 - Finding/Creating Meaning in Life