Saturday, September 17, 2011

As a scientist, my main claim to fame is developing Geophysical Electrophonics, a new science which explains several baffling mysteries relating to natural phenomena, such as auroral sounds, strange sounds from meteor fireballs, animal alarm prior to earthquakes, and other oddities. My earlier scientific contributions include the first determination of the incidence of radar meteors onto the southern hemisphere, and the first high resolution heat (infra-red) maps of the planet Jupiter at five microns.

I was until lately Conjoint Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. My disciplines are physics and astronomy (PhD, DSc). I retired as an academic in 1993, the latter 24 years as Associate Professor. However work is continuing on my main research interest, Geophysical Electrophonics, which I pioneered and developed over a period of nearly twenty years. (Refer to bibliography). My previous work was mainly in the field of radar meteor astronomy and to a lesser extent infra-red planetary astronomy.


During the past decade or so I have been deeply involved in planetary astronomy affairs as Vice President (1985-88) then President (1988-91) of the International Astronomical Union's Commission 22 (dealing with Meteors and Interplanetary Dust), Chairman of an IAU Working Group on the Prevention of Interplanetary Pollution, and as a member of the International Council of Scientific Unions' Working Group on Adverse Environmental Impacts on Astronomy. For five years from 1986 I served on Australia's National Committee for Astronomy.


In honour of my research, and work in support of astronomy, the asteroid known as Minor Planet 5007 KEAY has been named after me, for which I am grateful.
I was the Reviews Editor for Australian Physics, house journal of the Australian Institute of Physics from 1987 - 2007, and also a part-time journalist running a monthly Sky and Space column in the Newcastle Herald for 33 years.

In my spare time I try to keep on track the Hunter Skeptics, which I founded in 1987 as a Branch of the Australian Skeptics, Inc. It now has more than ninety members out of an Australian total of over 2000. We hosted very successful National Conventions in 1992 and 1997. As well, I was the first President of the Newcastle Astronomical Society, Inc, which I founded in 1993, and in 1999 was elected a Life Member. I am also a former President and Vice-President of the Newcastle Cycleways Movement, Inc., which enabled me to participate on the Bicycle Advisory Council of the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority.

In recent times I have entered the nuclear debate by self-publishing through The Enlightenment Press a series of small books on nuclear issues. I have been giving them to various politicians "to enlighten them" on a subject highly important for Australia's future. 

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