Andrew Johnston, Guest Speaker

Dr. Andrew Johnston is the Vice President for Museum Experience and Collections at Chicago’s Adler Planetarium. He leads the Adler’s efforts in exhibitions, theater productions, telescope observing, public programs, history of astronomy research, and collections care. Dr. Johnston heads the development of new exhibitions about planets and historic tools of astronomy and leads the production of sky shows that have explored subjects like the moon and theories about multiple universes. 

Dr. Johnston has 40 years’ experience in science museums, conducting research, developing and overseeing public programs, curating exhibitions, and developing planetarium and museum programs. Prior to the Adler, Dr. Johnston worked at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where he performed research on environmental dynamics and geophysical processes on Earth and other terrestrial planets. He used satellite remote sensing and field survey techniques to understand land cover change, patterns of human settlement, urban forest cover, forest canopy structure, and planetary landforms.

Dr. Johnston received his PhD in Geographical Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park. He regularly lectures on themes such as space exploration, astronomy, geography, earth science, climate change, and the history of navigation. Dr. Johnston authored the book Earth From Space and co-authored the Atlas of Space Exploration and Time and Navigation. 

Dr. Johnston’s hobby is close to his profession: he likes to visit museums when traveling. He believes that over the years, he may have been to more museums than any other person in the world.