About
The Starry Sky Project (formerly Starry Sky Austin) is an Austin, TX based 501c3 non-profit organization that promotes night sky education, conservation and research.
The night sky has served to inspire humanity across cultural and political boundaries for generations. As our human population grows and development increases, the use of artificial light at night is increasing. The overuse of artificial light at night causes light pollution which causes an increase in sky brightness, or the scattering of artificial light in the night sky.
Currently, “83% of the world’s population and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies” (Falchi et al. 2016). Light pollution washes out our view of the stars and our very own Milky Way Galaxy and has been shown to negatively impact human health, flora and fauna and ecosystems, wastes energy and causes unsafe glare.
As sky brightness is increasing at a rate of 9.6% increase per year (Kyba et al. 2023), younger generations living in urban communities may never see a natural night sky. Life on our planet which evolved under dark night skies is negatively impacted by increasing sky brightness.
Astronomy, the oldest science, serves to inspire children to develop an interest in science and math and provides an opportunity for kids and adults to experience nature at night and to connect with the cosmos. Without a naturally dark night sky, stargazing is becoming less accessible to our younger generations. What can we do to protect our night sky?
Board of Directors
Amy Jackson
Executive Director
Amy is passionate about sharing the night sky with others and preserving it for generations to come. Through founding her business Starry Sky Austin in 2010, Amy has provided astronomy education and outreach to Austin, TX, the surrounding communities and beyond and contributed to the field of dark sky conservation in Texas. In 2017, Amy became an ambassador for NoirLab’s Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassador Program and released her first children’s book written to inspire children to learn about the night sky “Cassandra and the Night Sky”. Amy holds a bachelors in physics from the University of Houston, a Master of Science Teaching from Rice University and a Master of Science in Geography from Texas State University. Her research focuses on light pollution in Texas. She won a Freeman Fellowship for the installation of a permanent Sky Quality Meter at the Freeman Center.
Abby Edgar
Board Member
Abigail Edgar earned a BS in mathematics from St. Edward’s University where she did research in graph theory. She enjoys using drone imagery to map and document the progress of various activities including a 2021-2023 study of air quality at conventional oil well locations. She is currently studying geography at Texas State University and thinks geographic information systems (GIS) are an essential education tool for dyslexic learners such as herself. A long time resident of Austin, Abigail combats the stress of busy city traffic by traveling to small towns as often as possible. She serves on the board of managers for Shepard Investment Group in Oregon and is co-founder of JJLM Investments in Texas. In her spare time, Abigail finds inner peace by working through the math and science logic of statistical claims made by government agencies and conspiracy theorists. She drives her family crazy by sharing her findings.
Leah Steinkirch
Board Member
Leah Steinkirch has never run short of passion. Always drawn to the study of human connection, she got her Master’s degree in Human Services in Counseling from Depaul University and has utilized this foundation in a variety of professional settings, social services, sales, and business operations. She has been on a winding career path, ranging from non-profit to Fortune 500 companies.
After the birth of her first child, she decided to pause her professional career and focus her time and energy on being at home with her daughter, but her creative energy refused to rest. Leah quickly found herself taking on projects to fulfill her need to stay engaged with her professional goals, including writing and illustrating a children’s book, graphic design, coding, and many Etsy side hustles. Fueled by both the frustration of the many barriers to re-entry into the workforce for women, as well as the lack of options that allow for motherhood as well, Leah joined Ashley Connell in building Prowess Project. Leah now applies both her creative and professional skills along with her counseling education as the COO of Prowess Project leading the charge on certification and Online Business Manager training. Outside of helping support women wanting to return to work, Leah loves to keep both her mind and body active by running, hiking or diving into a creative project with her children. Her home is overrun with animals, art projects, yoga mats, and coffee mugs.
Lori Paredes
Secretary of the Board
Lori is a marketing communications consultant supporting independent schools at Finalsite, an education technology company. She has a decade of experience in independent school marketing, communications, advancement and admissions work. Prior to her role as a consultant, she served as Director of Communications at The Regis School of the Sacred Heart in Houston, Texas. Before discovering her interest in supporting independent education, Lori worked in museum advancement at The Menil Collection in Houston and museum education at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. A fierce advocate for the power of messaging and branding, Lori is passionate about supporting the mission of her clients to help them achieve their marketing and communication goals.
Lori holds a master’s in public history from the University of Houston, a B.A. in History from Louisiana State University and a B.A. in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University. She served as the Communications Chair for the Houston Area Independent Schools Communications Group from 2020-2023. A native Houstonian, Lori recently moved to Austin and is enjoying being much closer to her sister, Amy Jackson, and the entire Jackson family.
Shellie Rosen
Board Member
SHELLIE L. ROSEN, PH.D., DIPL. O.M. (NCCAOM)®, DOM, L.AC.
Shellie is a health educator, licensed practitioner, and health writer. Her role at Starry Sky Project will center around ecosystems’ impacts on human health. Shellie holds a Ph.D. in human development, a master’s in organizational development and change, and national certification and state licensure in East Asian medicine. In her efforts to disseminate clinical findings to motivate behavior, she has authored over 200 publications aimed at healthy aging throughout the lifespan. Shellie’s work includes collaboration with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the World Health Organization, the American Herbal Products Association (APHA), and the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM).
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