August 18, 2026 – Tuesday (Every 3rd Tuesday)
(10:00 am Pacific, 11:00 am Mountain, 12:00 pm Central, 1:00 pm Eastern)
Presenter: Karina Leppik, Systems Engineer, GMTNIRS
You will receive the Zoom link with your email payment receipt and also on the day of the webinar.
Cost: Members – $10, Non-Members – $25, AIPG Student Members – free
All AIPG Membership Categories save on AIPG webinars and meetings. Earn 0.1 CEU / 1 PDH for attending! Certificate links will be emailed after the webinar. You must attend for at least 50 minutes to receive a certificate.
AIPG provides NY State Education Department (NYSED) CEUs – To receive a certificate for NY state, you must attend the full webinar and complete and pass (at 70%) the assessment after the webinar. The assessment link is made available in the chat box at the end of the webinar. Registrants have 30 minutes to take the assessment as many times as needed to complete and pass.
Abstract
Astronomers often go to extraordinary lengths to obtain the clearest possible view of the universe. This talk explores two of the most unusual observatory sites ever used: the SOFIA airborne infrared telescope, which observed from a modified Boeing 747 above most of Earth’s atmospheric water vapor, and telescopes at the South Pole, where the exceptionally dry and stable atmosphere provides outstanding conditions for infrared, microwave, and cosmic microwave background observations. The talk will describe the scientific motivations for these unconventional observatories and the unique engineering and logistical challenges of operating telescopes in such remarkable locations.
Bio
Karina Leppik is a Systems Engineer for GMTNIRS, a first-generation instrument being developed for the Giant Magellan Telescope. She supports systems engineering activities across the instrument lifecycle, including requirements management, integration planning, and technical coordination among multidisciplinary engineering and science teams.
Previously, Karina served for more than seven years as a Flight Planner and Mission Director for NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). She planned and directed the execution of complex 10-hour science missions aboard the modified Boeing 747SP, coordinating aircraft operations, scientific objectives, and mission logistics to enable infrared astronomical observations.
Before joining SOFIA, Karina spent a winter at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station supporting operations of a submillimeter telescope and later managed observatory and planetarium operations and programming at Oberlin College.
Karina grew up in the Twin Cities, where early experiences at the Minneapolis Planetarium sparked her interest in science. She studied at the University of Minnesota, earned a B.A. in Physics from Kenyon College, and completed an M.S. in Astronomy at Swinburne University.
Cost: Members – $10 | Non-Members – $25 | AIPG Student Members – free
Participants who attend the full webinar will receive a certificate for 0.1 CEU / 1 PDH.
To earn NY State CEUs, you must attend the entire webinar, including the Q&A, and complete a brief assessment afterward with a score of at least 70%. The assessment link will be shared in the chat box at the end of the webinar. Multiple attempts are allowed.
Once registered, you will receive the Zoom link with your email receipt and a reminder on the day of the webinar.
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