A new gift from the Windy Ridge Foundation, which was doubled by state matching, elevates the Harry C. Vaughan Professorship in Astronomy to the level of a chair—a significant boost not only for the Department of Physics and Astronomy but for the University of Wyoming.

The purpose of the excellence fund is to recruit and retain top faculty in astronomy at UW. The original professorship—established by the Windy Ridge Foundation—leveraged matching funds.

The professorship has been held since 2019 by Daniel “Danny” Dale of Physics and Astronomy, who also is serving as interim dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

“Danny Dale is widely recognized as an internationally leading researcher in the structure and evolution of galaxies,” says Robert Kennicutt Jr., professor laureate at the University of Arizona, who has conducted collaborative research with Dale.

‍

The Windy Ridge Foundation was created by Harry C. Vaughan, a professor of meteorology in the Iowa State Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences. Upon retirement, Vaughan relocated to Laramie and befriended UW faculty. He built a personal observatory in his backyard and mentored UW students.

The Windy Ridge Foundation has changed the landscape of UW astronomy. It has supported the renovation of what is now the Harry C. Vaughan UW Planetarium as well as the Windy Ridge Foundation Astro Camp—a free weeklong on-campus program for middle school students that focuses on astronomy, science, and engineering. Dale has been stewarding Windy Ridge’s vision from the very beginning.

“We are fortunate to receive the continued support of the Windy Ridge Foundation and to benefit from the original vision of Harry C. Vaughan, who was passionate about STEM education,” Dale says.

‍