Dionysis P. Simopoulos (; 8 March 1943 – 7 August 2022) was a Greek

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

educator, science communicator and director emeritus of the Eugenides Planetarium.

Personal life

Dionysis P. Simopoulos was born in

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

, Greece, although he actually grew up in

Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 , ...

. He studied political communication, from January 1963 to December 1972, at the Departments of Government. During that period he received several awards and honors in various public speaking and debating competitions. He married Karen Louise Peterson in 1968, and they have a daughter, born in 1974, and two sons, born in 1976 and 1978. Simopoulos died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on 7 August 2022, at the age of 79.

Professional career

He started working in January 1968 and served as an Associate Curator (January–September 1968), as Assistant Director of Education (September 1968 – September 1969), and

Planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetarium ...

Director (September 1969 – March 1973) at th
Louisiana Arts and Science Center
in Baton Rouge, and as a Special Advisor to the Science Committee of the School Board (1970–1973). In October 1972, he was invited to return to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

by the

Eugenides Foundation The Eugenides Foundation ( el, Ίδρυμα Ευγενίδου) is Greek private educational foundation. It was established in 1956 in Athens, Greece implementing the will of the late Greek benefactor Eugenios Eugenidis, who died in April 1954. Th ...

where he worked as the Eugenides Planetarium's Director for 41 years (April 1973 – 2014). He has taught in many seminars for university graduates and business executives as an instructor of communication, decision making and problem solving. He has actively attended numerous professional conferences and seminars and has published hundreds of articles in Greek and foreign magazines and newspapers.

Professional activities

He served as the President of th
European Association for Astronomy Education
(1994–2002), as a member of the Executive Council of the

International Planetarium Society The International Planetarium Society, Inc. (IPS) is the global association of planetarium professionals. Its more than 600 members come from 42 countries around the world. They represent schools, colleges and universities, museums, and public fac ...

(1978–2008) and as the Secretary General of the European-Mediterranean Planetarium Association (1976–2008). He was a

Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NGO ...

(since 1978) and the International Planetarium Society (since 1980) and held memberships in many other international scientific organizations. In 1996, he received the highest honor
IPS Service Award
of the

for his contribution to the international astronomy education, and in 2006, he was honored with the

Palmes Académiques Palmes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Sir Brian Palmes, English landowner and politician *Sir Guy Palmes, English politician * Brian Palmes MP *Lieutenant General Francis Palmes Lieutenant-General Francis Palmes MP ( ...

of the French Republic. In 2012 the Hellenic Physics Society (EEF) honored him with a special lifetime achievement award for his contributions to the popularization of science in Greece. At the 2015 annual festive session of the Academy of Athens, the country's highest scientific and cultural institution, Simopoulos received the Academy's Science Award "for his overall contribution to the popularization and dissemination of astronomy and the exemplary operation of the Eugenides Planetarium."

Audiovisual activities

He has written more than 500

scripts Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

for science shows and documentary series for the Greek PBS System (ERT). He has written over 250 planetarium show scripts, two sets of scripts (30 and 24 episodes) for special video lessons on astronomy and space science (for the Greek Ministry of Education), a series of four

CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...

s on

, and has delivered more than 500 lectures on science and

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

all over Greece.

Scripts for television series

*''Red Giants, White Dwarfs'': (1982–1986, ΕΤ-1) A series of 195 half-hour shows on physical sciences. *''Opinion Polls'':(1985, ET-1) A series of 12 half-hour shows on public opinion polls. *''Greece and the World'': (1986–1987, ΕΤ-1) A series of 39 half-hour instructional shows. *''Explorers'': (1988, ΕΤ-1) A series of 13 half-hour instructional shows. *''Young Explorers'': (1989, ΕΤ-1) A series of 26 half-hour instructional shows. *''My Five Wonderful Collaborators'': (1989–1990, ΕΤ2) A series of 26 half-hour instructional shows on the five senses. *''Target'': (1990–1991, ΕΤ-1) A series of 13 half-hour instructional shows. *''Space'': (1991, ΕΤ-1) A series of 18 5-min instructional videos for young people. *''The Pathways of the Stars'': (1992–1993, ΕΤ-1) A series of 14 45-min. documentaries on space exploration. *''The Star of Christmas'': (1994, ΕΤ2) A one-hour documentary *''The Great Adventure'': (1994–1995, Educational Television, Ministry of Education) A series of 30 15-min documentaries on space science. *''Tele-Quiz'': (1995–1996, ΕΤ2) A series of 26 half-hour instructional shows. *''Windows to the Universe: (1998–1999, Educational Television, Ministry of Education) A series of 24 15-min documentaries on astronomy for High School students . *''Phenomena'': (science advisor, 2000–2001, ΕΤ-1) A series of four documentaries on general science.

Writing activities

He served as a science Collaborator and columnist for the newspapers ''

Vradyni I Vradyni, or simply Vradyni ( el, Η Βραδυνή), is an Athens-based nationally published weekly Greek newspaper. It has a liberal approach to the economy and is a traditional right-wing political orientation. The newspaper is published by ...

'' (1970–1975), ''Sunday Eleftherotypia'' (1990–1992), ''Sunday Ethnos'' (1993–2010), ''Sunday

Kathimerini ''Kathimerini'' (Greek: Η Καθημερινή, pronounced kaθimeriˈni meaning ''The Daily'') is a daily, political and financial morning newspaper published in Athens. Its first edition was printed on September 15, 1919. and it is considered ...

'' (2014–) and for the magazines ''Georama-Experiment'' (1995–2005), ''Erevnites'' (''

'', 1999–2004), '' PCWorld'' (2004–2007) and ''GEOtropio'' ('' Eleftherotypia'', 2000–2010). He was also a member of the Editorial Board of the IPS Journal
The Planetarian
' (1978–2008), has authored a series of six books for young people titled ''The Secrets of the Universe'' (''Erevnites'') and a series of 18 books for the planetarium shows (Eugenides Foundation).

Bibliography

*''The Birth of the Stars, Athens: Erevnites, 1996, 104 pp. () *''The Death of the Stars, Athens: Erevnites, 1997, 102 pp. *''Planets and Satellites, Athens: Erevnites, 1999, 104 pp. *''At the Earth's Neighbourhood, Athens: Erevnites, 2001, 112 pp. *''The Discovery of the Galaxies, Athens: Erevnites, 2003, 112 pp.
''Cosmic Odyssey''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2003, 64 pp.
''Voyage without an End''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2004, 120 pp.
''New Horizons''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2005, 120 pp.
''Genesis and Cataclysm''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2006, 120 pp.
''Black Holes''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2006, 120 pp.
''The Star of Christmas''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2006, 120 pp.
''The Dance of the Planets''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2007, 64 pp. *''The Pathway of the Sun'', Athens: ELTA, Hellenic Post, 2007, 120 pp.
''From the Earth to the Moon''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2007, 120 pp.
''The Violent Universe''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2008, 120 pp.
''The 7 Wonders of the Cosmos''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2008, 140 pp. *''The Biography of the Universe'', Athens: Erevnites, 2008, 112 pp. ()
''Death of the Stars''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2009, 120 pp.
''The Great Adventure''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2009, 128 pp.
''The Day Star''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2010, 120 pp.
''Windows to the Universe''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2011, 120 pp.
''Evolution''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2011, 120 pp.
''The Mystery of Life''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2012, 120 pp.
''Ancient Skies''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2012, 120 pp.
''The Living Planet''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2013, 120 pp.
''Pathways of the Stars''
Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2013, 120 pp. *''We Are Stardust'', Athens: Metaixmio, 2017, 200 pp. ()

References

Sources

''The Eugenides Planetarium: 10 Years of the New Digital Planetarium'', Athens: Eugenides Foundation, 2013, 74 σελ.

RetroDB: Κόκκινοι γίγαντες άσπροι νάνοι

Retromaniax Forum: Κόκκινοι γίγαντες άσπροι νάνοι

Interview to Yiannis Triantafyllou in "Eleftherotypia", 24 June 2008

Doctv, Interview to Melita Karali, 1 October 2010

Interview to the "Education" magazine, 22 December 2010

Interview to the "Astrovox" portal, 17 April 2011

ellines.com Interview to "Real News", 9 October 2011

Interview to Petros Birbilis in "MediaSoup", 16 October 2011

Interview to Maria Katsounaki in "Sunday’s Kathimerini": «Η Ελλάδα διαθέτει τα καλύτερα μυαλά», 15 July 2012

Interview to Nektaria Karakosta in "Diagnosis": «Το μέλλον της Ελλάδας είναι οι άνθρωποί της», 27 December 2012

Interview to Georgia Georgakarakou in "Ta Nea": "Δεσμοί Αίματος", 9 February 2013

Interview to George Kiousis in "Eleftherotypia": «Να γίνετε ‘ερασιτέχνες’ σε οτιδήποτε κι αν κάνετε», 21 July 2013

Interview to Takis Scrivanos in "Athens Voice", 16 October 2013

Interview to Yiannis Triantafyllou in "LIFO": «Dionysis Simopoulos de profundis», 18 November 2013

Interview to Evangelia Kakleidakis in «e-Maga.gr», 1 December 2013

Interview to Stelios Voyiagakis in "Ethnos": "Counting Stars for a whole Lifetime", 25 April 2015
* Interview to Panos Sakkas
“Συνέντευξη με τον γήινο Διονύση Σιμόπουλο”, ΣΚΑΪ, 10 Δεκεμβρίου 2016
* Interview to Lida Arnellou
“Συνέντευξη με τον Διονύση Σιμόπουλο: Ένα ταξίδι στο χθες και το σήμερα”, Πρίσμα, 1 Ιανουαρίου 2017
* Interview to Fanis Vgenopoulos
“Ο αστροφυσικός Διονύσης Σιμόπουλος πιο γήινος από ποτέ!” TheBest, 9 Ιανουαρίου 2017
* Interview to Panos Sakkas
O Διονύσης Σιμόπουλος «κρυφακούει» τα βαρυτικά κύματα”, ΣΚΑΪ, 29 Ιανουαρίου 2017
* Interview to Katia Tsimblaki
“O Δ. Σιμόπουλος στο CNN Greece”, CNN Greece, 30 Ιανουαρίου 2017
* Newsroom

* Interview to Yiannis Triantafyllou, ttp://poplike.gr/5632-2/ "Διονύσης Σιμόπουλος – "Μικρό παιδί σαν ήμουνα..." ”, POPLIKE, 20 Φεβρουαρίου 2017 {{DEFAULTSORT:Simopoulos, Dionysis 1943 births 2022 deaths Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Greece Greek science writers Scientists from Ioannina Louisiana State University alumni Greek emigrants to the United States