Luncheon Speaker: Brian Bauman, LLNL
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
11:00 AM
Cattlemens Restaurant
2882 Kitty Hawk Rd
Livermore, CA 94551,
Cost $40/ person
The speaker at our October 13 luncheon will be Brian Bauman, LLNL
Vera Rubin Observatory: From first light to science operations
The Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is conducting a 10-year all-sky survey to answer a wide range of questions from understanding dark matter to looking for “Killer Asteroids”. LLNL has participated in the Vera Rubin Observatory over the last 25 years, starting a few years after its conception. LLNL scientists and engineers have been instrumental in the project, and LLNL astrophysicists will be on the front lines understanding what the data tell us.
Just over a year ago, the Vera Rubin Observatory showed spectacular “First Light” images. Commissioning is complete and science operations have begun. We’ll talk about both the science and the engineering behind VRO at a level for a lay audience.
Brian Bauman is an optical engineer who has been at LLNL for 31 years. He has worked the last 28 years in instrumentation for astronomical telescopes (e.g., Vera Rubin Observatory, Lick Observatory Laser Guide Star, Gemini Planet Imager) and over the last 15 years has worked for the LLNL Space Program in developing rugged, compact telescopes for small satellites. He received his Ph.D. in Optical Sciences in 2003 from the University of Arizona.