Darryl Koon
Address:
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109Phone:
6263793403Member of:
Laboratory Studies And Atmospheric ObservationsBiography
Darryl Koon was born and raised in Hawaii and has lived on 3 of the islands: Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island of Hawaii. Darryl has worked at 4 different observatories on 2 of the 3 highest mountains in Hawaii. He is especially interested in science involving the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. He enjoys working with his hands and mind on many types of technologically advanced systems and projects.
Education
- Chicago Technical School certified Appliance Repair Technician, 2017
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1985.
Professional Experience
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- LiDAR Research Technician and Field Engineer, Earth science, Science Division, Mauna Loa Observatory NDACC building, Hawaii (2017- present)
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, High Altitude Observatory
- Associate Scientist and Observatory Manager, solar science, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, Hawaii (2008-2012)
- Associate Scientist, solar science, Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, Hawaii (1993-2008)
- University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy:
- Observer and Observatory Foreman, solar science, Mees Solar Observatory, Maui (1989-1993)
- LASER Ranging Technician and Operator, NASA Lunar Ranging Experiment (LURE) Observatory project, artificial satellite and lunar retroreflector target acquisition and tracking via LiDAR, Maui (1985-1989)
- Naval Ocean Systems Center:
- Design Engineer, worked on remote controlled submerged and terrestrial unmanned vehicles and other platforms for the Advanced Fiber Optic Systems Branch, Oahu (1983-1985)
Community Service
- FCC licensed "Extra Class" Amateur Radio Operator/Technician, AH6TQ
- Emergency Medical Services certified First Responder, and American Red Cross certified in CPR and Basic Life Support.
Research Interests
Atmospheric composition and change. Autonomous and remote controlled mobile or stationary systems. Solar activity and how it affects Earth.
Selected Awards
- NASA Group Achievement Award as part of the STEREO Cor1 Science and Engineering Team (2008)
- National Solar Observatory "Hero of GONG" individual operations and support award (2012)
Selected Publications
- Kiel et al. – “Long-term (1999-2019) variability of stratospheric aerosol over Mauna Loa, Hawaii, as seen by two co-located lidars and satellite measurements”.
- BBC TV show "Stargazing Live" season #1 episode #2, as a guest on the show, answered questions live for an audience of over 5,000,000 people in an episode about the Sun and solar activity, show "presenters" were Liz Bonnin and Brian Cox, 2011.
- White, O.R., Fox, P.A., Meisner, R., Koon, D., Rast, M., Yasukawa, E., Rice. C., Lin, H., Kuhn, J., Coulter, R., "Data From the Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (PSPT) in Hawaii From March 1998 to March 1999" Space Science Reviews (2000) 94: 75.