Jonathan Gradie

Dr. Jonathan Gradie, Ph.D., a retired planetary scientist and entrepreneur, received a BS in Astronomy (1973) and Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences (1978) both from the University of Arizona. He his major focus was on applying polarization, photometric and infrared observations to understanding the properties of asteroids, comets and planetary satellites which he continued at Cornell University (6 years) and the University of Hawaii (for 32 years). Asteroid 3253 Gradie is named in recognition of this work. In the 1990s Dr. Gradie turned his attention to commercializing these remote sensing technologies to Earth observations and applications in medical imaging. Dr. Gradie, grew up in Putnam, CT, with dreams of being an astronomer but unaware of Seagrave Observatory a mere 15 miles east of his home. Fortunately, he discovered Seagrave and Skyscrapers upon returning to Northeast CT.