Astronomer Roy Tucker, discoverer of asteroid 34791, presents a plague to Eric Craine (right), formally designating that asteroid “Ericcraine.”
Eric Craine, an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Physics for more than three decades, stepped down from that position last fall.
Craine is the CEO of Western Research Company which, among other things, develops medical applications for astronomical imaging techniques. During his tenure as affiliate faculty at CSU, he was an integral part of astronomy research efforts. Sitting on several graduate committees and collaborating on a variety of research projects, he worked on the Global Network of Astronomical Telescopes sky survey, light at night, variable stars, and low-luminosity dwarf stars.
On Dec. 2, 2017, the International Astronomical Union Committee on Small Body Nomenclature designated asteroid 34791 as asteroid Ericcraine.