Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
For some, retirement is a goal they set at the beginning of their careers. For others, it’s something that they may or may not enjoy.
Drew Maerz tried retirement, twice. But when a posting for the Green Bank Observatory head of education position caught his eye, he knew it was time to “un-retire” once again.
Maerz began his career in education after earning a degree in chemistry education at Penn State. His dream to become an astronaut was dashed when he grew six inches in one year and was too tall to be a pilot.
So instead of soaring in the sky, he settled for teaching others the wonders of science. Maerz taught high school science in North Carolina for seven years before moving up the ranks, first as principal, then central office director.
While teaching, Maerz started two new programs in the science department for students who needed a science credit but weren’t interested in physics or chemistry.
“They let me start a meteorology and astronomy program,” he said. “I’ve always loved it. I taught Earth science with chemistry, so I was able to start that. I’ve just always been interested in [astronomy].”
After 30 years in education in North Carolina, Maerz retired to Highland County, Virginia, where he and his wife settled. Their two children were out of school and on to their own next chapters, so Maerz seemed poised for a life of leisure.
That is until he became superintendent of schools for Highland County. That job lasted three years before he retired again. Then came the GBO posting.
“I probably wouldn’t have even thought of it if I hadn’t already lived in Monterey,” he said. “I don’t know if my wife would have moved up here just on a whim, but the fact that we’re already here and she was happy – she has a job that she enjoys there.
“I came here and when I met with the team here, I walked into an amazing staff,” he continued. “The educational department here – I could not ask for a better team to work into. They care about kids, they care about education, but then they’re also just fascinated by the place, and how can you not be?”
In the past, as an educator and cub scout leader, Maerz knew about the observatory and wanted to bring scouts and students to visit the facility, so now to be an employee, he is excited to spread awareness about the programs and education people of all ages can get there.
“It is amazing here,” he said. “The people are phenomenal.”
Maerz said he is learning a lot from all the people at the observatory and wants to ensure that students know there are so many fields of study that can bring them back to the observatory with a career.
He recalled a conversation with a student who asked what kind of jobs are at the observatory. The young man said he wasn’t interested in going to college and that he thought about entering the welding field.
“I said, ‘you know, there are jobs here for that,’” Maerz said. “We have people that have engineering degrees, but we also have technicians who may have gone to a two-year community college to get the trade done. If you’re interested, follow your passion.”
Maerz said he learned as a scout leader to work with kids who had all kinds of interests. One scout was struggling in school and was trying to decide what kind of merit badges he wanted to earn.
He tried an automotive badge, and he realized he loved working with cars. Maerz helped the student enroll in community college and they took automotive courses while in high school. He now makes a living as a mechanic.
“It started because he took a merit badge,” Maerz said. “Who knows what a child walking through here is going to be passionate about. That’s part of what I love is how you build that and encourage it.”
While school is out for the summer, the education program at GBO is getting ready for a busy summer. Programs like PING, which is geared toward high school freshmen interested in physics, will be taking place.
Along with those specialty programs, there are always opportunities for field trips and Maerz said there are already several on the schedule from homeschool programs, girl scouts and cub scouts.
“We also have some summer camps that will bring students over for a day,” he said. “We will have a group from University of Virginia bringing some students. In June and August, we have people come in for our Radio Astronomer for a Day program.
“They stay overnight,” he continued. “They get trained on the 40-foot telescope and they get to drive the telescope to do independent research. Then they’re taught how to analyze the data and make some decisions.”
A lot of the RAD participants are college age or older but can include younger astronomy enthusiasts. They have had participants as young as fifth grade.
Although he never got to be an astronaut to fly among the stars, Maerz is happy to be at an observatory that educates others about the stars and the possibilities of what is in outer space.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “All the staff I’ve met here is phenomenal and the people I meet in town are great. One of the things we look forward to is making this place more engaging and more exciting and trying to make sure that all the students in the region at least know that this is an option.”
