Dr. Mark Whittle is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Virginia, where he has been teaching since 1986. He teaches on the solar system, stars, galaxies, cosmology, and observing techniques. He also gives frequent public lectures, and he is committed to community outreach on all areas of astronomy, particularly cosmology. Professor Whittle's research centers on various aspects of nuclear activity in galaxies, a phenomenon that arises from gas falling onto supermassive black holes. His most recent work focuses on the properties of jets that emerge from Seyfert galaxies and the role they play in energizing the central few thousand light-years. Professor Whittle uses both optical and radio telescopes for his research, including the Hubble Space Telescope. Professor Whittle was a Mackinnon Scholar at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, where he obtained his B.A. Honors in Physics, First Class. He earned his M.A. in Physics at Oxford and his Ph.D. in Astronomy at the University of Cambridge.