Ian Durham: The Star Gazer

December 30, 2022

By Susan Gallagher, Staff Writer

Ian Durham asks the big questions. His quest for answers leads him through the cosmos, in search of the origins of the universe, how it evolved, and how it behaves.

This president of the Astronomical Society of Northern New England is far more than just a casual observer of the stars. He bears the titles of physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and professor. Above all, he is a questioner.

Growing up in Buffalo, Durham was the child perpetually asking “why?” Now a Kennebunk resident and self-described “crotchety old Mainer,” he says wryly, “I never grew out of the ‘why’ stage. That’s why I am a physicist. I dig deeper.”

Surprisingly, the young Durham had no yearning to be a scientist. Early on, his plans were set to become a theater major. Having inherited his parents’ love of theater, this seemed the obvious choice. Of course, there was always his childhood dream of becoming a private detective to consider. “I even had a business card that read, ‘Ian Durham, Private Investigator,’” he laughs. But in his senior year of high school, an AP Chemistry class awakened in him a previously dormant interest in science.

As an undergraduate, he ended up in mechanical engineering but found himself drawn to aerospace studies. When this led to some work with contracts for NASA, Ian began to find direction. Strangely enough, it was the 1997 movie “Contact” that would determine his course. After seeing the film, which entails a scientist’s search for proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, Durham knew what he wanted to do. “I realized that I liked figuring out problems,” he recalls. “I wanted to solve mysteries.” The card-carrying boy detective was still alive and well inside of Ian Durham, eager to emerge and crack another baffling case.

The inquisitive Durham was destined for the realm of physics, achieving a Master of Science degree in Applied Physics at Johns Hopkins University. He considers himself a physicist first, before any other of his professional monikers. “I can do anything as a physicist,” he says. “Physicists are very curious people.”

It is no wonder that he is a member of the Foundational Questions Institute, an organization that supports research on the fundamental questions of physics and cosmology. Durham is not disheartened by the lack of final answers to these questions. “I try to chip away at the big questions,” he says. “I am a speck of dust in the universe. Some questions are just too big, too much for humankind to solve.”

Durham’s academic journey did not end with his master’s in physics and would bring an unexpected diversion to his path by way of Scotland. While there earning a Ph.D. in Mathematics at the University of St. Andrews, he stumbled into a teaching job and, much to his surprise, found that he liked it. “I vowed never to be a teacher,” he says emphatically. “Everyone in my family was a teacher, so I was determined not to be.” His innate love of teaching, however, could no longer be denied.

Now a Professor and Chair of Physics at St. Anselm College, Durham strives to instill his own inquiring nature in his students. He vividly recalls two comments from former students about his class: “Physics taught me to question everything,” and “There are no free answers in Professor Durham’s class.” “When I hear these things,” Durham says with obvious satisfaction, “I know I’ve done my job.”

Despite his identity as a man of science, Ian is not without religious facets. “I am a spiritual guy,” he says in a serious tone. While he was raised Catholic and teaches at a Catholic institution, he considers himself a “Unitarian Druid.” Unitarian for 20 years now, he wears a sheepish grin when he says, “A little sliver of me is always Catholic.” As for the Druidry, he goes on to say, “I also love exploring other religions and spiritualities.”

To this end, he has traveled to India to work with Tibetan monks and study Buddhism. In 2018 and 2019, he took part in the Science for Monks program initiated by the Dalai Lama to connect Buddhism and science. At the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Durham shared with the monks his knowledge of quantum mechanics, and they, in turn, taught him about Buddhism.

Behind Ian Durham’s professorial exterior and formidable intellect dwells his more fallible persona. He describes himself as having “innate Charlie Brown qualities.” Clarifying this, he adds, “absent-minded, a bit cluttered and perhaps a bit accident-prone.” Like Charlie, he is ever hopeful that Lucy will have changed, and won’t pull the football away as he is about to kick it. Deep down, however, he does not really expect a positive outcome. “I am an odd person,” he admits, “I am hopeful but also cynical.”

It is his hopeful side that he brings to the Astronomical Society of Northern New England. Of the organization he says simply, “We are just people who love the stars.” A member for the last 21 years, he is now both president and treasurer. Durham stresses that the society is not only for scientists like himself, but for anyone drawn by the allure of the night sky and its myriad stars.

ASNNE is unique among astronomical societies in that it operates its own observatory. Opened in 2001, the Starfield Observatory in Kennebunk is crowned with an unusual roll-off roof that allows a panoramic view of the night sky. Here, monthly star parties are held where all are welcome to view the heavens and learn more about the universe they inhabit. Two powerful telescopes enable participants to view planets, galaxies, constellations, nebulae and star clusters. Astrophotography is often included, offering the chance to forever preserve the celestial beauty.

In addition to hosting star parties, the society meets monthly at the New School in Kennebunk, where speakers share their astronomical knowledge with a rapt audience. Durham is humble about his expertise: “We just love looking at the stars and teaching other people about them.”

Incredibly, the busy professor manages to find spare time to take a break from his erudite pursuits. Whenever possible, he escapes to the great outdoors, where he enjoys fly fishing, hiking and canoeing. Here, the only questions he needs to ponder are the small ones.

As to the origins of the universe, Durham states that the Big Bang Theory was proven 60 years ago, but, true to form, he digs deeper. “What caused the Big Bang Theory?” he asks. “It couldn’t have come from nothing.” Perhaps the answers lie beyond the stars, but Ian will keep an eye to the sky, and keep on searching.