Karen M. Strom
Karen Marie Strom (Lewallen; August 18, 1941 – April 29, 2014) was an American astronomer known for her work on stellar evolution and T Tauri stars, and described as a "world leader in the study of star formation". She was also a fine art photographer whose work is in the collections of multiple museums, and a historian of Native American culture.
Also recorded as Karen Strom · Karen Marie Strom · Karen Marie Lewallen
Karen M. Strom
- Name
- Karen Strom
- Birth Name
- Karen Marie Lewallen
- Born
- 18 August 1941
- Birthplace
- Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S.
- Died
- 29 April 2014
- Occupation
- * Astronomer
- Education
- Harvard College
- Spouse
- Stephen Strom
- Full name
- Karen Marie Lewallen.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Languages
- English.
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Documentary summary
Karen Marie Strom (Lewallen; August 18, 1941 – April 29, 2014) was an American astronomer known for her work on stellar evolution and T Tauri stars, and described as a "world leader in the study of star formation". She was also a fine art photographer whose work is in the collections of multiple museums, and a historian of Native American culture.
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Karen M. Strom (1941–2014) was an American astronomer and photographer. The astronomer was born Karen Marie Lewallen in Fairfax.
Karen M. Strom studied at Harvard College. The astronomer worked for Kitt Peak National Observatory and University of Massachusetts Amherst and was a member of American Astronomical Society and International Astronomical Union. Languages used include English.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Karen Strom • Birth Name — Karen Marie Lewallen • Born — 18 August 1941 • Birthplace — Fairfax, Oklahoma, U.S. • Died — 29 April 2014 • Occupation — * Astronomer • Photographer • Workplaces — * Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory • Stony Brook University • Kitt Peak National Observatory • University of Massachusetts Amherst • Education — Harvard College • Website — karenstrom.com • Spouse — Stephen Strom • Doctoral Students — Lori Allen
Life
Life
Strom was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, on August 18, 1941. After graduating from Harvard College in 1964, she worked for several years at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. In 1969, she followed her husband Stephen Strom to Stony Brook University as a research associate, and in 1972 they moved again to the Kitt Peak National Observatory, in Tucson, Arizona. They moved again to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1983, where Strom became a research associate and later Senior Research Fellow, returning to Tucson in 1998. She died on April 29, 2014.
Recognition
Recognition
In 1986 the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics in Mexico gave Strom an honorary doctorate. Minor planet 4604 Stekarstrom, discovered in 1987, was named after Strom and her husband.
Photography
Strom's photograph "Chapel Grid" (1981), a gelatin silver print, is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Four of her digital prints, studies of the tilework at the Alhambra from 2012 to 2013, are in the collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. Others of her works are in the collections of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art at the University of Oklahoma, and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Karen Strom”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q77092097: Karen M. Strom
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Strom, Karen. About Karen M. Strom.
- 2.Deaths. Arizona Daily Star. A25. 2014-05-03.
- 3.Tucson Museum of Art. Acquisitions. A Sense of Place: Annual Report 2015–2016. 25.
- 4.American Astronomical Society. Karen Marie Strom. Astrogen.
- 5.Hirshfeld, Alan. Obituary: Karen M. Strom (1941–2014). Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society. 50. 010. December 2018.
- 6.Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Karen M. Strom: Chapel Grid. The MFAH Collections.
- 7.Karen M. Strom. Henryetta Daily Free-Lance. 3. 2014-05-25.
- 8.International Astronomical Union. (4604) Stekarstrom = 1971 TC1 = 1979 BC2 = 1984 UY = 1987 SK. Minor Planet Center.
- 9.Strom, Steve. Steve & Karen Strom's Photography Newsletter. December 2014.
- 10.Irvine, William M. Reflections on the Growth of Astronomy at the University of Massachusetts and the Five College Astronomy Department. University of Massachusetts Amherst. 40.
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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