Mark Schneider lives just outside Chicago, Illinois. He has four children and two grandchildren. After graduating from Washington University (St. Louis) in 1978, he pursued a business career in capital investments. A second degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, Mark received a master's degree in astronomy from the University of Western Sydney in 2003. Even though Mark's business is in capital investments, his loves are his family and astronomy. If he could help, or encourage other people to enjoy the wonders of the night sky, or become interested in some aspect of astronomy or astrophysics then Mark feels his time would be extremely well spent.