BIO
- William earned a BS in wildlife biology at the University of Maryland (1970), an MA in Political Science (environmental policy) and a Graduate Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Hawaii (1986). In 2005, he became interested in astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life, returned to UH, and was awarded a doctorate in Political Science and Futures Studies in 2012. His dissertation, “Bioethical considerations and property rights issues associated with the discovery of extraterrestrial biological entities -- Implications for political policy in the context of futures studies,” provided new perspectives on the relationships of bioethics and concepts of the ownership of life to the political process of space exploration and exploitation.
- He served in the US Submarine Service (the ultimate space analog!); US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center; Primate and Large Carnivore divisions at the National Zoological Park; as a wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian Institution; and 19 years with FWS’s Endangered Species Program in Honolulu and Washington D.C. He retired from Federal service in 1997 as Chief of Endangered Species Recovery and Consultation. After returning to Hawaii, he taught biology and bioethics at the Punahou Academy and Hawaii Pacific University. In 2001 he was contracted by the Naval Facilities Engineering Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet where he was a senior environmental scientist for 13 years, advising on a wide range of endangered species and environmental policy issues. William was employed by HDR, Inc. from 2017 to 2019 as their Extraterrestrial Environmental Analyst, exploring ways to encourage space ventures to consider their potential impact on the Moon and Mars.
- He has served as Mission Commander at the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah and as First Tier Mission Support for NASA’s Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation study. From 2013 to the present he has lectured and led workshops for the International Space University in France, The Netherlands, Portugal, Korea, and Brazil. He is an advisor to the Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) Space Initiative and is on the Scientific Council of the Alternative Planetary Futures Institute.
- His publications include critiques on astrobiology, the culture of outer space exploration, bioethics, and the application of intellectual property rights (patents) to potential extraterrestrial life. Current academic research and publications focus on the potential environmental impacts of human activities, such as construction and mining, on extraterrestrial landscapes; potentials for applying Aldo Leopold’s land ethic to space exploration; the concept of cultural and political boundaries in outer space; and the growing effect of technology on bioethics.
- Dr. Kramer provides presentations on a range of space topics aboard cruise ships.
- Although he now lives near Madison, Wisconsin, William remains affiliated with the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies (University of Hawaii) and is a member of the following organizations:
- The National Space Society
- Georgetown University Space Initiative
- Scientific Council - Alternative Planetary Futures Insitute
- The Long Now Foundation
- World Futures Studies Federation
- National Association of Environmental Professionals
- International Society for Environmental Ethics
- SETI
- Moon Village Association
- Secure World Federation
- For All Moonkind
- Nonhuman Rights Project