[1] Fraknoi continues to serve on the board of trustees of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, a scientific and educational organization.

Fraknoi served as the executive director of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific from 1978 to 1992,[5] edited its popular magazine "Mercury", both expanding circulation and reaching out to lay people as well as teachers.

[12] Since 1999, Fraknoi has organized and moderated the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture Series where noted astronomers from around California and the nation give nontechnical public talks on new developments in our exploration of the universe in the large Smithwick Theater at Foothill College.

Cosponsored by the SETI Institute, and the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, and the University of California Observatories, the talks, attended by 400 to 900+ people each time, have featured Nobel laureates, members of the National Academy of Sciences, and many other distinguished scientists.

[14] Fraknoi has served on the board of trustees of the SETI Institute, a scientific and educational organization devoted to the search for life in the universe, since its inception in 1985.

From 2010 to 2012, he was vice-chair of the Board and served on the program committee planning the first and second SETIcon, a national weekend public conferences devoted to the scientific quest for our counterparts among the stars.

He was the lead author of Voyages through the Universe, an introductory college astronomy textbook published by Brooks-Cole, which went through three editions.

My son, who was 13 at the time, and I got a chance to write a picture book on astronomy for Disney and the challenge was how can we convey some of these modern ideas, including the Big Bang, to kids who are in 4th or 5th grade.

[1] The story "Cave in Arsia Mons" is in the book "Building Red: Mission Mars," edited by Janet Cannon, and the story "Supernova Rhythm" is published in the book "Science Fiction by Scientists," edited by Mike Brotherton and published by Springer.

[9] Two of his stories appeared in Sci Phi Journal, while others can be found on-line in Flash Fiction, Wyldblood, and Theme of Absence magazines; see External Links below.

Fraknoi has been a frequent radio, television and podcast guest explaining astronomical developments in everyday language.

"[21] His television appearances include The Today Show, CBS Morning News, and Larry King Live.

[25][4] In 2011 he was elected an Honorary Member by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada[26] and in 2013 was conferred the Faraday Science Communicator Award.

[29] Fraknoi has demonstrated, through a lifetime of work, his commitment to advancing public understanding of astronomy and science using everyday language.

[22] He said in an interview after being named 2007 California Professor of the Year: "I believe that an understanding of our place in the wider universe and the methods of science are part of the birthright of everyone living on our planet...

Michael Faraday, for whom the award was named, was an influential 19th century scientist and a great advocate for rigorous, skeptical thinking and recognizing how easy it is for the mind to deceive itself.

Fraknoi was quoted on receipt of the award, "I too try to encourage students and the public to examine claims at the fringes of science with skepticism and fact-based thinking".