Education and Public Outreach:
The Astronomy department here at Cornell has an active and thriving community of graduate students, faculty, and staff who are interested and invested in education and public outreach efforts. Throughout my years here, I have participated in, organized, and led many outreach activities benefiting students and teachers in upstate New York.
After graduation, I plan to work in the field of education and/or public outreach; I'm particular interested in education research as applied to informal settings and the "Astro 101"-style classroom, as well as in curriculum development. With my background in English literature, I see a strong connection between science literacy and the traditional concepts of literacy, and hope to do work that connects the two. What follows is a partial listing of my outreach activities.
International Year of Astronomy 2009:
In 2009, I served as a NASA International Year of Astronomy Student Ambassador for New York State. My projects included developing a set of five kits that can be used in the EYES (Encourage Young Engineers and Scientists) outreach programs through the Cornell Public Service Center, and organzing a large community event for at the Museum of the Earth during the fall of 2009.- Ongoing collaboration with EYES through Spring 2010. Activities focus on the scale of the Solar System.
- IYA 2009 Kickoff Ice Cream Social and Ice Cream Flavor Contest: members of the astronomy department proposed astronomically-themed ice cream flavors, and the Cornell Dairy made a custom batch of the winning flavor (February 20, 2009).
- Activity stations (constellation drawings, "Toad in the Moon" storyboarding) for Cornell Reunion Weekend event (June 5, 2009).
- Apollo 11th Anniversary celebration planning committee, event setup and AV for panel discussion, and family activities for ~150 participants (July 18, 2009).
- Sponsor and co-organizer (with Nancy Schaff) for New York K-6 International Year of Astronomy art contest (entries due December 21, 2009; judging January 20, 2010).
- Solar Observing at Fuertes Observatory, Cornell University (November 10, 2009).
- Constellation Activities at Bethlehem Public Library, Delmar, NY (November 21, 2009).
- Museum in the Dark (October 29, 2009)
- Partnered with the Museum of the Earth for an evening Halloween event.
- Developed a set of 3 activities and 11 interactive stations, from LN2 Ice Cream to a thermal IR camera demo to the AFGU Worlds in Comparison and Pocket Solar System activities.
- Recruited a group of 15 volunteers from our department.
- Purchased and gathered materials, and organized set up and flow of the astronomy portion of the event.
Mayan/2012 Doomsday Hoax:
- Through our department's website Curious? Ask an Astronomer I became involved in debunking the 2012 Doomsday Hoax, and have made several efforts to send a loud, clear message that the Universe isn't out to get us.
- October 11, 2009: Associated Press article by Mark Stevenson, "2012 isn't the end of the world, Mayans insist."
- October 21, 2009: guest, WEOL Morning Show, AM 930, Cleveland, Ohio.
- October 21, 2009: guest, Air America's "Montel Across America," 10:30 a.m. Download the audio in wma format: here.
- November 29, 2009: guest, Science Cabaret on Air, WICB (Ithaca, NY). Half-hour radio show, hosted by Jenny Nelson, discussing various astronomical topics including the 2012 Hoax. Download the audio in mp3 format: part 1 and part 2.
- Upcoming: May 22, 2010: Science Cabaret event in Ithaca, NY.
Cornell Public Service Center Leadership:
- Tutor and Team Leader, Raising Education Attainment Challenge (REACH) program, October 2008 - December 2009.
- Board Member, REACH, December 2009-present.
- Co-Coordinator and Board Member, Graduate Student School Outreach Program (GRASSHOPR), December 2009-present.
Workshops:
- ALFALFA Undergraduate Workshop: volunteer for a conference held at the Arecibo Observatory, giving undergraduate collaborators on the ALFALFA project a chance to work in the field with the world's largest radio telescope. Led workshop sessions and telescope observing runs (January 9-15, 2009; January 10-14, 2010).
- EPO Intern Training for the New York Space Grant Cornell Undergraduate/Community Partnerships Program (October 21, 2009).
- Focus for Teens: workshop instructor 2006; Astronomy department event
organizer/coordinator, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
- Focus For Teens: Career Explorations is a 3-day workshop that brings students from across the state onto Cornell's campus, organized by 4H and Cornell Cooperative extension.
- In the astronomy department, the events are entirely planned and taught by graduate student volunteers.
- Responsiblities in 2009: Communicate with 4H/Cooperative Extension Coordinator, coordinate volunteers, develop schedule and curriculum, obtain materials and intstructions, purchase arts and crafts materials and ingredients for edible projects, reserve rooms, order lunches, produce packets for each participant, run introductory session, teach a workshop session, facilitate the Poster Presentation Symposium on Day 3.
- Summer Teacher Institute: volunteer 2007 and 2008 (July 7-11, 2008).
- GRASSHOPR (see teaching experience): developed and taught 8-session enrichment course in local middle school (March-May, 2008)
- Expanding Your Horizons: workshop volunteer 2008 (April 26, 2008)
- Afterschool Universe Teacher Workshop: volunteer at Binghamton Cornell Cooperative Extension (December 15, 2008)
Public Talks:
- Kopernik Space Education Center Winter Star Party, Vestal NY (February 6, 2010)
- BOCES Girls Tech Camp, Ithaca NY (July 20, 2009)
- Kopernik Space Education Center, Vestal NY (September 20, 2008)
- Wings of Eagles Discovery Center Science Academy, Horseheads NY (June 23, 2008)
- BOCES Girls Tech Camp, Ithaca NY (July 19, 2008)
- Elmira-Corning Astronomical Society: "What Can You Do With 250,000 Galaxies?", Corning NY (April 4, 2008)
- Wings of Eagles Discovery Center: "Galaxies and Beyond: The History of the Universe", Horseheads NY (February 2, 2008)
- Museum of the Earth, Ithaca NY (January 2006)
School Visits:
- Talk on Women in Astronomy and Spectroscope-Building Workshop for 7th graders from Chapin School (April 22-23, 2009)
- Demo of IR Thermal Camera for 4th graders from Enfield Elementary (June 23, 2008)
- Talk on Women in Science and IR Thermal Camera demo for 7th graders from Chapin School (April 16-17, 2008)
- "Sorting the Solar System" activities with 90 students from Boynton Middle School (November 28, 2007)
- Helper: Solar Observing at Fuertes Observatory with students from Fall Creek Elementary (October 2, 2007)
Other:
- Organizer, Department EPO Lunches (2006-2009)
- Administrator, internal department outreach database (2007-2009)
- Webmaster and Volunteer,Curious? Ask an Astronomer (2006-2009)
- Astronomy Graduates Network Secretary (elected 2008-2010 terms)
- Stargazing Leader at Fuertes Observatory, Cornell Adult University (4 sessions each, summer 2007 and 2008)
- Career Mentor with The Learning Web of Ithaca, New York (one student each over the summers of 2006 and 2008)
- MentorNet E-Mentor for four undergraduate women in physical sciences (2008-2010)
Teaching Experience and Training:
Graduate students at Cornell have the unique opportunity to teach writing seminars in their own disciplines. Freshmen take these writing seminars in each semester of their first year here, developing a portfolio of strong expository writing that will prepare them for the years ahead. Offering a course in the astronomy department gave me the chance to develop, teach, and grade my own seminar, while also exposing a diverse set of freshmen to a scientific discipline in a new context.
In addition to teaching a first year writing seminar focused on cosmology, I have taken advantage of the professional development offered at Cornell through the Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines as well as the Public Service Center, and have also participated in a CAE Teaching Excellence Workshop.
- EDUC 6470: Innovative Teaching in the Sciences. Coursework in Cornell's Department of Education.
- Instructor. Astronomy 1109, "Birth of the Universe," First Year Writing Seminar, Spring 2009 (course webpage)
- Communicating Science: Tools for Scientists and Engineers. Workshop participant. November 5, 2009, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference. "Science Education and Outreach: Forging a Path to the Future." Participant and Poster Presentation. September 12-16, 2009, San Francisco, CA
- Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshop. Participant. October 16-17 2008, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY.
- Writing 7100: Teaching Writing. John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, Fall 2008.
- Tutor. Writing Walk-In Service (John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines), 2007-2008.
- Tutor and Team Leader, REACH at Odessa-Montour, October 2008- December 2009. Coordinator of a new tutoring program through Cornell's Public Service Center REACH program. REACH at Odessa-Montour provides tutoring, academic support, and enrichment activities for a small group of students in a rural high school near Cornell. As of December 2009, I now serve on the REACH board (more about REACH).
- Writing 701: A Seminar on Writing and Teaching. John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines, Fall 2006.
- Grader. Cornell University. Astronomy 201, Fall 2007; Astronomy 202, Spring 2007; Astronomy 280, Fall 2006. Graded papers, provided feedback, and guest lectured in writing-based astronomy courses for nonmajors.
Coursework:
Fall 2005:
Astro 520: Radio and Radar AstronomyAstro 516: Galactic Structure and Stellar Dynamics
Physics 561: Classical Electrodynamics
Physics 572: Quantum Mechanics I
Spring 2006:
Astro 599: CosmologyAstro 530: Astrophysical Processes
Physics 562: Statistical Mechanics
Fall 2006:
Astro 590: Galaxies and the UniverseAstro 523: Signal Modeling, Statistical Inference, and Data Mining in Astronomy
Astro 560 (Audited): Theory of Stellar Structure and Evolution
Spring 2007:
Astro 620: Advanced Radio Astronomy Seminar (Dwarf Galaxies)Astro 525: Techniques of Optical/Infrared and Submillimeter Astronomy
Spring 2010:
Astro 7620: Advanced Radio Astronomy Seminar (Large Surveys)Educ 6470: Innovative Teaching in the Sciences