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241st American Astronomical Society Winter Meeting

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At top left, a speaker with his hands raised stands in front of a podium with a microphone. The Pillars of Creation, which look like three dusty fingers rising from the bottom of the screen, are shown at his right on a large screen. The remainder of the image shows long tables set up horizontally with several people seated at each, all masked.
February 2023

About This Article

NASA’s Universe of Learning (UoL) featured key programs and efforts at the 241st American Astronomical Society Meeting through workshops on Science Activation (SciAct) and UoL initiatives, a booth in the exhibit hall, and a variety of presentations by team members. Highlights included:   

  • NASA’s UoL facilitated a workshop, “Engage with NASA’s Science Activation Program: Tools for using NASA Astrophysics in Informal STEM Learning,” to raise awareness of Science Activation and the astrophysics-themed informal education project, and how to get involved. The workshop included the following SciAct projects: NASA Community College Network (NCCN), SME Community of Practice for Education (SCoPE), Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve STEM Network, Cosmic Data Stories, and OpenSpace. 

  • The Exoplanet Watch project team conducted a workshop, “Help NASA Observe Distant Worlds with Exoplanet Watch.” The team introduced Exoplanet Watch and how to use EXOTIC data analysis software to students who want to get involved in exoplanet research in an accessible way, and for educators who want to use Exoplanet Watch with their students. The workshop was successful with high engagement from the target audiences. 

  • The AstroViz Community of Practice project team hosted a hybrid workshop, “Effective Astronomy Visualization for Research, Outreach, and Learning,” to introduce astronomers to ideas, tools, and techniques to improve their visual communication skills. Ten speakers covered visualization basics, scientific storytelling, and case studies of specific projects and tools. The 50 attendees were highly positive about the material in the post-event survey. The post-workshop survey found respondents credited the workshop with increasing their understanding of the steps involved in creating effective astronomy visualizations. Attendees also credited the workshop with increasing their familiarity with a variety of NASA’s Universe of Learning and Science Activation program resources. 

241st American Astronomical Society Meeting Logo with the numbers 241 and a Seattle skyline

Contributors and Developers: Dr. Emma Marcucci, STScI Co-I, Dr. Frank Summers, Principal Visualization Scientist (STScI) Dr. Kelly Lepo, Education Outreach Scientist (STScI), Dr. Robert Hurt, Visualization Scientist (Caltech/IPAC), Dr. Rob Zellem, Exoplanet Astronomer (JPL), Dr. Colleen Manning, Evaluator (Goodman Research Group), Heather Hewitt, Exoplanet Watch Participant, PhD candidate from Arizona State University.