Members: for full details about club-only events, log into your MemberPlanet account. If you are not yet a member, please consider joining us.
- This event has passed.
ONLINE – General Meeting – May 2021
May 7, 2021 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Open to everyone via Facebook Live Approximately 8:00 pm: Members Only
TAAA’s next general member meeting will be held on Friday, May 7, 2021, and available online. The Main Presentation starts at 6:30 P.M and is open to the public. Non-members may attend via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TucsonAstronomy/. Members should attend the meeting via Zoom, since a Members Only Meeting will follow.
6:30 pm – Main Presentation
Title: Science for Everyone: Empowering Students with Citizen Science and More
Science—including astronomy—is a messy process of discovery. And science education doesn’t always present the content in a way that actively engages students in the scientific process. At the same time, many science fields face challenges analyzing the wealth of data they collect. To help solve these challenges in astronomy, researchers have turned to citizen science through platforms such as the Zooniverse. These projects enable interested members of the public (adults as well as kids) to help analyze data by classifying galaxies, identifying features on Mars, or even isolating signals from meteoroids and near-Earth objects. Additionally, these projects create promising opportunities for students by broadening their science education to include contributions to ongoing research. And by integrating students’ research contributions with their typical science classes and relevant real-life experiences, students gain a greater appreciation for science and improve their abilities to critically examine, understand, and use data.
Presenter: Christine O’Donnell is a postdoctoral researcher at Arizona State University with a joint appointment between the School for Earth & Space Exploration and the Center for Gender Equity in Science & Technology. Her current research focuses on developing and assessing science education curricular materials, and her past work also featured research into galaxy formation and dark matter. Christine completed her Ph.D. in Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Arizona in Summer 2020. Outside of her work, Christine enjoys crafting/making hobbies, like glassblowing, crocheting, and knitting, and spending time with her cat.