Presentation #322.07 in the session HAD III: Oral Presentations.
Elevating Observers of the Night Sky (EONS) is a digital public history project under development at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics’ Wolbach Library. EONS’ main goal is to connect people with resources to help them understand and appreciate different astronomical cultures, as well as meaningfully engage in conversations about how colonialism and racism have been, and continue to be, facets of astronomical pursuits. It will do so by examining the asterisms historically excluded from the official IAU catalogue of constellations and bringing attention to the rich variety of astronomical heritage of cultures around the world. In this talk, Rebecca Charbonneau, CfA’s Historian-in-Residence and co-leader of EONS, will explain how integrating humanities research into STEM institutions can aid the development of novel solutions to cultural and historically rooted challenges in contemporary science.