Eclipse Ambassadors: Using Equitable, Intergenerational Partnerships to Bring the Solar Eclipses to Diverse Communities

This poster will communicate the opportunities of the new NASA grant, Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Paths. The goal is to connect and train hundreds of pairs of amateur astronomers and undergraduate students to share the exciting news and science with their communities of the two upcoming solar eclipses (2023 & 2024). We have held our initial Pilot session and are recruiting for more partners. The LPSC community will be instrumental in spreading the word of these programs. We will share lessons and data we are learning about from intentionally recruiting diverse audiences and building equitable partnerships.

In 2023 and 2024, two eclipses will be happening across the United States. In an exciting new partnership, Undergraduate Students and Amateur Astronomers will engage their local communities, providing solar viewing glasses as well as context for underserved communities off the central paths.

We know that space science can be exciting for everyone, no matter the age. We also know that amateur astronomy clubs are “graying” and that across the United States, more than 80% of club members are men. Amateur astronomers know this is a problem – they can look around and see the lack of girls, young people and women in their clubs.

Our team will pair amateur astronomers with undergraduate students in their region. Together they will share the wonder of the upcoming eclipses with two hundred people in their community. We ask that half of the public engaged by each team will be audiences that are traditionally underserved by typical science endeavors.

Our project goals include:

· Supporting intergenerational partnerships between diverse undergraduates and amateur astronomers

· Training on eclipse safety & science & engagement

· Practicing culturally responsive techniques

· Reaching new underserved audiences off the central paths through community partnerships

· Offering ways to continue working with NASA

We hope these partnerships will welcome more than 200,000 people to the excitement of solar eclipses, as well as the space and earth sciences.

If you are interested to learn more about the Eclipse Ambassadors program, visit:

https://astrosociety.org/education-outreach/amateur-astronomers/eclipse-ambassadors/program.html

Acknowledgments: Special thanks to our partners from: NASA Night Sky Network, NASA at My Library, MUREP, the SETI Institute, NASA Langley’s Office of STEM Engagement, NASA JPL Solar System Ambassadors, Space Science Institute, NASA Goddard’s HEAT Team, Franklin Institute, National Solar Observatory, National Parks Service