Educational and Outreach Materials

Opening the Dome at McDonald Observatory

A time lapse of me opening the dome of the 2.7m Harlan J Smith telescope at McDonald Observatory in West Texas. The 2.7m is one of the telescopes I use to collect high-resolution spectra of stars in the Milky Way!

Science is most alive when it's shared! I love visiting classrooms and finding new ways to make the universe feel close and personal, no matter the age. Here are some highlights from a few of my favorite outreach talks.

A slide explaining that humans can figure out how older generations grew up with words and stories, but to figure out how stars grew up we need to use their light. A slide explaining that the elements that were created in stars make-up our bodies and planet. A slide using minecraft to explain the hierarchical formation of the galaxy.

Fourth Grade Presentation

Some clips from a general astronomy lesson to a fourth grade class at an elementary school in Florida.

A slide explaining how photons moving along our line of sight can tell us the make-up of stars. A slide explaining how metallicity increases with generations of stars. A slide showing the system Gaia BH3 and highlighting why it's interesting.

High School Physics Presentation

Some clips from an astronomy and physics focused club presentation for high schoolers in Nevada.

Stellar Spectrum Explorer

Galactic archaeology involves using stars as fossils to uncover the history of the Milky Way. If you want to see how stellar astronomers find key features about stars including temperature and chemical abundances, check out the Stellar Spectrum Explorer tool I created to help visualize how different stars have different types of spectra.