A Session on Education & Outreach for the 2017 Solar Eclipse

You're invited to attend a session on education and outreach for the 2017 eclipse of the Sun on Thursday, 5 January, at 10 am CST at the 229th AAS meeting, Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, Grapevine, Texas, in room San Antonio 1.

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This 90-minute discussion and share-a-thon, organized by members of the AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force, is an opportunity to learn what education and outreach projects other astronomers and institutions are doing in anticipation of the 21 August 2017 solar eclipse, and to share information about your own plans with your peers. Even if you plan to go to the path of totality, you may want to be part of eclipse outreach in your institution or community outside the path during the months preceding the event.

Tables will be set out for an exchange of handouts or brochures, and panelists will discuss some of the key national and regional projects now under way. Among them: 

• The AAS NSF small-grants program for eclipse outreach programs to underserved communities
• NASA’s plans for education, outreach, and citizen science
• Other citizen science projects
• Insights from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s December meeting on eclipse outreach to diverse communities
• Projects for bulk distribution of eclipse glasses and safe-viewing information, including those focused on public libraries around the country
• Tips and resources for setting up your own local eclipse outreach events
• Work with the medical and public-safety communities
• Media-related projects and materials

If you would like to share information about your education or outreach project through a handout, bring 200 copies with you to the meeting. If you would like to be considered for a brief (5- to 7-minute) panel presentation, please send an abstract/proposal (no more than 200 words) to [email protected].