Engaging STEM Learners of All Ages: A University, Community, and K–12 Solar Eclipse Outreach Partnership

Abstract

Solar eclipses are a rare phenomenon that everyone should have the opportunity to explore in depth. This article describes two programs developed by a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach center with the goal of bringing the excitement of eclipses to all learners. The STEM outreach center collaborated with local schools to provide a learning opportunity about eclipses in the weeks leading up to the October 14, 2023, annular solar eclipse, and with a local library to provide a free public viewing event for the eclipse. Students and community members engaged in various activities including modeling lunar phases and eclipses, learning about why and how often eclipses happen in a mobile planetarium, exploring magnetism and sunspots with the use of a solar telescope, and measuring and graphing light intensity and ultraviolet radiation throughout the solar eclipse. Post-event evaluations and anecdotal evidence indicate that participants could make connections on a variety of topics including how sunspots occur; why eclipses are predictable; and the differences between annular, total, and partial eclipses. The article also includes adaptations for classroom teachers and other STEM outreach centers to use the ideas presented here for the April 8, 2024, solar eclipse.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Solar system
• modeling
• community
• solar eclipse
• partnership
• collaboration

Disclosure statement

This article is based on information found in The Vernier Blog (Vernier Science Education 2024). We have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of Mississippi.