ASP2017: Beyond the Eclipse
The ASP had a wonderful, enriching program for its 129th Annual Meeting in St. Louis during December 5-8, 2017, with the theme Beyond the Eclipse: Engaging Diverse and Underserved Communities in Astronomy and STEM. Plenary panel sessions examined specific efforts to engage Native Americans, girls, and other underserved youth in astronomy and the 2017 solar eclipse.
Two of our plenary speakers, Hakeem Oluseyi and Luis Chavarría Garrido, told of scientists’ personal journeys and international efforts in communicating astronomical research to broad audiences. The meeting also featured a preview screening of the new documentary, Black Suns: An Astrophysics Adventure, featuring Hakeem. We closed out the film and meeting in a thought-provoking Q&A discussion with the film’s producer, astronomer Jarita Holbrook.
11 one-hour workshops, 28 ten-minute oral presentations, and 14 poster presentations, as well as numerous conversations and networking opportunities discussing ideas and lessons learned in engaging diverse populations in astronomy, created a productive and inspiring conference for all who participated!
