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- American Astronomical Society’s 240th Meeting: Plenary Lecture Building the Future of Radio Science with the Arecibo Observatory by Dr. Héctor Arce. 28 Jul, 2022
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- The Arecibo Observatory: An Engine for Science and Scientists in Puerto Rico and Beyond27 Jul, 2022
- Cryogenic Frontend work for the 12m telescope entering phase II21 Jul, 2022
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Inspiring the Future of Space Exploration
Byadmin17 March 2021 Education
Image Credit: NASA
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On November 18, 2020, Postdoctoral Research Scientist Dr. Dylan Hickson gave a virtual Space Exploration talk to a 7th grade class at the Robinson School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The presentation focused primarily on NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu, where on October 29, 2020 the spacecraft collected a sample of material from the surface to send back to the Earth, arriving in 2023.
Dr. Hickson was motivated to work with this class because he knows that the complexity of space missions and their long durations can make public engagement difficult, especially for younger students.
“Space exploration is a global effort that benefits all of humanity,” said Dr. Hickson. “I enjoyed sharing the amazing achievements of the OSIRIS-REx mission with the students, whose excitement and enthusiasm for learning more about space was palpable.”
“I enjoyed sharing the amazing achievements of the OSIRIS-REx mission with the students, whose excitement and enthusiasm for learning more about space was palpable.” - Dr. Hickson, Preeminent Postdoctoral Researcher at Arecibo Observatory
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Dr. Hickson was also impressed by the questions the ~30 students came up with. “They seemed interested in learning the latest in on-going developments in space exploration: ‘How soon will humans be able to move from Earth?’, ‘Are experts working on rockets for space travel?’”
“To me,” Dr. Hickson stated, “this showed that the students are focused on the future of space exploration and want to be a part of that conversation.” Dr. Hickson worked with the class’ teacher, Ms. Sheila Ortiz, and Robinson School’s STEM Coordinator, Mr. Bradley Rivera, to set up the virtual presentation and to provide a way for the students to continue to send him any new questions they may have. “I plan to record my answers to their questions to be shared with the class so that their curiosity doesn't fade,” said Dr. Hickson.
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Article written by Dr. Tracy Becker - AO Collaborator / SwRI Research Scientist
Contact: tbecker@swri.edu |
Science Teacher / STAR Academy Coordinator |
Keywords: observatory, arecibo, STEAM, STEM, visitor, center, osiris, rex, nasa, hickson, robinson, high, school, san juan, puerto rico