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Milo Eckhardt, a junior studying physics with a concentration in astrophysics, signed up as an \u201ceclipse ambassador\u201d through a new NASA-funded program run through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThat was the best thing that could have happened to me,\u201d said Eckhardt, now a junior studying physics with a concentration in astrophysics and a minor in mathematics at The University of Toledo. \u201cI have not been able to stop thinking about space since fifth grade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eckhardt isn\u2019t one to keep her excitement to herself. As a part-time technician at the Ritter Planetarium, her favorite days are when a member of the audience finds her after a presentation to ask a few more questions about what she\u2019s just shared.<\/p>\n
So it seemed natural for her to sign up as an \u201ceclipse ambassador\u201d through a new NASA-funded program run through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Path program pairs undergraduate students like herself with eclipse enthusiasts in their geographic communities to engage those who live off the path of totality. Ambassador teams are tasked with offering context, building excitement and promoting safety by distributing free solar viewing classes \u2014 work that\u2019s gearing up ahead of the total solar eclipse that\u2019s set to cross the contiguous United States on Monday, April 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to share that experience that I had in the fifth grade with other kids or even adults, to recreate that magic of first finding out about space,\u201d Eckhardt said.<\/p>\n
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, casting an all-encompassing shadow along what\u2019s known as the path of totality. It\u2019s a rare viewing opportunity that won\u2019t repeat in the United States until 2044.<\/p>\n
Toledo falls along the path of totality on April 8. But Westerville, Ohio, where Eckhardt grew up, is not so lucky. That qualifies Westerville as \u201coff the path,\u201d and ripe for the sort of outreach that Eckhardt and her program partner, a middle-school teacher in nearby Cardington, Ohio, have been planning at Cardington-Lincoln Middle School and through the Girl Scouts of Ohio\u2019s Heartland.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re sharing their insights, enthusiasm and glasses in several online and in-person events through March. Their first was in mid-February.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who regularly educates audiences about astronomy in the Ritter Planetarium, Milo is an ideal person to help the public learn about the upcoming eclipse,\u201d said Michael Cushing, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Ritter Planetarium.<\/p>\n
Westerville and Cardington offer a different audience than northwest Ohio, where eclipse education and enthusiasm have been building up for months. Without the promise of totality in their target communities, eclipse ambassadors have to be more deliberate in their outreach efforts.<\/p>\n
Eclipse Ambassadors Off the Path asks each set of partners to reach 200-plus people with their self-directed outreach activities, with at least half of those from underserved communities. The program, which accepted applicants through mid-February, aimed to facilitate at least 500 partnerships.<\/p>\n
All outreach needs to be completed by April 8, freeing ambassadors and those they\u2019ve reached to make their own plans to experience the eclipse. Eckhardt anticipates being on campus and participating in a community viewing event that will kick off by noon in Glass Bowl Stadium.<\/p>\n
She\u2019ll be looking up just before 3:15 p.m.<\/p>\n
“I\u2019ve never been able see an eclipse before, let alone one with full totality,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
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