Maria Mitchell Association Monthly e-Comet Newsletter

Dear Friends –

The daffodils are starting to bloom, and the peepers are singing – happy spring! There’s lots of news in the astronomy department, including 2022 NSF-REU intern Anavi Uppal winning the Chambliss Award! This month also marks the return of Open Nights and the Look Up program – please come join us for a look through our telescopes and a constellation tour at Loines Observatory. 

This year we are excited to have a car in the Daffy Parade, and honored to share that Cmdr. Kari Yakubisin of the USS Nantucket, and members of her crew, will be joining us. Cmdr. Yakubisin will also read to children at a special offering of the Nature Story Hour program on April 28, please sign up on our website. The USS Nantucket is a littoral combat ship and the third ship in the naval service to bear the name Nantucket.

We’ve been hard at work on our Stargazer Gala, which will be held on July 27 in Polpis. We will celebrate Maria Mitchell’s legacy of exploration in a beautiful field, under the stars, on the harbor at sunset. Please consider being a sponsor and visit this link for more information and to buy your tickets. 

Springtime energy is contagious, and I hope to see you on a bird walk, a trail run, or at sunset in Madaket enjoying the nature of Nantucket. 

Be well, 

Joanna Roche

Executive Director

jroche@mariamitchell.org

Stargazer Gala Sponsorship Opportunities Now Live

Sponsorship opportunities for our biggest event of the year, the Stargazer Gala, are now live. Please click here if you are interested in becoming (or returning as!) a sponsor this year.

As a reminder, your sponsorship enables us to:

• Serve over 20,000 learners of all ages each year through 525+ public programs
• Provide award-winning, STEAM-based summer camps and after-school programming
• Offer year-round science curriculum in Nantucket's public and private schools
• Conduct and publish internationally acclaimed scientific research
• Maintain our facilities and collections where science and history come to life

Oika for Earthlings - April Series

Our scientist-in-residence, Dr. Rich Blundell, is back for the April series of Oika for Earthlings! Oika refers to the relational intelligence of nature that can be perceived and expressed through humans. In this weekly, 90-minute online class, we will take a deep dive into the principles and practices of Oika. 

Attend from anywhere—this program meets weekly on Zoom!

Week One (April 5): What does the physics of the early universe tell us about the interconnectivity of all things? How does light become us?

Week Two (April 12): We'll explore a cosmic zoo of celestial features to see how humans may join the family of galactic phenomena.

Week Three (April 19): A special planet emerges as a home for new kinds of life and intelligence to flourish.

Week Four (April 26): Life goes wild in animal bodies and a riot of ecologies awakens "endless forms most beautiful," plus, we explore the human dynamics of Oika and tie it all together through "Earthling Theory."

**April 29: Option to join Rich on-island for an "Earth Story Walk."

Pre-Registration is required for this workshop, which is a four-week series.

Cost per-participant: $150 (Members receive a 10% discount).

Registration deadline: April 4, 2023, at 6pm

Program dates: April 5, 12, 19, 26, **29

Program times: 6pm-7:30pm

Contact email: rblundell@mariamitchell.org

April After-School Series

This spring series will run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday over three weeks, not including NPS Spring Break. The MMA provides student pick-up from NES & NIS at 2:20pm, and Nantucket New School at 2:40pm. Program ends at the Natural Science Museum, 7 Milk Street, at 4:45pm.

Each afternoon holds different activities, crafts, and adventures. School might be out, but the curiosity never stops!

Can't attend them all? Sign up per week! Visit our After-School Programs page for more details.

This program is generously supported by the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership.

April Spring Break Discovery Program

This spring break, join the MMA and Nantucket Historical Association (NHA) in a special collaboration for a week of FUN!

We welcome students to join us for days melding science and history. Each day will have a different theme guiding us through MMA and NHA properties, and Nantucket locations (weather permitting).

This program is generously supported by the Nantucket Golf Club Foundation and the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership.

Science Speaker Series Announces Dr. Jedediyah Williams

Join us Wednesday, April 26 at 7pm ET as we welcome Dr. Jedediyah Williams as our featured presenter for the April Science Speaker Series.

In his presentation, “The Ethics of a STEM Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” Jed will discuss the onus on educators, when handing over the tools of science and mathematics, for teaching their responsible use.

Dr. Jedediyah Williams teaches mathematics and computer science at Nantucket High School where he has led both the Science and Mathematics departments. He is a 2019 recipient of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, the highest award our nation bestows for teaching. While a National Science Foundation Graduate Teaching Fellow in STEM, Jed worked on the Triple Helix Project where he helped to design and implement culturally situated design tools for mathematics classrooms in Albany Public Schools.

This talk is complimentary and presented via Zoom, please pre-register.

MMA Welcomes Commander of USS Nantucket

This month, we're excited to announce that Cmdr. Kari Yakubisin of the USS Nantucket, as well as members of her crew, will join us in the 47th Annual Nantucket Daffodil Festival Antique Car Parade.

Cmdr. Yakubisin will also read to children at a special offering of the Nature Story Hour program on April 28. More details may become available on our website as the date approaches. To register, please visit our calendar.

Keep Calm and Bird On

By Ginger Andrews

"If you don't look, you don't see. You have to go and look."

-Edith Andrews

"Perhaps no month on Nantucket better exemplifies the changeable, chaotic nature of spring better than April."

Student Summer Research and Mentoring Program with

Dr. Valerie Hall

Students aged 14 through college are invited to apply for the Summer Research and Mentoring Program focusing on the population, ecology, and reproductive biology of the Nantucket bay scallop, as well as the effects of climate change and other environmental factors.

The lab is open from June 5 through August 25, Monday through Friday, from 9-12. Students are asked to volunteer for at least 30 hours at some time during the summer—that is, for a minimum of twice a week for five weeks. This will ensure that they will have the opportunity to participate in and master all the steps of the ongoing research. 

MMA Research Associate, Dr. Valerie Hall, is the Program Director. Interested students should email Dr. Hall by April 7 for application materials. 

Applications must then be completed and returned by April 14. Please feel free to email or text Dr. Hall at 508-221-1995 if you have any questions.

International Dark Sky Week is April 15-22

The International Dark Skies Association (IDA)’s International Dark Sky Week is slated for April 15-22, 2023. The mission of the IDA is to promote "win-win solutions that allow people to appreciate dark, star-filled skies while enjoying the benefits of responsible outdoor lighting."

No matter where you live, you can visit the IDSW event website to learn how to participate. On Nantucket, in celebration of this annual event, the MMA will host a free public Open Night at Loines Observatory on Thurs., April 20, from 8-9pm.

2022 REU Intern Wins Prestigious Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award at National Conference

2022 REU intern and Yale Astrophysics student, Anavi Uppal, won the prestigious Chambliss Astronomy Achievement Student Award at the 241st American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting that took place in January.

At this meeting, Anavi presented her summer research on a poster titled Using Astrometric Jitter to Find Recoiling AGN Candidates in Optical Imaging Survey Data.

"I created a new, quicker way to identify recoiling AGNs, which are supermassive black holes that have been launched out of the center of their galaxies," Anavi said of her research.

Anavi was mentored by the MMA Affiliated Astronomer, Dr. Suvi Gezari and Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson. Typically, approximately 350-400 students participate in the Chambliss Award competition, and this year there were eleven undergraduate Chambliss Medal recipients.

Of her experience with the MMA, Uppal said, “Going to the AAS conference was incredible! I met so many great scientists and heard about fascinating new research. I’m grateful to the MMA NSF-REU program for an incredibly fun summer research experience and invaluable career guidance.”  

MMA NSF-REU interns have won the prestigious Chambliss Award in each of the past five AAS winter meetings, a testament to quality of the MMA’s astronomy internship program. Approximately 90% of MMA astronomy interns have gone on to astrophysics Ph.D. programs.

Image from video by SEAN GOEBEL/W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY

MMA Astronomers Head to Hawai'i to Operate Famous Keck Telescopes

This month, MMA Astronomy Post-baccalaureate Research Fellows, Fiona Powers Özyurt and Michele Woodland, will travel to the big island of Hawai'i to use the famous Keck telescopes to obtain data for their research projects studying the universe. 

Fiona and Michele are joining in on observations as part of the Fast and Fortunate for FRB Follow-up (F⁴) Collaboration, founded by MMA Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson, and her collaborators, and funded by a competitive grant from the National Science Foundation. The F⁴ Collaboration is using the Keck telescopes in an effort to probe the cosmic web, to understand what makes up the space between galaxies, and to identify the progenitors of the still mysterious fast radio bursts - extremely energetic and brief flashes of radio radiation. 

Stay tuned for updates from their trip, also called an 'observing run' in astronomers' parlance, on the MMA's social media!

Looking Skyward

Listen to the podcast "Looking Skyward," with MMA Director of Astronomy, Dr. Regina Jorgenson as she discusses the latest news in the world of astronomy on the local NPR station. This podcast is released every other week with CAI's John Basile.

Listen here!

Maria Mitchell's Attic

Learn more about Maria Mitchell and the MMA with "Maria Mitchell's Attic," a blog written on a weekly basis by MMA Deputy Director and Curator, Jascin Leonardo Finger.



Read here!

Our MMA gift selection includes cold weather goodies, science-themed pet supplies, and other gifts that represent the nature and history of Nantucket and the MMA. Stop by the Hinchman House Natural Science Museum gift shop Friday through Sunday, or shop online anytime!

The Maria Mitchell Association creates opportunities for all to develop a life-long passion for science through education, research, and first-hand exploration of the sky, land, and sea of Nantucket Island.

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