Eclipse Science Series: Why Eclipses Enthrall Us

Dr. Wayne Schlingman, director of the Arne Slettebak Planetarium at The Ohio State University 

Eclipses happen all the time and we have a chance twice a year for them so why are they so special to us? What happens during an eclipse and what should I prepare for? Dr. Schlingman will answer these questions and more about the upcoming “Buckeye” eclipse on April 8. He will address why eclipses enthrall us and the science that researchers do during eclipses. He will also give a peek behind the curtain of the years of planning to make this event much smoother across the state and region than the eclipse in 2017.

Join us in the G. Gilbert Cloyd Commons in the lower level of Galvin Hall

Speaker's bio

Dr. Schlingman joined The Ohio State University Department of Astronomy in 2014 as the director of the Arne Slettebak Planetarium. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona where he worked with Ed Prather and the Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) doing research on the teaching and learning of general education introductory astronomy and Yancy Shirley studying star formation via dense gas tracers in the Milky Way galaxy. He then went on to work at the University of Colorado Boulder working with the general education, non-science major, introductory astronomy classes, and Fiske Planetarium. At Ohio State, he has been working with faculty and students in many departments to fully utilize the exciting technology available in the full-dome theater reaching thousands of students, and members of the public. Championing the use of active-engagement learner-centered instructional strategies in public events to engage our public beyond the consumption of information. Dr Schlingman most recently won a 2023 Community Engaged Practitioner Award from the Provost's Office.

Watch the recorded morning session

Watch the recorded evening session