Our Outreach and Education Director, Hope Burdolski, has the wonderful opportunity to travel to Johnson City, TX for the upcoming Eclipse on April 8th. Hope shared a bit about what she will be doing and the outcome she plans to achieve on behalf of NDGTS.
“I will be traveling to Johnson City, TX in collaboration with Jeff Wheatcraft and the Science Mill to provide Solar Eclipse programming to a projected 65K – 250K who will travel to Johnson City to view the eclipse from the path of totality. Jeff approached me at the ASTC 2023 conference with the idea of providing places outside the path of totality with the chance to view it. I am planning to live stream the eclipse back to the Science Center (and North Dakota) so we can all experience it together in some way with a North Dakota connection. My presence at the eclipse celebration will increase safety at the event by using the solar eclipse viewer and providing activities to limit unsafe eye exposure to the sun during totality. I plan to record the entire experience on social media and share the process with our following. This will allow me to significantly increase the scope of people in both our home region and Texas than if I were to only host a solar eclipse party on-site. A sense of community will surely develop between the viewers in Texas and will allow North Dakotans the opportunity to take part in the special event, even if done at a distance. I am very excited to have this opportunity and am especially excited to make deeper relationships with STEM leaders across the country. Fun Fact- We will be staying overnight at the Science Mill in preparation for and after the eclipse!”
“My largest goal is to not only provide students and families across the state to take part in a rare space phenomenon, but it will allow me to develop relationships with people from all across the country and discuss citizen science with them. The mission of North Dakota’s Gateway to Science is to inspire the scientist in everyone through hands-on experiences. This collaboration is a perfect way to increase awareness of science topics while relating them to a major event.”
Join us on April 8th from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. for our Find Your Place in Space Solar Eclipse Watch Party. This will include the live stream from Hope, hands-on activity stations, and the chance to view the eclipse from our deck all included with admission! Activities include Eclipse Art, Pinhole Viewers, and an Astronaut Work Station.
Find Your Place in Space is a week hosted by the National Space Council dedicated to opening the doors to the space industry and taking a deep dive into all it has to offer. This year, Find Your Place in Space Week is April 6-13. Celebrate it with us by attending our Solar Eclipse Watch Party, or attending a Find Your Place in Space Event near you.
The visibility for both locations is as follows: Johnson City, Texas: 100% visibility from 12:16 – 2:57 p.m., with the max at 1:35 p.m. and
Bismarck: 55% visibility from 12:46 – 3:03 p.m., with the max at 1:54 p.m.