Rejuvenating Astronomy Education And Research At Yerkes Observatory
TalkSpecial topic: Astronomy Education Beyond the Classroom
5th Shaw-IAU Workshop
Thursday Nov. 30, 2023
UTC: 8:55 p.m. - 9:05 p.m. America/New_York: 3:55 p.m.- 4:05 p.m.
Friday Dec. 1, 2023
UTC: 12:55 p.m. - 1:05 p.m. America/New_York: 7:55 a.m.- 8:05 a.m.
Mallory Conlon (Yerkes Observatory)
Often called the birthplace of modern astrophysics, Yerkes Observatory maintained its status as one of the world’s premier astronomical observatories throughout the 20th century. Now, through leadership from Yerkes Future Foundation and support from the community, Yerkes is entering a period of rejuvenation. In an effort to reconnect communities across Wisconsin with Yerkes and the field of astronomy in a meaningful way, we are rebuilding Yerkes’ education and research programming. In this talk, we will highlight what we have done since taking over ownership in 2020 and provide insight into Yerkes’ plans for the future.
About Mallory Conlon
Mallory Conlon joined the Yerkes Observatory team in June 2023 to lead the development and implementation of the observatory's outreach and education programming. She graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. (2013) and M.S. (2014) in astronomy and has more than 7 years experience creating outreach and educational programming for the fields of astronomy, physics, and quantum information science. Outside of engaging the public in astronomy, she is particularly interested in exploring student pre-instruction ideas about cosmology and how non-traditional spaces can be used to amplify an appreciation for, and engagement and retention in astronomy.
