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  2020-06-21

  Virtual Viewing of Partial Solar Eclipse

  I am a member of the Manila Street Astronomers, a volunteer organization that brings astronomy to the public. Usually we hold free telescope viewings of the moon and other heavenly bodies in malls and other public places. Due to quarantine restrictions, we could not carry out our outreach projects. But we really missed bringing astronomy to the public. So when the partial solar eclipse occurred on June 21, 2020, we did a live broadcast of the partial solar eclipse. We had fun doing it and, based on the rave reviews we have been getting, so has the audience. It was fulfilling sharing our astronomy knowledge to the public, to remind ourselves and others amidst the disturbing things happening on earth that there is a bigger universe out there.
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  2020-04-14

  Lab Work Without a Laboratory

  Science lab courses are continuing, so professors are finding a wide variety of ways to conduct them virtually. Creation of online Physics labs was accelerated when signs of a pandemic appeared; an astronomy lab that was to take place in the Canary Islands went online, an ecology lab shifted gears so students could study nature at home, and more. "We are doing our best to reach the same learning goals, but it requires a lot of creativity and hard work," said Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Melanie Berkmen.