Katherine Auld is over the moon about the exhibit opening Saturday at the Bentonville Public Library -- and the pun suits her perfectly.
Auld, who teaches science at Northwest Arkansas Community College, is also an astronomer, a "solar system ambassador" for NASA and arguably one of the most enthusiastic math and science geeks you'll ever meet. Delighted to support the "Explore Space: A Cosmic Journey" traveling exhibit, she'll be speaking on some of her favorite topics -- "Earth and Mars," "Asteroids, Comets & Meteors, Oh My!" and "The Sun Is a Dynamic Star"-- along with studying some new ones, including "Electric and Magnetic Changes in Space."
FAQ
‘Explore Space: A Cosmic Journey’
WHEN — Saturday through March 16
WHERE — Bentonville Public Library
COST — Free
INFORMATION— bentonvillelibrary.…
FYI
‘Explore Space’
Highlights
Saturday — Launch party, 1 to 3 p.m.
Thursday — “Earth and Mars” with Katherine Auld, 4 p.m.
Jan. 30 — “Star Stories,” 1 p.m, presented by the Museum of Native American History
Feb. 4 — “Asteroids, Comets & Meteors, Oh My!” with Katherine Auld, 1 to 3 p.m.
Feb. 7 — “Explore Lunar Rendezvous: Circle of Flowers,” featuring an original oil painting by Alma Thomas, courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 4 p.m.
Feb. 11 — “Is There Life Out There?” with retired NASA contractor Larry Haug, 1 to 3 p.m.
Feb. 16 — “Electric and Magnetic Changes in Space” with Katherine Auld, 4 p.m.
Feb. 18 — “Explore the Kennedy Space Center,” 1 p.m.
Feb. 21 — “How We Got to the Moon” with Larry Haug, 6 p.m.
March 5 — Sky Observation, 1 to 4 p.m., Turrell Skyspace at Crystal Bridges
March 7 — “The Sun Is a Dynamic Star” with Katherine Auld, 7 p.m.
"I am super-excited," she says simply.
The exhibit is on loan from the American Library Association and includes input from NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Space Science Institute and the Lunar & Planetary Institute. Debuted in April 2016, it will travel to just 14 libraries before December 2018.
According to library director Hadi Dudley, the Bentonville Public Library applied to host the exhibit because "our patrons have demonstrated strong interest in science-related programs in recent years. The project seemed like a good fit for our mission, and we were confident that our community would continue embracing science-themed offerings at the library." One of the main goals, Dudley says, is to provide "a free, accessible and welcoming environment for children, parents, educators and the general public to participate in informal learning activities that create curiosity for space science and astronomy."
Auld says the application process required proof of public support, and because she is often a speaker at the library, she was one of the resources tapped. She "jumped on it." Space related themes "really are still magic" to young people, she says.
"When you talk about space and space exploration, they light up," she says. "I hope I can take these preschool- to high school-age youth and spark their interest in something in science -- before the point where they go, 'I'm no good in math, and I hate science.' If we can find a field of science that sparks their interest and they enjoy it, they'll spend the time to get good at it."
Auld says the next two generations younger than she is -- people in their 30s and 20s -- lost touch with the magic of science.
"They couldn't care less. They grew up with a space launch every couple of days, so it wasn't exciting. We have to figure out how, as a country, to get that back."
Auld says hands-on involvement is the best bait she's found.
"Get them doing actual science," she says. As part of the Bentonville Public Library exhibit, Auld will let kids touch the surface of Mars -- or a "regolith simulant" that feels like it -- and compare it to the dirt of Earth. She hopes it will have the "ooh aah" factor.
"Overall, we're better off than the rest of the country in math and science," she says. "We still need to improve, but we have a huge interest. We just need to play on that."
NAN What's Up on 01/20/2017