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ATU will be continuing its eclipse themed activities and events leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse.
Free eclipse glasses and covers are available for pick-up at the library for students, faculty and staff.
April 4 has numerous opportunities for eclipse preparedness and solar education. Representatives from NASA will be on the Hindsman Tower lawn from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. ready to answer questions about the eclipse or NASA.
Another group of NASA representatives will be touring classrooms and labs. They will also be conducting speeches in various rooms for students. There will be a talk given by the representatives from NASA at 10:30 a.m. in Hull Student Union and it will be primarily STEM focused but all are welcome to attend. There will be another talk given at 1 p.m. in Witherspoon Auditorium and it will be open to the public.
“The NASA representatives will be here basically all day,” said Dr. Matthew Hankins, an assistant professor of physics and a member of the ATU eclipse committee.
Campus will move to virtual classes at noon on Friday, April 5 and will continue virtually on Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9.
April 8 planned activities are possible to change due to weather conditions. Activities will be set up in the parking lot between Doc Bryan and Rothwell and around Tucker Coliseum.
“We have things set up for all different ages and we are expecting visitors to the campus, but everything is still very much student focused,” said Hankins.
Among the activities will be an area with three to four telescopes set up for easy viewing. Some will be equipped with the necessary materials to clearly watch the eclipse. There will be an area with craft activities, some of which are planned specifically for the time before and after totality. There will be a live stream showing NASA TV’s coverage of the eclipse over the country. There will also be an open area called “Disco Eclipse” wherein individuals are invited to create disco balls that make images of the eclipse.
“We will likely also have fun ‘eclipse themed’ music playing in this area,” said Hankins.
The planetarium was set up in Hull Student Union from March 29 to April 4. Depending on the weather, the planetarium will also be set up outside once campus has shifted to virtual operations.
There will be designated viewing areas for students and guests at locations around Tech curb. Depending on weather conditions, students and guests should be mindful of some of the low-lying areas that may hold rain.
“If the weather is poor, we won’t be able to host many of these things outside, and things will likely be moved to a suitable inside location somewhere on campus. So, I’d encourage students to keep an eye on the weather and at any campus announcements as it relates to activities on the 8th,” said Hankins. “At the end of the day, we are going to be at the mercy of the weather.”
Stay alert and active in eclipse preparedness announcements by regularly checking your ATU email for updates, as well as following along on various social media accounts, including Instagram handles @arkansastech, @atuemhs and @atudps.
