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A Mountain Home native who went from gazing at Ozark night skies to leading NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope will return home next month for a free community event at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home.
Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope and a 1983 Mountain Home High School graduate, will present “Cosmic Wonders Await” at ASUMH Astronomy Night on Monday, Feb. 16. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public with no tickets required.
Wiseman’s presentation will explore what major telescopes are discovering about stars, planets, galaxies, black holes and the mysterious dark matter that makes up much of the universe.
Her path to the stars began on a small farm in north-central Arkansas, surrounded by animals, forests and dark skies unpolluted by city lights. She studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where as an undergraduate she discovered the comet now known as 114P/Wiseman-Skiff.
After MIT, Wiseman earned her doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University. She continued her research as a Jansky Fellow at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and as a Hubble Fellow at Johns Hopkins University before joining NASA in 2003. Her scientific expertise centers on the study of star-forming regions in our galaxy.
Before taking the helm of the Hubble project at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Wiseman headed Goddard’s Laboratory for Exoplanets and Stellar Astrophysics. She has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, on NOVA and National Public Radio.
Following Wiseman’s presentation in the McClure Convention Center in the Sheid, attendees are invited to participate in a stargazing experience on Keller Green, weather permitting. ASUMH faculty, staff and volunteers will lead the outdoor viewing session with telescopes provided. Attendees may also bring their own telescopes or binoculars.
The evening concludes with prizes and giveaways in the Gaston Lobby in Roller Hall. Light refreshments will be provided throughout the event.
Astronomy Night is made possible through a Pattee Grant written by Jessica Clanton, a physical science faculty member. Those assisting with event planning include Dr. Eddie Dry, Mike Williams, Jason Ballard, Dane Hustead, Lillian Gaston and Kiandre Burns.
If you go
What: ASUMH Astronomy Night featuring NASA scientist Dr. Jennifer Wiseman
When: Monday, Feb. 16, 6:30-9 p.m.
Where: ASUMH Campus — presentation in McClure Convention Center in the Sheid; stargazing on Keller Green; prizes in Gaston Lobby, Roller Hall
Cost: Free and open to the public; no tickets required
