About the Workshop
Presenters: Nathan McGregor (he/him)
Adult Led
Level: Intermediate
For: High school students
Description: The Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, a partial solar eclipse will cross through central California, delivering a cosmic wonder to coincide with Salinas Pride. Although not a total eclipse, about 80% of the sun will be obscured by the moon, starting around 8am PDT, peaking around 9:20am PDT, and ending around 10:45am PDT. The eclipse can be viewed from the Bay Area to Santa Cruz to Salinas, a welcome addition to Salinas Pride for those celebrating early. In this workshop, we will discuss the eclipse, how eclipses occur, and how to view them safely. We will also discuss three famous Queer astronauts—Sally Ride, Anne McClain, and Wendy B. Lawrence—and the historic roles they played in both queer history and space exploration. Finally, we’ll end with a discussion on what comes next for aspiring astronauts, as there has yet to be a publicly nonbinary or trans astronaut. Attendees will leave the workshop with their very own eclipse glasses so they can safely view the Oct. 14, 2023 partial solar eclipse.
About the Presenters
Nathan McGregor (he/him) is a third-year Ph.D. student in Planetary Science at UCSC. He received his B.S. in Physics and Astrophysics from Boise State University. Nathan studies Venus, the formation of the solar system, and the evolution of meteorites and asteroids through experimentation and models. Queer STEM is a deeply personal passion of his, as he has experienced the feeling of not belonging as an LGBTQ scientist. He works to empower queer youth to see a future for themselves in science.
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