Perspective Online

UWG Professor to Talk Astronomy at Community-wide Event

by Allayah Carr

Dr. Nick Sterling, the University of West Georgia’s first astronomer with a Ph.D., will be hosting a series of astronomy talks with the goal to educate, entertain, and inspire the Carroll County community. The first talk, A Journey to Darkness: The Unseen Universe, will be held on Saturday, February 27 at 6 p.m. in the Boyd Building on the UWG campus. The talks will last about an hour, and the last thirty minutes will be open for questions from the audience.

UWG Professor Talks Astronomy at Community-wide Event“As a professional scientist, we should give back to the community and talk about the cool things that we do,” said Dr. Sterling. “Everyone looks at the night sky and wonders, to a certain extent, what’s up there.”

The subjects of each talk will change per semester. With topics ranging from undiscovered planets to supernova explosions to the real reason why Pluto isn’t considered a planet anymore, these talks offer more to students than just every day lectures. Dr. Sterling’s plan is to discuss astronomy in a broader context in order to engage the students.

“If I’m going to inspire and entertain I have to go beyond just lecture,” said Dr. Sterling. “If I want to educate I need to draw them in and capture their attention. That’s what I’m going to do.”

He plans on explaining the beauty’s of his field by showcasing his passion for what he does as a professional. Following a life-long dream to be able to discuss applied physics in order to excite others, his goal is to use his outgoing personality to be as creative as possible during these talks.

“One of the challenges of our nation is filling the STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) work force because STEM education has a direct correlation with our nations economy,” said Dr. Sterling. “Students don’t want to pursue this field because they think it’s boring, but the universe is too big to be boring.”

The talks are appropriate for ages 12 and up and is geared towards middle and high school students in order to peak their interests from an early age.

For more information, contact Dr. Sterling at nsterlin@westga.edu.

 

Do you have a comment or opinion about this story's topic? Perspective Online wants to hear from you. Submit a letter to the editor today.

Letters to the Editor Policy

Posted: February 8, 2016

Share this story!



FacebooktwitterLinkedInYouTubePinterestInstagram Give WestUniversity of West Georgia