SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY received a $10,000 grant from The American Astronomical Society to further support the Total Eclipse en la Frontera program, which is a collaborative effort among many SRSU faculty (Dr. Jeanne Qvarnstrom, Dr. Chris Ritzi, Dr. April Ortiz, Dr. Angela Brown, Dr. Tom Matula, Dr. Savannah Williamson, and Dr. Alicia Trotman), Southwest Texas Junior College, the National Solar Observatory, Southwest Research Institute, the Science Mill Museum, the McDonalds Observatory, the National Science Foundation, and NASA . The purpose of the Total Eclipse en la Frontera program is to provide informal and formal education outreach using the La Frontera Research Initiative program for the upcoming total solar eclipse in the early spring to communities located on the southwest Texas Mexico border. With our existing partnerships and National Science Foundation Noyce program we expect to reach over 20,000 people over a 6-month period to provide educational experiences to UCISD (4,041 students), Eagle Pass ISD (14,028 students), Del Rio CISD (9,874), Southwest Texas Junior College (2,300), SRSU (2,071), and surrounding private schools, public libraries, and the general public/community. Leveraging the LFRI Mobile STEM Lab and established partnerships to include partnerships with Southwest Texas Community College, Uvalde CISD, Eagle Pass ISD, Del Rio ISD, Presidio ISD, Marfa ISD, Alpine ISD, the Science Mill Museum, the National Solar Observatory, we propose the Total Eclipse en la Frontera project, through which we will offer eclipse-themed STEM education programs, eclipse-focused educator training, and present cultural total eclipse lecture with national experts to the communities along the southwest Texas Mexico border communities of Eagle Pass, Del Rio, Uvalde, and the Big Bend Region throughout early 2024. We are working to lead national research programs and education outreach with 3 major efforts.
- STEM Education Outreach with the National Solar Observatory, the National Science Foundation’s Total Eclipses from the Heart and the Noyce en la Frontera Program
- Citizen CATE program: Citizen science research program exploring data science and the polarization of our sun
- NASA Soundscapes Program: Citizen Science research and STEM literacy program exploring how reptiles, birds, and mammals change along totality
