SUU Professor Gives Keynote Speech at Great Basin Astronomy Festival
Published: October 03, 2024 | Author: Abbie Cochrane | Read Time: 3 minutes
Dr. Cameron Pace, Associate Professor of Physics at SUU, was the keynote speaker at the Great Basin Astronomy Festival that ran earlier this month. In his speech, Dr. Pace addressed astronomers and skywatchers alike who came as far as 1,500 miles for the festival. Dr. Pace expressed his gratitude to all those who attended and witnessed the majesty of the night sky at Great Basin National Park.
“These folks are great to be around, and are eager to share their knowledge and equipment with everyone,” said Dr. Pace.
Much of Pace’s work has involved investigation of what are referred to as “double stars.” The point of the research is to try and determine if stars which appear near one another, from our vantage point on earth, are simply optical double stars or if the two stars are actually gravitationally bound binary star systems.
In the keynote address, Dr. Pace included some of the middle-school students that he has worked with, speaking about their work and their experience co-authoring a scientific, peer-reviewed paper. Their teacher, Ms. Kaelyn Porter, as well as five students who participated in the program over the last three years, described to the audience how the project impacted them.
”SUU students as well as students from SUCCESS Academy (both in Cedar City and in St. George), Launch High School, and White Pine Middle School in Ely, Nevada have contributed,” explained Dr. Pace. “These projects have resulted in advanced scientific papers where these students' names appear on the author list. Getting on a peer-reviewed publication opens doors to them.”
Dr. Pace has now mentored dozens of young astronomers - many of which have resulted in peer-reviewed scientific publications. Several of these students are now pursuing scientific careers of their own.
One of these students is Taime Clark, who went to SUCCESS Academy, graduated from SUU with a degree in chemistry, and is now doing graduate work at UC Boulder.
"The biggest impact of conducting research with the Great Basin Observatory was the confidence it gave me as a scientist to pursue research in my field and to stick with my passions, even when it was difficult,” she said.
Jon Ginouves, an SUU alum and paleontologist digging up dinosaur fossils in the Grand Staircase, was also a part of the project, his internship being a result of having a professional, peer-reviewed publication under his belt.
“Publishing the resulting double star observation paper gave me the confidence and skills needed to move on to involvement in paleontological research projects. It was an opportunity that allowed me to realize that, with some time and effort, real scientific discovery is something anyone can do. It also meant spending some extra time staring at the stars, which was just the icing on the astronomical cake,” he said.
The Ashcroft Observatory in Cedar City has been a longtime partner of Southern Utah University, bringing students and faculty closer to the stars every year. This year, the Great Basin Astronomy Festival was held in Great Basin National Park in Nevada to celebrate the beauty of discovery that comes from researching the universe. On virtually any Monday evening during the year, a stop at the Ashcroft is sure to educate and delight, with opportunities to view the splendor that is the night sky. Staffed by SUU faculty and students, this free community event allows families, groups, and individuals an opportunity to use powerful telescopes to observe the night sky.
Visit the Ashcroft Observatory’s Facebook and Instagram pages for updates about clear and cloudy nights, hours of operation and other information.
Congratulations to Dr. Pace on his speech and his dedication to his research. At SUU, the sky is not the limit, but a checkpoint to discovering something more.
*All quotes have appeared on the Great Basin National Park Foundation Blog.
Tags: Cedar City CurStu FacStaff Community
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
4355865400
brookeheath1@suu.edu