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What Can We Learn from Solar Eclipses?

By Kelsey Perrett, 8/5/21
Solar eclipses are more than an exciting cosmic phenomenon, they have played a key role in helping humans understand the universe. By observing eclipses, scientists learned about the size and shape of the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. Eclipses clued-in early astronomers to the orbits of the celestial bodies and how they relate to one another. Copernicus’ theory of heliocentrism cemented the understanding that solar eclipses occur when the Moon passes in front of the Sun.

A Brief History of Sound in Space

By Kelsey Perrett, 7/7/21
Anyone who remembers the iconic Ridley Scott film “Alien” (who could forget?) may recall the tagline “in space, no one can hear you scream.” And while sci-fi films are frequent fodder for scientific debate, this assertion is widely acknowledged as true. Because there is no air in space, there is nothing to conduct the sound waves, and therefore no vibrations that are perceptible to the human ear. But that’s not to say it’s impossible to hear the sounds of space.

Good Listeners: The Science (and Myths) Behind Auditory Learning

By Kelsey Perrett, 3/31/21
The first thing to understand about auditory learning is that it is wrapped in a cloak of myth.

Citizen Science: Where everyone benefits from public participation

By Kelsey Perrett, 1/28/21
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a scientist, but found yourself on another life path? Are there young people in your life who are curious about STEAM? Do you want to make a contribution towards bettering the world, but you’re not quite sure where to begin? If so, citizen science might be the best tool for you to expand your knowledge base while engaging in relevant modern research. Citizen science is a practice in which members of the public voluntarily participate in the scientific process to address real world questions and concerns.

In a giant leap for STEAM accessibility, the Eclipse Soundscapes: Citizen Science Project is selected for NASA SciAct Award

By Kelsey Perrett, 1/25/21
Medford, Mass. — The Eclipse Soundscapes: Citizen Science Project (ES:CSP), an enterprise of ARISA Lab, has been approved for a five year cooperative agreement from the NASA Science Mission Directorate’s SciAct Program and will now be supported by NASA under award No. 80NSSC21M0008. ES:CSP will engage NASA subject matter experts (SMEs) with citizen scientists to explore how U.S.

NASA’s Push for Inclusion Leads to Exciting News for The Eclipse Soundscapes Project

By Kelsey Perrett, 12/23/20
In July, NASA bolstered its commitment to diversity in science by adding “inclusion” to its list of core values. (The pre-existing values are teamwork, safety, excellence, and integrity). In the announcement, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said: “Incorporating inclusion as a NASA core value is an important step to ensuring this principle remains a long-term focus for our agency and becomes ingrained in the NASA family DNA.”

The Science of Soundscapes

By Kelsey Perrett, 11/23/20

What is a soundscape?

Have you ever listened to an album of relaxing nature sounds, like rains falling or whales singing? That’s a soundscape! Soundscapes include any noises that humans hear in a given environment. There are three major types of sound that can be found in soundscapes:
  • Biophony: Sounds generated by organisms (like bird song and cricket chirps)
  • Geophony: Sounds generated by the non-biological natural world (like wind and water noise)

Accolades for Eclipse Soundscapes

By Kelsey Perrett, 10/9/17

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project is far from over, but before we move on to other exciting initiatives, we want to share some of the successes of our flagship effort surrounding the August 21, 2017 total solar eclipse.

Basking in the Afterglow

By Kelsey Perrett, 8/28/17

We woke up to thunder the day of the eclipse, and loaded our equipment in the interludes when skull pounding downpours leavened to sheets of drizzle. Our significant others and friends and family along for the journey watched weather radars on their phones, and tried to mop up our damp spirits with optimistic reports, though all forecasts contained clouds. Still, we geared up and drove an hour and a half south toward totality.

Eclipse Excitement Evident at Arrows to Aerospace Event

By Kelsey Perrett, 8/20/17

On Saturday, August 19, NASA scientists took a break from reaching into the depths of  space and instead reached out to the citizens of suburban Nebraska to promote eclipse knowledge and safety at the Arrows to Aerospace Parade.

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