From Ten Blocks to Ten Million Lightyears: Bringing the universe to our neighborhood

We have established K-5 outreach centering on optics and astronomy. Lane College is a historically black college committed to educating underserved minority students, and our long-term goal is to increase the number of minority students studying physics and general science awareness.

People living in economically disadvantaged areas experience social isolation through the lens of their local ten-block neighborhood. This program aims to counteract these negative experiences in the community for which the college serves as an anchor by bringing excitement about science and revealing our ten-million lightyear neighborhood (give or take).

Students in the classroom explore how light interacts with matter by using various lenses and mirrors. We make connections to applications of reflection and refraction such as the eye, cameras, microscopes, telescopes, and fiber optics for the students. Astronomy nights are open to the public, focusing on the neighborhood surrounding Lane College.

The project is facilitated by the Lane College science club. Undergraduate students can learn the physics content and the importance of physics alongside the elementary school students and members of the community.