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---+ Past Events from 2026

For photos of all past events, see [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/143414768@N07/albums][our Flickr Page]].  
For lecture recordings, see [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpslw1KdoUvnCKi0swsb23w/videos][our YouTube Page]].<br>

To learn more about each event this year (including abstracts, titles, etc.), click on the event links below.

---++++ Monday, January 12, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260112][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Jesse Han, Allison Matthews<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Maggie Li, Delaney White, Advait Mehla, Ipek Kerkeser, Jake Summers, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz<br>
*Attendees*: 250<br>
Great turnout for a winter event.  Weather was clear and not too cold.  Telescope views of Orion Nebula and Pleiades in eVscope.<br>
We also tried a new activity by having the GR VR headsets present on a table and staffed by Jake and Ipek, which appeared to be<br>
a success.  Each of the talks were solid, and Allison's talk about Grote Reber was a real winner.  The audience was enthusiastic as<br>
always.  No live music.  

---++++ Friday, January 16, 7:30-9:30PM

Fire & Ice Festival Astro Trivia in Ely, NV<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Katie Jameson<br>
*Attendees*: 80<br>
This event was for the Fire and Ice Festival in Ely, NV to support DSA education efforts there.  As part of the festival, there was a<br>
musical act playing at the convention center in town.  We were asked to perform astro-themed trivia in the break between sets.<br>
Cameron assembled a pub trivia similar to those at Astronomy on Tap, although a bit easier than usual.  A good amount of enthusiasm<br>
from the crowd considering they weren't specifically attending the event to learn about astronomy.  Several requests for us to host<br>
more events in town.  Cameron also operated a telescope for the hour after the program ended and provided views of Jupiter and the moon.<br>

---++++ Saturday, January 17, 7:00-9:00PM

Fire & Ice Festival Guided Stargazing in Ely, NV<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Katie Jameson<br>
*Attendees*: 100<br>
The Fire & Ice Festival in Ely, NV featured fireworks being set off the Nevada Northern Railway as it drove into the countryside.  Directly<br>
following the fireworks display, there was a large bonfire ignited at the railway station with a couple hundred attendees.  We set up <br>
a Caltech Astro table and telescopes at the event, providing views of the heavens to attendees.  Despite the cold weather, there was a lot<br>
of interest.  We had the eVscope pointing towards the Orion Nebula and the 6" dobsonian pointed alternately between the Saturn and Jupiter.<Br>
We also handed out some DSA and outreach literature and NASA swag.<Br>

---++++ Sunday, January 18, 11:00AM-3:00PM

Fire & Ice Festival Solar Observing in Ely, NV<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Katie Jameson<br>
*Attendees*: 50<br>
The final day of the Fire & Ice Festival featured a snowman content in Broadbent Park.  We arrived an operated solar telescopes over the course<br>
of the day, providing people views of the solar surface.  We had two dobsonians with solar filters and the SeeStar with a solar filter.  Lots of sunspot<br>
activity and chances to describe solar convection, sunspots, and the solar winds' interaction with the earth's magnetosphere, and aurorae.<br>

---++++ Friday, January 23, 8-10PM

[[20260123][Stargazing Lecture - Simulating Galaxies, Stars, Planets, and Giant Black Holes on a Computer]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Phil Hopkins<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2+)*: Harshda Saxena, Isabel Sands<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Maggie Li<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (3+)*: Tirth Surti, Laura Fredericks, Yabo Ogunduyile, Ai-Dan Le, Sasha Mintz, Tim Proudkii<br>
*Attendees*: 160<br>
120 in-person + 40 online = 160 attendees. Hazy evening, but we were still able to view first quarter moon, Jupiter, and Orion Nebula.  <br>
Phil's talk was solid, and lots of good questions from the audience afterwards.  Some challenges with the A/V, since the sound system <br>
in Hameetman was recently upgraded, but I had no prior knowledge, so I could not connect the sound for the livestream directly<br>
to the house speaker system.  I relied on the shot mic on the video camera to record, which worked, but the sound is super echoey <br>
and pretty hard to understand.  I'll try to fix this up for next time.  Tim Proudkii saved the day when Maggie Li bailed as Telescope Captain<br>
with <3 hours prior to the event.<br>

---++++ Friday - Sunday, February 6 - 8

[[20260206][Death Valley NP Dark Sky Festival]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Harshda Saxena, Ipek Kerkeser, Sam Rose, Advait Mehla, Delina Levine, Leo Betancourt, Becky Williams, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz, Demet Kirmizibayrak, Delaney White, Audrey Martin, Oscar Kamps, Will Lawrence, Samantha Baker<br>
*Attendees*: 6250<br>
Very good weekend.  This years group was about the same number as past years, but we expanded (overreached) in terms of what we could do.<br>
I had additionally brought in 4 members of the GPS department to staff a minerals and meteorites table, which ended up going really well. <br>
Audrey Martin was the leader of that group, and she brought in a postdoc and two grad students to staff the table over the weekend.<br>
They didn't participate in the Astro on Tap events, which was fine since we had a good group for that.  The remaining 12 volunteers took <br>
different shifts at the Science Expo throughout the day (2-3h each) and then all 12 contributed to the Astro on Tap events in the evenings.<br>
Aside from these responsibilities, Gregg Hallinan gave a keynote talk on DSA, and I gave a lecture on galaxies on Saturday which were both<br>
well attended (mine was the largest non-keynote talk of the program).  We also had a Q&A panel on Sunday with Sasha, Delaney, Advait, and Becky.<br>
The first Astro on Tap at Stovepipe Wells was challenging in that they didn't have anything set up for us beforehand, and the staff didn't seem to know<br>
that the event was happening, despite a long email chain with POWDR in the months prior to this event and a confirmation 2 days beforehand<br>
Very disappointing, and I'm not sure if we'll work with them again.  On the other hand, Furnace Creek was on top of things this year and <br>
had everything ready to go when we arrived.  It's not as dark at Furnace, but we set up telescopes and had great talks and the pub trivia went well.<br>
We had record numbers with 220 show up at the Furnace night.  The weather was perfect with no clouds and no wind and good temperatures.<br>
We shared our campsite with the USC SSP students, which was a bit loud and raucous, so I'm not sure I'd recommend working with them again.<br>
One challenge we faced at the science expo was that we only ever had ~3-4 people on our marshmallow+solar+comet demos at a time, so it was<br>
hard to get photographs of the event since I was constantly working.  Hopefully in future years we can get 4 volunteers per shift to ensure this goes<br>
more smoothly, or atlernatively have fewer activities.<br>

---++++ Monday, February 9, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260209][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Jack Kiraly, Tom Greene<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Ai-Dan Le, Randy Muñoz, Bruno Bitencourt, Maggie Li, Delaney White<br>
*Attendees*: 180<br>
Busy night after the Death Valley Dark Sky Festival over the weekend.  Good turnout for a winter event with ~180 in attendance.<br>
Large contingent from astronomical community to see both Tom and Jack speak (with a lot of Planetary Society employees turning out).<br>
Weather conditions were partly cloudy, but we were still able to make out Jupiter in the haze with the 6" dob.  Great talks by Jack and Tom<br>
with a lot of enthusiam for both.  Dog Haus installed an additional outlet for us on the roof so we could plug in the 3rd TV without running a<br>
long extension cable to the alley, but unfortunately there wasn't enough power on the circuit and it caused the overhead lights to flash when<br>
we plugged it in.  So no go this time, and we just used the old method with the long extension cord.  Lots of new volunteers this time, but <br>
Delaney and Maggie were helpful in getting everyone up to speed.  No real A/V problems, which is good.<br>

---++++ Monday, February 23, 6:30PM - 9:30PM

DSA Science Fiction vs Fact Film Series in Ely, NV<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteer*: Katie Jameson<br>
*Attendees*: 100<br>
This was a first attempt at starting a science fiction film series in Ely as part of the DSA education efforts there.  I collaborated with Don<br>
Purinton, the owner of the Ely Central Theater to host a free movie for the community.  We screened the movie Interstellar, since it has<br>
significant science themes and is a good film overall.  In the hour preceding the event start, I operated a 6" dob in front of the theater, offering<br>
views of Jupiter and the first quarter Moon to visitors.  Katie Jameson staffed a DSA/Caltech table in the lobby with various swag as well as<br>
perfumes that are designed to replicate the smell of the Moon and being on board a spacecraft (i.e., plastic).  At event start, I gave a 15-minute<br>
introductory presentation on the relevant science themes addressed in the movie: black holes, time dilation, exoplanets, worm holes, etc.<br>
Then we watched the movie.  Afterwards, I operated the telescope again.  There was a very strong turnout for this event in such a small town, <br>
with a lot of enthusiastic attendees. We advertised it through White Pine County tourism and it got some good reach.  Overall the event was a <br>
success, although there were a few points of improvement for next time.  The film choice was good, but it has some challenges with audio<br>
in that some scenes are ear-blastingly loud, while much of the dialogue in other scenes is very quiet.  I imagine this is a product of the film mastering<br>
as well as maybe a misconfiguration of the speakers in this theater, as we didn't have challenges with a different film the next day.  The science <br>
lesson presentation went well to occur prior to the movie, as the movie was long and when we finished at 9:30PM, everyone promptly left.  I had<br>
some challenges with the range of my presentation slide advancer remote, preventing me from standing at the front of the theater, so next time<br>
I will use my iPhone to do this (iPhone+MacBook using keynote on the same wifi network allows for long-range slide advancer functionality).<br>
Beyond that, I think we just need to find more movies for the series and do it again quarterly. It only cost $100 to rent the theater and $150 for<br>
the film rental.  A good start!<br>

---++++ Tuesday, February 24, 9:00AM - 11:30AM

White Pine County Schools Film and Science Lesson<br />
*Organizer: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteer*: Katie Jameson<br>
*Attendees*: 80<br>
Consistent with the activities of the previous night with the film series, we repeated this effort with the fifth grade classes from David E. Norman<br>
and Learning Bridge Elementary Schools as a field trip for the students.  We rented out the Ely Central Theater for a screening of WALL-E for<br>
the students.  The kids arrived, bought popcorn and sat down in their seats with teachers and some chaperones in tow.  We watched the movie<br>
straight through, and then I gave a 30-minute lesson on the relevant science topics addressed in the film: photosynthesis, solar power generation,<br>
orbits, rocket propulsion, Newton's third law, and more.  Then we hosted a brief science Q&A with the kids, which was useful at identifying some <br>
additional lessons from the movie.  The event went well and I got feedback from the teachers about the kids enjoying it and learning from it.<br>
Don, the owner of the theater, doesn't really like children, so it was challenging to get him to agree to this.  We had to make sure that the kids <br>
were on their best behavior and that they had identified how many kids would want refreshments (kid's packs of popcorn and a drink) beforehand<br>
so that it was more efficient at getting the kids in the theater.  This seemed to work pretty well.  I think we'll build on this for the next school year.<br>

---++++ Friday, February 27, 8-10PM

[[20260227][Stargazing Lecture - Revealing the Primordial Universe Through Its Oldest Light]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: W.L. Kimmy Wu<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2+)*: Dee Dunne, Isaac Cheng<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Delina Levine<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (3+)*: Julia Johnston, Yabo Ogunduyile, Carl Crum, Randy Muñoz, Luke Handley, Ethan Potter<br>
*Attendees*: 210<br>
170 in-person + 40 online = 210 attendees.  Great presentation on the CMB by Kimmy Wu with very good content.  Clear weather all night.<br>
We were able to view Jupiter, Crab Nebula, and first quarter moon.  A solid turnout of volunteers from CalState LA to join us.  Challenging<br>
questions all night for the Q&A panel.  Still some challenges with the new A/V system.  Cameron spent over an hour beforehand working with<br>
James to get the sound/video working OK so there were no feedback loops and so the sound would broadcast through HDMI to the house <br>
speaker system.  In general, many reboots of the computing infrastructure in the lectern are required, even though this is a brand new $50k<br>
system.  But we were able to mostly make it work. Happy attendees.<br>

---++++ Monday, March 9, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260309][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Sasha Mintz, Tim Proudkii<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Isaac Cheng, Ethan Potter, Jaeden Bardati, Randy Munoz, Julia Johnson<br>
*Attendees*: 300<br>
Great turnout and event!  I got there at 7:15, which slowed us down some, but we were able to get the event started by 7:40PM.  The weather<br>
was clear, so I brought a dob for Jupiter and the Galileian Moons as well as the SeeStar for the Crab Nebula.  Some problems with the SeeStar<br>
being disrupted and not working, but after several resets, it finally worked.  Our speakers did a very good job and got lots of questions and compliments.<br>
Crazy parrot flyby several times over the course of the night that was deafening.  Damn those parrots--hahahah.  Arjun said they had the external<br>
outlet fixed to address the drop in power capacity that prevented us using it previously, but when we plugged in the 3rd TV it still had insufficient power<br>
and caused the lights to flicker, so we had to use the long extension cable as previously.  Beyond that, no real A/V problems.  I'll have to remember to<br>
not allow anyone to sit adjacent to the speaker with food, otherwise we get someone on video just eating the whole time which is quite distracting.<br>
Very big turnout, and even Mike Brown showed up, which was funny except that he was shouting out answers to the trivia.  hahahaha.<br>

---++++ Tuesday-Wednesday, March 17-18

[[20260320][Lecture and Star Parties at Ventura College]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Attendees*: 250<br>
Cameron gave some public lectures at Ventura College, a community college 1.5h drive from Caltech.  He helped organize two sessions of <br>
solar observing with students and the public, a star party, and two public lectures, one on galaxy evolution, and one on black holes.  The event<br>
coincided with the centennial of the college, so the combination made for a great turn out.  In addition to participation from the Ventura College <br>
astronomy club, the Ventura County Astronomical Society also arrived and operated telescopes, enabling hundreds of people to see Jupiter,<br>
M42, M1, and other targets.<br>

---++++ Thursday-Sunday, March 19-22

[[20260320][Great Orion Dark Sky Festival]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers*: Advait Mehla, Ipek Kerkeser, Ines Belkhodja<br>
*Attendees*:120<br>
Over the course of three nights, our team provided outreach activities for the attendees at this dark sky festival.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights<br>
Cameron gave public lectures on galaxies, black holes, and the formation of the solar system.  On Friday and Saturday, our team conducted solar science<br>
demonstrations including solar observing with the H-alpha and SeeStar telescopes, but also ran the solar s'mores demonstration.  Also on Friday and <br>
Saturday, our team hosted an astrophysicist Q&A panel each day, answering questions from the audience on a variety of topics related to astronomy, physics<br>
and space science.  Unfortunately, the grads were consistently late to these events arriving 40 minutes and 10 minutes into their designated solar demo<br>
allotted time.<br>

Visit to Madison Elementary School<br />
*Organizer*: Luke Handley<br />
*Attendees*:75<br>
Luke visited an elementary school to oversee educational activities with children, as well as operating a solar telescope and discussions regarding<br>
The Sun and solar activity.<br>

---++++ Friday, March 27, 8-10PM

[[20260327][Stargazing Lecture - Space Exploration and Discovery: From the Deserts of Egypt to Saturn's Moon Titan]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Charles Elachi<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2+)*: Maria Camarca, Ryleigh Davis<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Sam Rose<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (3+)*: Yabo Ogunduyile, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz<br>
*Attendees*: 320<br>
230 in-person + 90 online = 320 attendees.  Huge night tonight.  Charles Elachi gave one of our best presentation in 10 years, full of charm and insight.<Br>
We had one of our largest turnouts here in Hameetman, with people filling the auditorium and seated on the floor throughout.  We even had several people<br>
watching the livestream in the lobby while listening to him speak through the open doors.  Weather was so so, with some high cirrus, but we were still<br>
able to see Jupiter, Moon, M1, and M42.  Lots of people outside for it.  First time using the mini-mac on the lectern to run the presentation, and it worked OK.<br>
I spent a 1-2 hours in there in the days preceding to make sure the sound was OK during live-streaming so no feedback loops or other challenges, and it paid off.<br>

---++++ Saturday, April 4, 4-9PM

Night of Ideas<br />
*Organizer*: Joanna Piotrowska<br />
*Volunteers*: Gabe Muro, Gaurav Waratkar
*Attendees*: 130<br>
The French Embassy and Villa Albertine is hosting a series of events across the USA designed to promote education and collaboration with the USA.<br>
They hosted an event here in LA at the Wende Museum here in LA (Culver City) with an afternoon of activities and then an evening of educational <br>
presentations.  Joanna Piotrowska gave a presentation on black. holes to ~80 attendees, and there was a solar marshmallow and solar observing<br>
activity on the rooftop for ~1h for ~50 visitors (primarily children).  The event was a success, but it was a shame they didn't have more capacity for <br>
our group to speak to more people.<br>


---++++ Monday, April 27, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260427][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, Roshan Misra<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Delaney White, Julia Johnston, Ethan Potter, Amanda Miloserny, Randy Munoz, Kaustav Das, Elin Stenmark, Cece Abramson, Facundo Perez Paolino<br>
*Attendees*: 300<br>
Great turnout for a lunar-themed event!  We capitalized on the success of the Artemis II mission earlier this month, and we featured presentations<br>
on Artemis II and the Blue Ghost lander from last year.  Weather was clear and so we had a dob out to look at the lunar surface, as well as the <br>
eVscope to observe M51.  The venue finally had the additional outlet working so we could plug in the third television on the alleyway without <br>
a major extension cord underfoot, although the students set up the long cable before I arrived so we couldn't test the new outlet out.  Great talks<br>
from our speakers, but things went a bit long, so half the crowd left at 9:30, but over 100 stuck around for the trivia answers and prizes.  I mixed it<br>
up with the trivia this month, doing visual trivia questions and it seemed to work well.  Top score was 17 / 21, with most people coming in around 10-15.<br>
The students somehow broke the table, which isn't great, so I might have to buy a new one.

---++++ Friday, May 29, 8-10PM

[[20260530][Stargazing Lecture - Images of the Hidden Universe]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Katie Bouman<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2+)*: Kristen Schumacher Aloh, Cheyanne Shariot, Brandon Zhao<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Maggie Li<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (3+)*: Ethan Potter, Laura Fredericks, Sam Rose, Marlon Reyes Silva<br>
*Attendees*: 240<br>
200 in-person + 40 online = 240 attendees. Another big turnout for our Stargazing Lecture with Katie Bouman and clear weather.<br>
We additionally hosted Kristen Aloh's VR headset visualizations of a black hole before and after the presentation, which was a big hit.<br>
Telescopes observed nearly full moon, Jupiter, M51, and M13.  Great presentation.  Tonight was the first night we had a<br>
dedicated cameraman to assist with things.  Jordan Colley joined us and brought his nice videocamera, which recorded all of the <br>
video for the event.  It was zoomed in, followed the person speaking, and much higher quality than the video camera I had previously<br>
been using.  Assuming Jordan is available, we will continue to do this in the future.  One hiccup was that Katie didn't have her<br>
lavalier microphone on for the first minute of her presentation, so the live-stream and recording miss the first minute of her <br>
talk, but it's not a huge deal.  Overall, success!<br>

---++++ Sunday, June 14, 12-4PM

[[20260614][City of Astronomy Festival, Pasadena Convention Center]]<br />
*Organizer*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*Volunteers (12:00PM-3:00PM)*: Delina Levine, Julia Johnston, Sam Rose, Yabo Ogunduyile, Natsuko Yamaguchi, Demet Dirmizibayrak (12-2PM), Jaeden Bardati, Isaac Cheng (1:30-4), Aniket Sanghi, Aurora Lipper, Cathryn Price, Carl Crum, Tim Proudkii, Jen Sobeck, Marlon Reyes Silva, Michael Gutierrez, Sarah Gates, Emily Rice<br>
*Volunteers (3:00PM-6:00PM)*: Delina Levine, Julia Johnston, Sam Rose, Yabo Ogunduyile, Bruno Bitencourt (4-6PM), Soumyadeep Bhattacharjee, Jaeden Bardati, Jameeka Marshall, Sergio Gomez, Naaz Shafeer, Cathryn Price, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz, Cheyanne Shariat, Marlon Reyes Silva<br>
*DSA Volunteers (12:00PM-3:00PM)*: Kaitlyn Shin, Kiran Shila<Br>
*DSA Volunteers (3:00PM-6:00PM)*: Tirth Surti, Casey Law (4-6PM)<br>
*GPS Volunteers*: Audrey Martin, Maria Camarca<br>
*TAPIR Volunteers*: Kristen Aloh, Lisa Drummond<br>
*Attendees*: 2500<br>
A really successful day out.  Lots of smiles and attendees throughout the course of the day.  The auditorium was overcapacity for most of the talks (160-200), and the weather was clear enough that solar observing was possible throughout.  On the Caltech side, we had 7 booths: welcome table, solar s'mores, build a comet, meteorites, DSA, spectroscopy, and the black hole VR headsets, so we made up over 1/3rd of the total tables out there (20).  We also had the H-alpha solar telescope operating, which was good.  It was a pretty hot day, and I'm glad we had shade structures over each of the tables for both the attendees as well as our volunteers.  Thanks to DSA, we purchased shade structures and now have 5 (and DSA has one), which will be useful in the future.  Congresswoman Judy Chu and Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo both turned out and gave some remarks in the auditorium, as well as posing for a few photos with members of our team.  In terms of constructive criticism for next time, possible areas for improvement: (a) a bigger presentation space; (b) announce the event and schedule earlier than 1.5 weeks out; (c) having teams stay throughout the duration (Setting Stars arrived late / left early, as did Planetary Society); (d) more water / drinks for volunteers; (e) food trucks to help bring in more people.

---++++ Monday, June 15, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260615][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Cara Battersby, Stephen Hummel<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*:Isaac Cheng, Jaeden Bardati, Gaurav Waratkar, Advait Mehla, Aurora Lipper, Delina Levine, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz<br>
*Attendees*: 325<br>
Our 150th event!  Great turnout.  We additionally had t-shirts and totes for sale, and sold lots of them.  We gave a few to the barstaff as well.  Talks were good.<br>
Lots of interest in the science.  Some microphone feedback but not too bad.  Additional telescope from Aurora.  Target was M13 and Albireo.  Lots of parrots!<br>

---++++ Tuesday, June 16, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260616][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Esra Bulbul<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Delaney White, Bruno Bitencourt, Emily Silich, Harshda Saxena, Aurora Lipper, Marlon Reyes Silva, Tim Proudkii, Isaac Cheng <br>
*Attendees*: 275 <br>
Another good night with almost as many as last night.  Excellent presentations.  Clear weather again with good stargazing opportunities.  A/V worked well, and it was<br>
all recorded.  

---++++ Wednesday, June 17, 7:30-9:30PM

[[20260617][Astronomy on Tap @ Dog Haus]]<br />
*[[AoTCaptain][MC]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[AoTSpeaker][Speakers]] (2)*: Kyle Kremer, Floor Broekgaarden<br />
*[[AoTVolunteer][Volunteer]] (3+)*: Michael Gutierrez, Sarah Gates, Jaeden Bardati, Sergio Gomez, Bruno Bitencourt, Aurora Lipper, Kristen Aloh, Luke Handley, Maggie Li, Tim Proudkii, Sasha Mintz, Isaac Cheng<br>
*Attendees*: 300<br>
Surprisingly we still had a great turnout on the third night of these events, with many repeat attendees from earlier in the week.  A/V setup worked really well, with no major challenges beyond some<br>
slight feedback in the sound.  I wonder if it is because the left speaker is pointed towards the open door so there is some reflected soundwaves that come back at the microphone?  Experiment with this.<br>
I've also found that an EQ can help with this for turning down the offending frequency channel.  Consider this.  We had music from Jason Achilles and Forrest Mitchell, and only one complaint about the<br>
volume, but overall they played a good set.  Lots of people stuck around for the trivia.<br>

---++++ June 26, 8-10PM

[[20260626][Stargazing Lecture - Illuminating the “Emptiness” of Space with Radio Beacons]]<br />
*[[Lecturer]]*: Stella Ocker<br />
*[[LectureCaptain][Lecture Captain]]*: Cameron Hummels<br />
*[[LectureVolunteer][Lecture Volunteers]] (2+)*: Kaitlyn Shin, Geoffrey Mo<br />
*[[TelescopeCaptain][Telescope Captain]]*: Andreas Faisst<br />
*[[TelescopeVolunteer][Telescope Volunteers]] (3+)*: Michael Gutierrez, Sarah Gates, Tirth Surti, Aditya Abhyankar, Tomas Virgen<br>
*Attendees*: 260<br>
210 in-person + 50 online = 260 attendees. Amazing turnout and presentation for the summer.  Stella gave a really outstanding presentation on astrophysical plasmas<br>
and FRBs and pulsars.  The weather was clear, and we had 4 telescopes (2 SeeStars and 2 Dobs) out on the field, with a full audience for the hour of observations.<br>
Geoffrey and Kaitlyn did a great job on the panel too.  We additionally had Jordan Colley, our volunteer cameraman, to operate the video camera during our <br>
lecture, which really makes the livestream/recording look professional.  I bought a few longer cables and cable covers to accomodate his setup, and they all worked<br>
rather well.  We will continue to host him for as long as we can.  Great event! <br>

Link back to [[https://sites.astro.caltech.edu/twiki_outreach/bin/view/Main/WebHome][home page]].
Topic revision: r19 - 2026-07-02 - OutreachAdmin