Latin America and Caribbean Seminar Series on the 2024 Annual Eclipse Wraps Up
Sep 29, 2024
The Latin American and Caribbean RCO, along with Raúl Pérez Orellana
(Country Coordinator for Chile), Marta Kingsland (Country Coordinator
for Argentina), María Marta Daneri (Alternate Country Coordinator for
Argentina), and Ana Prieto (Mentor Trainer from Argentina), just
completed a series of seminars on the 2024 Annular Eclipse. The goal
was to train the community, especially educators, on various aspects
of the annular eclipse, preparing for the event that will take place
on 2 October.
This phenomenon will be visible in the southern part of South
America, including Argentina and Chile, as well as in the Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans and Antarctica. Locations where the eclipse will be
seen in totality include Easter Island in the South Pacific Ocean, the
Aysén region in Chile, and much of the province of Santa Cruz in
Argentina. The solar eclipse will begin on 2 October at 15:42 GMT
(15:42 UTC), with the annular phase starting at 16:50 GMT and reaching
its maximum at 18:45 GMT (15:42 UTC). The ring of fire can
last up to 7.5 minutes, depending on the observer's location.
Session One: 11 September, Ethological Aspects of Eclipses:
Experiences in Argentina and Uruguay I.
Ninety people connected to this first session from Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay,
Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.
The event featured the following speakers.
Marcial Beltrami Boisset (Chile): State Professor
in Biology and Natural Sciences at the University of Chile; Master's
in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Zoology from the
University of Chile; Diploma in Scientific Research and Open
Knowledge Generation from the University of Development. Currently,
he is a full professor and senior researcher at the Metropolitan
University of Educational Sciences (UMCE). He specializes in
research in the ethological field, including seasonal behavioral
changes in primates and behavioral changes in baboons during solar eclipses.
Manuel Banchieri (Chile): Physics and Natural
Sciences teacher, GLOBE Program Trainer, and communicator on topics
related to Science and Astronomy.
Claudia Romagnoli (Argentina): Professor of
Mathematics, Physics, and Cosmography with a Master's in Science
Education. With over 30 years of teaching experience, she has
coordinated workshops and science fairs. She has published articles
in educational journals and contributed to books on science.
Darío Greni (Uruguay): Teacher in several rural
schools, currently serving as director of Rural School No. 88 Alfred
Nobel located in Las Violetas, Canelones. He has received several
national awards and was honored in 2017 with a diploma in
recognition of his work by the Global Learning Network.
Session Two: 17 September, Astronomical Approach to the
Eclipse: Experiences in Latin America II
Thirty people connected to this second session of the series from
Argentina, the Bahamas, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico,
Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay.
The speakers were:
Luis Barrera Salas (Chile): Doctor rer. nat. in
Astrophysics (Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany), Master in Physics
(UAC), Professor of Physics and Natural Sciences (UC). He is
currently a Full Professor and Director of Research at the
Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE). His
expertise includes Variable Stars, the Solar System (TNOs),
Centaurus, Comets, and various disciplinary aspects and management
in Education and Astronomy.
Ana Beatriz Prieto (Argentina): Master in Sciences;
Director of the Master's Program in Teaching Exact and Natural
Sciences at the National University of Comahue; Mentor Trainer for
the GLOBE Program.
Raúl Pérez Orellana (Chile): Master in Education
from UMCE; Master in University Teaching from UDLA; Specialist in
Environmental Education from UNED; Mentor Trainer for the GLOBE
Program; Coordinator of the GLOBE Program in Chile.
Victor del Fierro (Chile): Computer and Informatics
Engineer (USACH); specializing in Software Engineering and Code
Generation Applications. He has studies in Astronomy and experience
as a science communicator, and he is also a member of the scientific
team of GLOBE CHILE.
Session Three, 25 September, The GLOBE Observer Application:
Experiences in the U.S.
The speakers were:
Marilé Colón Robles (United States): Project
scientist for NASA GLOBE Clouds and educational outreach coordinator
at NASA Langley Research Center, working with Science Systems and
Applications, Inc. She engages with students and teachers through
the GLOBE Program. Marilé received the 2017 Women of Color STEM
Award for Educational Leadership – Corporate Promotion of Education,
due to her passion for exposing as many students as possible to STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). She has been
recognized during multiple NASA Hispanic Heritage Month
celebrations. Marilé holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the
University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras; a Master's in Atmospheric
Sciences from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; and
completed the Endeavor STEM Teaching Certificate Program in STEM
Education through the Teachers College of Columbia University.
Ana Beatriz Prieto (Argentina): Previously
introduced, she will address the topic of the GLOBE Observer
Application and the Eclipse.
