Public Talk by Dr. Elizabeth MacDonald

Space Physicist, NASA Goddard

Affiliated Research Scientist, Whitman College

Summary: What are the Northern Lights and how do you know when is the best time to see them? How can you make contributions to NASA science? You will be introduced to the beautiful basics of the physics that cause the aurora borealis, how you can participate, and how scientists are using both satellite data and information from the public to figure out where and when they are best seen. At this talk, we’ll discuss this new technology, as well as learn about the Sun, magnetic fields, and glitter by putting the Northern Lights in the spotlight. From this real-life example, we can see how everyone can contribute, and how new discoveries can be made in the process.

Bio: Dr. Elizabeth MacDonald works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center remotely from her hometown of Walla Walla. She leads a global citizen science project called Aurorasaurus (http://www.aurorasaurus.org/), which uses citizen science and social media to predict the Northern and Southern Lights. In 2018 MacDonald announced the discovery of a new aurora called STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement). Dr. Elizabeth MacDonald has been studying the glitter of the Northern Lights for 25 years, and it never ceases to amaze her. In addition to doing citizen science and outreach Elizabeth does some amazing high-tech space physics. She has also led teams that build instruments to measure charged particles in the space environment for NASA and DOE satellite and rocket missions. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing and hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

Masks strongly encouraged.