Webinar

Head to the Stars: Event

Explore the galaxy with sound and touch in this exciting virtual event!

Photo of the galaxy.

Listen to the Universe with the Chandra X-ray Observatory Virtual Panel and Discussion

Details

Brought to you by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled Library of Congress

NASA’s Universe of Learning & NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

For millennia, humans looked to the skies and yearned to understand what’s beyond.

Today, we have sophisticated and powerful telescopes on the ground and in space that

let us do this like never before. Until recently, however, most of us were limited to

understanding and learning about space with a single sense: vision. Now we have

entered a new era where we can use sound and touch to expand our exploration of the

cosmos. This event will feature some of the latest ways – from 3D models to

sonifications and more – that we have developed to discover all that the Universe has to

offer. Let’s head to the stars with the Library of Congress and NASA!

Speakers

Dr. Kimberly Arcand

Dr. Kimberly Arcand has been a visualization scientist at NASA’s Chandra X-ray

Observatory for over 25 years. She is an expert in data processing and has been an innovator

in 3D imaging, printing, and extended reality applications with high-energy astrophysics data.

Dr. Wanda Diaz Merced

Dr. Wanda Diaz Merced received a doctorate in computer science from the University of

Glasgow, Scotland. She specializes in the use of audio to study space science telemetry and

has worked for over 15 years on establishing a framework for sound to be used in scientific data

analysis.

Sarah Kane

Sarah Kane is a PhD student at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of

Cambridge, where she primarily studies Galactic archeology, with a particular focus on globular

cluster-origin stars in the Milky Way field. She also has an active interest in data sonification and

the accessibility of science to people with disabilities.

Christine Malec

Christine Malec is a member of the blind community with a lifelong passion for

astronomy and space travel. She is committed to making astronomy more accessible to people

of all abilities.

Jason Broughton

Jason Broughton has been director of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print

Disabled since 2021. The former State Librarian of Vermont, he is responsible for the oversight

and administration of NLS, including the expansion of digital delivery of services and its ongoing

modernization efforts.

Agenda

Background

NASA’s Universe of Learning and NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory produced, and the

Library of Congress is currently distributing, 3D print kits on the life of stars, with full 3D models

of 3 different stellar objects (the pulsar Crab Nebula, massive star Eta Carinae, and star

formation region known as the Pillars of Creation) for library hubs in each US state/district.

Each stellar object also has a rich visual description and sonification (translation of data into

sound) to accompany it. To go along with the kits, the Library of Congress is co-hosting with

NASA this online panel with experts in astronomy, data, and/or accessibility from the blind and

low-vision community.

Additional Chandra X-ray Observatory resources

Back to Paths to Technology’s Home page

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